Jonathan Batty and Mark Ramprakash furthered Surrey's quest for maximum bonus points, but when the heavens opened at 2.15pm it looked as if the rain would have the final say. At that stage the hosts were forty runs shy of their target. If things had ended there not only would the Brown Caps have been denied a certain fifth batting point, but due to their tardy over-rate when Warwickshire batted, they would also have been docked half a point. But the weather relented, Bill Gordon and his groundstaff went to work and Surrey eventually got everything from the day they had set out to obtain.

In the process, Batty also strengthened his case for being called up for next week's first Test against the West Indies. The 33-year-old wicketkeeper struck an unbeaten 154 off 357 balls, including 17 fours and a six and can rarely have looked as assured at the crease.

With the home side resuming on 226-1, he turned his 82 overnight into his second championship hundred of the season, while Ramprakash went about compiling the ninetieth first-class century of his career. With two more seasons to go on his contract, after this one, it would seem certain that the former Middlesex man will record a hundred hundreds before he hangs up his pads.

Ramprakash re-announced himself by driving Jonathan Trott through the covers in the second over of the day. Four overs later he pushed the same bowler into the on-side for two to bring up his fifty in 117 deliveries. Batty, by way of contrast, started the final day tentatively, but upon the introduction of James Anyon, the Surrey wicketkeeper underlined his international potential by clipping the 24-year-old through mid-wicket. Batty promptly repeated the stroke off the same bowler when the visitors took the second new ball at the earliest possible opportunity.

In the 86th over, Batty progressed to the fourteenth first-class century of his career and his second against the midlands county by driving Anyon off the back foot through the covers for four. His hundred had consumed 245 balls. With Ramprakash looking equally secure at the other end, Surrey's second wicket pair posted the 200 partnership just before lunch.

At the break the hosts were 333-1. The first delivery after the interval saw Ramprakash play inadvertently at Heath Streak, but the ball flew past the lone slip to the third man boundary. Three overs later the 37-year-old went to three figures in 204 deliveries.

When play resumed at 5.00pm, Ramprakash progressed to an undefeated 120 off 228 balls, which included seventeen boundaries. The former Middlesex man has now made 1,065 first-class runs against Warwickshire since joining Surrey in 2001, from just ten completed innings.

The Brown Caps declared their first innings as soon as 400 was reached, after which Rikki Clarke and Alistair Brown each sent down an over of spin to level out their side's over-rate, thus helping Surrey avoid any points deduction.

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