Scott Newman and Jonathan Batty steered Surrey to their fourth championship win of the season - and their second in as many matches - to all but make certain of the Brown Caps' top flight status. The visitors' nine-wicket victory gives them 156 points. The most Warwickshire, a place below them in seventh place in the Division One table, can now muster is 158, while Kent, in eighth, could theoretically end up with 171 points.

Yesterday, the manner of the Brown Caps' charge for the line could not have been more assured. Newman and Batty's partnership of 149 in forty overs was Surrey's best first wicket stand of the summer. For Newman, who appears to have come of age as a one-day batsman in recent weeks, his 87 off 113 balls, which included two sixes and 11 fours, was his highest score in the County Championship since the opening game of the season, when he hit 124 against Yorkshire.

The left-hander signalled his intentions by driving the first ball of the day, bowled by Neil Carter, through cover for four. He repeated the stroke two overs later and in Carter's next pulled the left-arm seamer for another boundary. Batty got in on the act by working Chris Woakes off his hips to the fence at long leg, then clipping Alfonso Thomas past mid-off for four in the 14th over.

Ant Botha was introduced two overs later and immediately got the ball to turn out of the rough outside the left-hander's off stump. However, the runs continued coming at the other end. Newman cover drove James Anyon for four and Batty cut the 24-year-old through cover point two overs later. Anyon was eventually reduced to bowling a no-ball so short that even Batty's tennis shot could not reach it.

In the 24th over Newman swept Botha for six and four overs later repeated the dose to post a 84-ball half-century. The 27-year-old then rounded on Thomas, off whom he collected three boundaries in front of square on the off-side in four balls. In the next over, the 33rd, Batty on drove Botha for four to reach his fifty off 104 balls with eleven fours.

The visitors dined on 131 without loss, but in the sixth over following the break Newman was caught behind to give Chris Woakes his maiden championship wicket. Victory was secured at 1.45pm when Mark Ramprakash, having just cut Woakes through cover point, hit the fresh-faced 18-year-old straight up the ground for four.

Afterwards, Surrey's hero in the first innings said: "We were just happy to get the job done. We came up here needing a positive result with two games left in the season. We knew that Lancashire at the Oval was going to be a tough game on what is usually a good wicket. So we felt we really had to push hard for a win here and that was what Mark Butcher wanted to do and the team responded magnificently.

"There was a little bit in the wicket for the bowlers. It made it a good game. We were very much aware that we needed to get stuck in with the bat and try and have partnerships. We managed to do that, crucially all down the innings. James Benning came in and attacked the second new ball. I think we put on 70 here, then I put on 25 with Chris Jordan, about 30 with Matt Nicholson and so on. So, those partnerships were massive and I think that's where we gutsed it out and kept Warwickshire out in the field for about 140 overs."

Ramprakash agreed when it was suggested that Chris Jordan batting at number seven was no mistake. He said: "Chris has got a good orthodox technique, temperament, calmness at the crease… You know, he looks the real deal, both with bat and ball. At 18-years-old I think it's his temperament that marks him out."

Finally, Ramprakash admitted he had a slice of luck during his match-winning innings, when he was dropped at mid-on on 104. He said: "I was walking off. I had both gloves off. I got another chance and I suppose I'm old enough to try and put that behind me and concentrate on what's coming next."

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