Worcestershire have only been in Division One of the County Championship for half a season, but in less than a full day’s play they have made its winners in 2000 and 2002 look like strong candidates for relegation come September. With Stephen Peters and Stephen Moore dominating with the bat as Kabir Ali and Matt Mason had earlier done with the ball, the Oval outfit are now staring down the barrel for the fourth time in as many championship fixtures away from home this summer.

Surrey have not lost four matches on the road since 1991, but their record at Worcester, where they have failed to win since 1983, is not good. So the fact that the hosts go in to day three fifteen runs ahead with the cream of their batting still to come looks as ominous for Surrey as Saturday’s weather forecast does for Worcestershire. If the visitors could be relied upon to bat as badly again in their second dig, Ben Smith might entertain declaring soon after lunch today. But it would be a bold step to play to the weather in preference to achieving maximum batting points, which now seems well within his team’s compass.

Other than four overs from Andy Bichel the Surrey batsmen never looked settled yesterday, unlike their counterparts. Kabir took care of the upper order, adding four wickets to that of Butcher on Wednesday, while Mason make short work of the tail as the visitors were bowled out for their lowest total of the season in 47.1 overs.

Scott Newman and Graham Thorpe resumed cautiously, taking well over an hour to add 21 for the third wicket before the former was caught unawares by one that when Kabir got to lift. Thorpe and Batty then combined for 52 in 81 minutes, during which play was held up to allow the white sheeting at the Diglis End, which had been catching the light and distracting the batsmen, to be replaced by a mobile sightscreen from the nearby King’s School.

However, the change did not help the England left-hander pick up a swinging delivery and when Alistair Brown – fresh from his 170 against Gloucestershire – went to Kabir Ali in the same over, chasing a ball that was angled across him, Surrey were 87 for five. That became 114 for six when Hollioake, who threatened to hit his side out of trouble, had his defences penetrated by one that kept low from Mason.

Jonathan Batty, who passed fifty for the fourth time in six championship innings batting at number five, enjoyed a couple of lives, but lacked any real support from the tail. Kabir also got one to skid through, to account for Bicknell. Ian Salisbury and Jimmy Ormond both went to catches behind the wicket and not long after Batty was caught in the gully for a dogged 53 off 105 balls.

The home side established a first innings lead without losing so much as a wicket. Peters, the pick of their openers, raced to 36 in as many balls – including a six off Murtagh – and the fifty stand was raised in the eleventh over. The hundred partnership arrived twelve overs later and by tea both batsmen had half-centuries to their name. Peters’s came off 58 balls, while his partner’s, which included seven fours, was rather more pedestrian.

Only sixteen overs were possible in the final session of the day, during which Ormond, not for the first time this summer, proved to be the pick of Surrey’s attack, which by that time lacked Bicknell. The 35-year-old all-rounder, troubled by a groin strain, took up position at first slip where he floored the only chance that was offered by the Worcestershire openers, off Tim Murtagh, when Peters had made 83.

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