Apart from a ten-minute spell just before lunch, when Saqlain Mushtaq accounted for Knight and Bell, Warwickshire made all the running on the opening day of their Frizzell County Championship match with Surrey, which ended with the home side 358 for six and Brad Hogg unbeaten on 69 – the Australian having already contributed to two crucial fifty-run partnerships.

On a dry and used pitch that is expected to deteriorate, the first day did not get off to the best of starts for the visitors when they lost the toss and were informed they would be fielding. But the Surrey bowlers gave their inexperienced captain, Jonathan Batty, nothing but one hundred percent support in the opening session, which ended honours even.

After Rikki Clarke’s wayward performance on Sunday, the promise of spin was all the encouragement the Oval outfit needed in terms of including both spinners. However, with Alex Tudor still on the road to recovery it meant that the average age of this Surrey side is a shade over thirty, and in the afternoon it showed in their fielding.

After the break for lunch, Jim Troughton and Jonathan Trott were allowed to have things far too much their own way as the pair laid the foundations for a fourth wicket partnership of 119 in 33 overs. Trott’s third half-century in as many championship innings, which included thirteen fours, overshadowed Troughton’s 77 off 166 balls. It was, however, only the left-hander’s third fifty in 15 innings and his highest score since his 120 against Kent at Edgbaston nearly a year ago.

After Trott was adjudged leg before in the 57th over, Troughton and Brown combined for a further 52 in 79 minutes, before Brad Hogg featured in stands that were worth 64 and, at the close, fifty-two and counting. It was during the latter that the 33-year-old all-rounder reached his half-century off 48 balls.

Troughton, who launched Salisbury for one straight six, perished when he skipped down the pitch to the leg-spinner and was stumped and Dougie Brown was out to a sharp catch at point. Earlier in the day, Mark Wagh went to a catch at second slip, Nick Knight followed a turning delivery and Ian Bell was caught off a flick to mid-wicket.

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