On the day that Surrey's relegation to Division Two of the LV County Championship was finally confirmed, centuries from Mark Wagh and Samit Patel put Notts in a seemingly unassailable position. With the pair combining to put on 242 in just 38 overs - a new record for Nottinghamshire's third wicket against Surrey - the home side looked mightily relieved when stumps were eventually drawn. To add to the Brown Caps' woes, Jonathan Batty will not be able to take any further part in this match after breaking the middle finger on his left hand yesterday.

Surrey's two remaining first innings wickets lasted just six and a half overs. Murtaza Hussain was soon caught at short leg off the bowling of Mark Ealham and Shoaib Akhtar went hit wicket after being felled by bouncer from Andre Adams.

The injury to Batty came when the 34-year-old wicketkeeper took a ball from Stuart Meaker that dipped after passing Will Jefferson. Scott Newman donned the gloves before lunch and parried Jefferson to Usman Afzaal at second slip for the first breakthrough.

After the break, Dan Euston, who plays for Malden Wanderers, took over behind the timbers. In the tenth over of the afternoon session Wagh struck Meaker for four successive fours. Two overs later the former Warwickshire opener went to his half-century in 75 deliveries; though not before Bilal Shafayat had slog swept Murtaza for six

Shafayat, looking to cut, was caught behind in the 32nd over for 44. But, thereafter it was all Nottinghamshire, except for when Wagh, on 56, was put down at second slip by Afzaal off the bowling of Pedro Collins.

The first indication that Patel was in superb touch came when he pulled Collins through wide mid-on in the 35th over. He then collected two boundaries off the West Indian left-armer in the 41st over and three off him two overs later.

With Wagh despatching Lee Hodgson to the rope on the off-side with consummate ease and Patel launching Murtaza and then Afzaal for sixes the hundred stand came up in just seventeen overs.

Shortly after tea, Wagh went past three figures in 148 deliveries when he clubbed Afzaal straight back over his head for four. By comparison, Patel's hundred was only 89 balls in the making. It included four maximums.

The 23-year-old all-rounder moved to 96 with a checked pull off Shoaib, which flew for four, and brought up his own century with a cut boundary, also off the spluttering Pakistan fast bowler, whom, it would seem, has a clause in his contract with Surrey that states he can only operate in four-over spells.

In the 68th over, Patel hit two successive sixes off Murtaza, but two overs later, Matthew Spriegel's third, he was caught at long-on for an impressive 135 off 121 balls.

In the very next over a lazy nibble at Collins did for Wagh, who finished with 141. His four-hour knock included 19 fours and a six.

Ashwell Prince announced himself with a straight driven four off Collins, but the South African will no doubt feel that he missed out after being bowled for 24 by Murtaza, who got one to hurry through.

Graeme Swann finished the day with an unbeaten thirty, which included a huge straight six off Spriegel.

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