As expected, Warwickshire became the first side to record the championship double over Surrey since Nottinghamshire managed it back in 1992. The only consolation the Oval outfit could take from both their meetings with the Division One leaders is that they made over four-hundred after following-on. The answer to their problems would therefore appear to be simple – avoid falling 150 or more short of the opposition on first innings.

However, given their frailties at the top of the order plus their inability to spark mid-innings collapses with the ball, that seems easier said than done. But there is hope around the corner. The presence of Mark Butcher and Brett Lee will solve both, though neither is likely to be around for more than half of Surrey’s six remaining four-day fixtures.

It is difficult, admittedly, to be positive when faced with inevitable defeat. But after capturing the wickets of Mark Wagh and Nick Knight early in Warwickshire’s chase yesterday, the sight of Ian Bell middling everything – much as he had done during his 155 in the first innings – was enough to silence the hosts who, by tea, had nothing left to give.

Had their tail wagged for longer and more intelligently than it was capable of, it might have been a different story for Surrey. Jimmy Ormond drove the first ball of the day through the off side for four and two overs later Tim Murtagh reached his second half-century this season in 104 deliveries. But immediately after pulling Dougie Brown to the boundary Murtagh jabbed the ball straight back to the bowler, who pulled off a brilliantly anticipated one-handed catch.

Promoted in the order to number ten, Nayan Doshi played some attractive flicks and glides either side of the wicket, and for a while seemed as if he would be a thorn in Warwickshire’s side. However, the introduction of spin caused a rush of blood to the head and left Doshi to contemplate the kind of reception he would receive upon reaching the home dressing room. With Sampson barely managing to trouble the scorers, the championship leaders were left to make 207 in a minimum of eighty overs.

Nick Knight took two leg side boundaries off Azhar Mahmood’s first over, but lost Mark Wagh in the next when the wiry 27-year-old played on to Ormond. Warwickshire dined on 33 for one, but lost their captain shortly after the break when he reached for a ball from Philip Sampson and was caught at first slip. For the first time in the match Surrey’s tails were up and they remained that way until Bell and Trott, who shared in a third wicket stand of 138, had seen off the seamers.

Ian Bell, who passed a thousand first-class runs in a season for the first time in his career yesterday, took an instant liking to Doshi’s slow left-arm and reached his fifty in 103 deliveries after hitting the seventh boundary of his innings – a pull for four off a no-ball from Murtagh.

Jonathan Trott, playing a solid supporting role, advanced his score to 49 at tea by hitting Ormond’s first two balls of off-spin to the boundary. He duly converted to fifty after the interval in 91 deliveries before perishing to Rikki Clarke’s brief investigation of the middle of the flat Guildford wicket.

Bell, who looked a future Test cricketer, finished with an unbeaten 96 off 146 balls – four runs short of becoming only the second batsman since 1990 to hit a hundred in both innings of a championship match against Surrey.

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