A captain’s innings by Jonathan Batty, plus a fine century from Mark Butcher after Warwickshire enforced the follow-on with a lead of 244, helped Surrey to get back into a match they seemed destined to lose by an innings. Going into the final day just one run separates the two sides. With eight second innings wickets remaining for the visitors, all three results are now conceivable with the draw appearing to be the most likely.

Butcher’s first championship appearance since the corresponding fixture ten months ago, brought him a third hundred against Warwickshire, and his second in as many matches against the midlands county. His authoritative performance will no doubt have pleased the watching England selectors David Graveney and Rod Marsh, ahead of next week’s First Test against New Zealand.

Surrey’s defiant tone was set by their skipper Jonathan Batty who occupied the crease for a total of 108 overs in compiling a gutsy 92 not out, which helped earn is side what might turn out at the end of the season to be three precious batting bonus points.

With Batty receiving admirable support from Ian Salisbury, Warwickshire were made to wait nearly two hours for their first wicket of the day. As expected, though, after the former Sussex man was out leg before, the visitors’ rearguard did not prove sufficient to avoid the follow-on, which was invoked shortly after lunch after James Ormond was caught at mid-off and Saqlain Mushtaq had been snapped up off bat and pad.

Once Mark Butcher had, in the opinion of umpire Nigel Llong, avoided making a pair to add to the duck he made in the corresponding totesport League fixture, Surrey’s left-handed openers made a positive start, putting on 67 in fourteen overs; which was enough to convince Nick Knight that spin was the answer.

But Warwickshire’s England representative, Ashley Giles, did not look like running through Surrey’s batting line-up in the way everyone had anticipated, on what was effectively a fifth day pitch. Giles’s only second innings success to date came when Mark Ramprakash lazily chipped to him to mid-on, having made an attractive 35 off 38 balls; although Butcher seemed fortunate to survive an appeal for a catch at third slip when the left-hander was on 74.

The visitors’ opening stand of 124 saw Scott Newman pass 1,000 first-class career runs, but the 24-year-old was eventually caught off top-edged sweep.

In what was an almost faultless performance, Butcher reached his hundred in 160 deliveries, and to lift Surrey hearts still further he has already been put on a further 57 for the third wicket in partnership with Graham Thorpe.

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