On a stop-start sort of day, which saw 46 overs being lost to regular rain interruptions, Richard Clinton continued where he left off at Tunbridge Wells on Saturday, when he made his maiden first-class century for Surrey, against Kent. The 23-year-old left-hander played purposefully in conditions that, if anything, suited seam bowling, to hit 84 off 138 balls, including sixteen fours; a number of them off his legs and square of the wicket on the off-side. But the hosts were left feeling a whole lot better at the end of an evenly contested first instalment when Alistair Brown and Jonathan Batty lit up the gloom by putting on an unbeaten 60 runs for the fifth wicket in just nine overs.

Surrey won the toss and elected to bat with a view, one assumes, to giving Harbhajan Singh the best chance ridding himself of any cobwebs. Harbhajan has not bowled in a competitive match since the end of March and if the Oval outfit are going to be a major player in the championship this summer, the Indian will be crucial to their chances.

Up to the final stoppage, shortly after Rikki Clarke had top-edged a pull to the keeper, it looked as if had it not been for Clinton the home side would have gained no advantage at all from winning the toss.

After cutting Heath Streak to the boundary on the Brighton Road side of the pocket-sized school ground in the third over, Scott Newman edged a drive to the keeper. The visitors then held sway until Mark Ramprakash cover drove and hooked Dougie Brown and Clinton struck Streak for consecutive fours.

The left-hander was lucky not to have played on when a thin inside edge off Neil Carter raced, instead, to the boundary boards in front of the sightscreen at the Nottingham Road End. Unruffled, Clinton back-foot drove Brown through extra cover to leave himself unbowed on 26 when rain precipitated an early break for lunch.

Play resumed at 1.55pm and by the 31st over Richard Clinton had moved to a much deserved fifty in 92 deliveries, with ten fours. But Ramprakash, who averaged 413.00 at Whitgift prior to yesterday, was not himself; other than showing an innate ability to leave what needed to be left. After 147 minutes of crease occupation the former Middlesex man finally broke and Carter was euphoric at claiming his wicket.

Three balls later Clarke took a blow to the index finger of his right hand as Carter continued to hit a spot on the pitch which caused the ball to act as if it were of the tennis variety. It was not, however, and Clarke was evidently in some discomfort for the next half hour. He lost Clinton in the 46th over when Dougie Brown found the slightest of away movement off the pitch and Alex Loudon claimed the catch low down to his left at second slip. Alistair Brown announced himself by pulling Naqaash Tahir. Rikki Clarke tried to do likewise and perished as a result.

The final chapter, which started at 6.00pm, was played out in front of a handful of diehards. Brown duly rewarded them by adding four more boundaries to his tally, but had it not been for the third no-ball of the day and the second to be bowled by Neil Carter, the fans’ favourite would have perished to a well judged catch by Michael Powell on the deep mid-wicket boundary.

Brown’s championship record against Warwickshire is a relatively modest 603 runs at an average of 33.50. The visitors will no doubt be hoping it stays that way today.

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