When it was announced that the hosts had elected to bowl first yesterday, the thoughts of the Surrey faithful will have rewound rapidly to 2004 and the anguish that followed the Brown Caps' decision to insert Warwickshire, who proceeded to rack up 537 en route to a convincing seven wicket victory. Not just that - it is 17 years since a team won a championship match at Woodbridge Road after calling correctly and choosing to bowl. But with Chris Tremlett marking his 100th first-class appearance - and his first at Guildford - by taking 4-32, his best figures to date for Surrey, the home side go into day two with their noses very much in front.

Rory Hamilton-Brown's decision was soon vindicated when he caught Ed Joyce at second slip, second ball. With Tremlett also accounting for Mike Thornely, bowled offering no shot, and Murray Goodwin, trapped leg before on the back foot, Sussex were 12-3 in only the third over.

Chris Nash and Michael Yardy held firm for thirteen overs before both departed shortly after Gareth Batty's introduction at the Railway End; Nash falling to a sharp bat-pad catch at forward short leg and, three deliveries later, Yardy drilling the former England off-spinner straight to Stewart Walters at short extra cover to make it 47-5.

With Jade Dernbach deceiving Ben Brown with a slower ball in the last over before lunch, Surrey went into the break with a noticeable spring in their step. Their mood improved even further when Yasir Arafat miscued an attempted pull off Batty high to cover shortly after the resumption.

But then Ollie Rayner and Will Adkin, making his first-class debut, staged something of a recovery, putting on 59 in twenty overs for the eighth wicket. Rayner, who latched on to anything slightly short of a length outside off-stump, took three boundaries off one Batty over while Adkin played some attractive shots square of the wicket.

In the 54th over, the introduction of Matthew Spriegel's off-spin soon brought the wicket of Rayner, who was caught on the deep mid-wicket rope for a 58-ball 47. The curtain eventually came down on Adkin's mature knock when Tremlett dug one in and caught a glove. Six overs later, Dernbach wrapped things up by yorking Corey Collymore.

By the close Surrey had already reduced the deficit to 170. Setting out in pursuit of Sussex's 217, Tom Lancefield on drove the very first delivery for four. Arun Harinath's first boundary arrived six overs later when he despatched Adkin to the rope at cover. The 13th over saw the 23-year-old left-hander drive Adkin through extra cover for four, though not before Lancefield had punched Collymore straight up the ground.

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