Surrey's recently arrived overseas player Matt Nicholson made up for a decidedly ordinary-looking first day performance with the ball to hasten the end Warwickshire's first innings before lunch, during which rain arrived to lop a further 73 overs off this match. With a total of 116 overs now lost to the elements, a draw looks a near certainty. But so had a big total for the visitors, who proceeded to lose their last six wickets for 108 runs.

With the hosts badly needing an early breakthrough, Nicholson precipitated the slide when he had Alex Loudon flicking at the first ball of the day, which Jonathan Batty gleefully claimed down the leg-side. That brought Tim Ambrose, fresh from his career best 251 not out against Worcestershire, to the crease.

The former Sussex wicketkeeper, who will retain the gloves even when Kumar Sangakkara joins Warwickshire next week, made an attention-grabbing start. Ambrose drove Nicholson through cover point and ran him down to the third man boundary, both times for four. In the second over of the day, he on drove Neil Saker for to take his score to fourteen.

But, then, Nicholson had Darren Maddy caught low down at short extra cover. The Bears skipper had hit 134 off 173 balls, including 25 fours and one six.

With overhead conditions encouraging the ball to swing, Saker accounted for Ambrose, who, driving, was caught at second slip by Alistair Brown in the day's fourth over.

Heath Streak threatened to stop the rot when he twice cut Rikki Clarke for four and then drove the Brown Caps' vice-captain straight up the ground. But when Nicholson, switching to the Vauxhall End, was re-introduced in the next over, the former Zimbabwe captain and all-rounder was bowled off an inside edge.

263-8 became 273-8 when Naqqash Tahir was caught at the second attempt by Mark Butcher at third slip to give Clarke his one hundredth first-class wicket; though not before Dale Steyn had followed up a straight hit for four off Nicholson with a memorable six over long-on.

With Steyn, in partnership with James Anyon, putting on 56 in eleven overs for Warwickshire's tenth wicket, there was some relief when the South African was eventually caught on the straight boundary off the bowling of Chris Schofield.

Steyn, who, two balls earlier, had brought up his half-century in 44 deliveries had one moment of fortune, though; when, on 36, he was dropped off Nayan Doshi. As if to rub salt into Doshi's wounds, Steyn then deposited him in the OCS Stand for six.

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