It is hard to know where to start summing up yesterday’s action at Edgbaston. Come the end of a long and eventful opening day, which saw a total of 440 runs, things were finely balanced with Warwickshire – nine first innings wickets in hand – 270 behind the county champions, but with the pitch starting to take a fair degree of spin.

Had Surrey not lost four wickets in five balls, before recovering through a tenth wicket partnership of 67 in fifteen overs between Martin Bicknell and Jimmy Ormond to make 355, the visitors would already be in a position of some strength. The opposing view would be that, had catches been held, Adam Hollioake’s men would have been dismissed for a good deal less.

After winning the toss and witnessing his side’s indifferent morning session, it was left to Hollioake to come to the fore. In just over two hours he and Alec Stewart added 150 in 31 overs for the fifth wicket. The Surrey captain made 88 from 89 balls, though he should have been caught at extra cover for two. The 31-year-old went on to hit 14 fours and a straight six off Graham Wagg before eventually departing to a catch at mid-wicket.

On his first championship appearance of the season following a back injury, Neil Carter claimed five for 75, his best return for Warwickshire.

After Azhar Mahmood had been caught down the legside off Wagg, Carter took three wickets in four deliveries when Stewart – who completed his fifth half-century in seven championship innings despite being dropped on 11 and 21 – edged an attempted pull behind. Next ball, Ian Salisbury was taken off a forward push and, two balls later, Saqlain Mushtaq was caught at short leg off bat and pad.

By way of contrast the Warwickshire openers were rarely troubled in the 24 overs they had to face prior to the close, losing only Michael Powell in the process. Powell, who was dropped by Alec Stewart off the bowling of Ormond on nine, added 27 to his score before Salisbury got his second ball to turn and Azhar scooped up a well-taken catch at slip.

Earlier in the day Mark Butcher was the first to go, caught off a back-foot drive at short extra cover. Fifteen minutes later he was joined in the pavilion by Ian Ward who was squared up by Warwickshire’s other left-arm seamer, Graham Wagg, and taken at slip.

But the principal Southpaw, Neil Carter, who conceded 27 runs in his first four overs, accounted for both Graham Thorpe and Mark Ramprakash in his sixth. Thorpe was leg before to an inswinging yorker, while Mark Ramprakash was caught behind by Tony Frost off one that lifted.

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