When Surrey's number eleven Matt Nicholson joined his captain Mark Butcher with more than 21 overs to go yesterday, the Brown Caps seemed to be facing certain defeat at the hands of bottom-of-the-table Worcestershire. But with Butcher dropping anchor at one end and Nicholson blocking out at the other, the Oval outfit salvaged a draw that gives them some hope of avoiding relegation from the top flight in the championship going into the mid-season break from four-day cricket.

Having played one more game than their closest rivals, a fifth drubbing in seven starts - plus what would have been their second innings defeat in a row - would have left a very dark cloud hanging over SE11 until championship hostilities resume again on 8th July. To come away with a draw from a game in which Worcestershire racked up a county record 701-6 declared, must have felt as good as a victory to Surrey. Against his old county, Gareth Batty took 5-84 in fifty overs, but the visitors' last pair denied him what would have been a crucial sixth wicket.

Butcher, who, again, was forced to bat with a runner because of Achilles tendon trouble, finished with an unbeaten 29 off 142 balls - which included just three boundary hits - while Nicholson's 20 not out - all of which came in boundaries - occupied 67 deliveries.

Four wickets fell in the morning session. Thirty-five minutes had gone when Neil Saker, acting as nightwatchman, flicked Gareth Batty to short leg in the 41st over. With no addition to the total, Scott Newman, driving, edged a ball angled across him by Kabir Ali and Steve Davies, who pulled off a brilliant one-handed catch, diving away to his left.

Four overs later Alistair Brown, pushing forward, was caught at silly point and, for the second time in the match, looked less than enamoured by the umpire's decision. What appeared to be the crucial alliance for the Brown Caps - between Mark Ramprakash and Rikki Clarke - lasted just twelve overs before the former Middlesex man was caught at head height by Graeme Hick at first slip to off Nadeem Malik, who also accounted for Ramprakash in Surrey's first dig. The last bowler to achieve the same feat was Kent's Martin Saggers, at Canterbury in 2003.

At lunch, the visitors were 133-5 - still 198 runs away from making Worcestershire bat again. But a partnership of 53 in twenty-one overs for the sixth wicket by Clarke and Azhar Mahmood showed Worcestershire that they could take nothing for granted.

In the 79th over, Mahmood eventually fell to one that Ali got to nip back into the right-hander with the old ball. That brought Butcher with the crease, accompanied by Brown, but with Clarke and Butcher seeing off the new cherry, Gareth Batty returned to the fray and picked up the wicket of Clarke, who was lbw to a turning delivery that kept low.

Chris Schofield, playing back, was also adjudged to be leg before to Batty, who deceived Ian Salisbury with some extra bounce to have the former England leg-spinner caught at slip. However, for the next 78 minutes, Butcher and Nicholson remained steadfast to frustrate the hosts and guide their side to safety.

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