Last night at The Oval, Jimmy Ormond put Surrey on course for victory over Worcestershire by taking wickets in each of his opening three second innings overs. With Azhar Mahmood chipping in with the scalp of nightwatchman Kabir Ali, the visitors soon found themselves reeling at 18 for four (chasing a target of 410 off a minimum of 105 overs).

Stephen Peters, driving, dragged the last ball of Ormond’s first over onto his leg stump, then Stephen Moore went leg before to the last ball of the 26-year-old’s next. Azhar struck the nightwatchman on the helmet before having him snapped up by Clinton at short leg, then Ormond undid Graeme Hick with a perfect off-stump yorker.

Going into the final day Surrey require just a further six wickets for victory, while Worcestershire 382 more runs for what for them would be an improbable win.

The home side had reason to thank Mark Ramprakash for both the size of the target as well as the visitors’ reluctance to face the final nine overs of proceedings. The former Middlesex man recorded his second hundred of the match, which came off 120 balls and included nine fours and two sixes. It was the fifth occasion that Ramprakash has recorded centuries in both innings of a game and the first time for Surrey. Now that Adam Hollioake has retired from first-class cricket, it makes him the only current Ovalite to have achieved such a feat.

Surrey made short work of Worcestershire’s last two first innings wickets, which added just fourteen runs in less than four overs as the home side’s new-ball partners shared the honours. Alex Tudor, in his first championship game of the summer, took another excellent catch at second slip to account for Matt Mason before Nadeem Malik was caught by Alistair Brown in the gully.

Scott Newman and Richard Clinton wasted no time in building on a lead of 80 at the halfway mark, putting on 90 for the first wicket for the second time in the contest. Clinton fell leg before just before lunch, but Newman went past 1,000 runs for the season for the first time.

Newman, who made 59 in 101 deliveries, fell to what is one of his strengths as well as his Achilles Heel – the expansive off-drive – just after lunch. Rikki Clarke showed glimpses of the talent that took him to impressive championship hundreds against Lancashire and Leicestershire last season. With some lusty hitting from Brown, Azhar and Benning, the 300 was brought up in just 65 overs.

With 19 overs being lost to rain and bad light, the hosts smashed a crucial 134 in their last 17 overs to set up an aggressive declaration, which was confirmed as soon as Ramprakash posted three-figures for the fourth time in six championship innings. The main bowlers to suffer were Kabir Ali and former Ovalite, Gareth Batty.

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