A mature 70 not out from Worcestershire's Moeen Ali, following on from his 126 in the first innings, ensured his side maintained their unbeaten record in this summer's LV County Championship. Having been set a target of 268 off a minimum of 51 overs, the visitors were reduced to 109-5 by Gareth Batty and then to 168-8. But with Ali and Alan Richardson seeing off the final four overs, cricket rather than Surrey turned out to be the winner on the final day at Whitgift.

Worcestershire's troubles began when they lost Phil Jaques for a second ball duck, edging Andre Nel hard to Rory Hamilton-Brown at second slip, to complete the first pair of the Australian's career. Five overs later, Jaques was joined in the dressing room by Daryl Mitchell, who yorked himself walking into a ball of full length from Jade Dernbach.

At tea, the requirement had risen to a shade under six an over. Five overs after the break, Vikram Solanki fell leg before, for 44, to a delivery that skidded on. But, rather than shut up shop, Moeen Ali slog swept Chris Schofield for six and Alexei Kervezee swept Batty for three fours in as many deliveries to make it 95-3 in the 23rd over.

Two overs later, however, Kervezee's confidence got the better of him and he was bowled off a bottom edged sweep. In the 29th over, Ben Smith became Batty's third victim when, like his skipper, he foolishly opted to play back rather than forward.

With Worcestershire needing 140 going into the last hour, it was simply a question of repelling Surrey's spin trio, which Hamilton-Brown swapped around regularly. Moeen Ali and Ben Scott held firm for sixteen overs until Scott attempted to sweep Schofield in the 45th over.

The introduction of Usman Afzaal's slow left-arm spin resulted in Richard Jones being undone by some extra bounce and turn in the 50th over. Four overs later the tension increased when Jack Shantry, went forward but offered no stroke to Schofield.

Earlier, Surrey, resuming on 57-2, added a further 182 in 42.3 overs to their second innings total. In the first over of the day, Mark Ramprakash slog swept Ali for four, but, in the next, called Afzaal through for an optimistic single, for his partner to be beaten by Shantry's direct hit at the bowler's end from backward point.

The 34th over, saw Hamilton-Brown hit two cover driven fours before the Surrey skipper was stumped off a bottom edge, looking to launch Ali over mid-wicket and into the Brighton Road.

Four overs later, Ramprakash deposited Shantry over long-on for a six and, after recording one thousand first-class runs at Whitgift School, moved to a 131-ball fifty in the 45th over.

With Ramprakash taking three fours of a Richardson over, Arif was introduced at the Nottingham Road End, which brought the desired effect when Ramprakash's slash-drive was acrobatically caught by Scott for a splendid 82. Batty went in the next over, driving Ali low to short extra, which meant that, at lunch, Surrey had a lead of 209.

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