Surrey made lighter work than expected of the 105 more runs they required for victory yesterday as the home side overcame Lancashire by three wickets, before lunch, to go even further clear at the top of Division One in the County Championship.

Thanks to a 109-run fifth wicket stand in 35 overs between Mark Ramprakash and Alec Stewart, the target had reduced to a much manageable 57 by the time Stewart - recalled to the England team - drilled Chilton to short extra cover in the fourteenth over of the day.

Both batsmen played positively without being rash, mixing deflected singles with the occasional boundary square of the wicket. This resulted in 55 runs coming in the first hour, which put Lancashire somewhat on the defensive and contributed to at least a couple of tactical errors.

The first was choosing not to bowl Kyle Hogg. The wiry 18-year-old seamer, who is certainly one for the future, would have worried Surrey’s batsmen far more than Mark Chilton and John Wood. The second mistake was the handling of Glen Chapple. Replaced by Wood in the 71st over, he was then recalled to the attack to bowl the 73rd and 75th.

Afterwards Ramprakash agreed that Chapple was the visitors’ biggest threat, even though the 28-year-old all-rounder went unrewarded second time around. “I thought he was very unlucky. He really bowled with a lot of heart and effort. He was probing and swung it both ways, but as a side they made it very tough and kept going very well,” said the former Middlesex man.

Mark Ramprakash’s fourth championship hundred in Surrey colours, which included 13 fours and a six over mid-off to end the match, was not the only reason behind the home side’s success. Alex Tudor, who made 61 on Thursday morning not to mention a three-ball eight yesterday, played his part by helping Surrey avoid the follow-on and Azhar Mahmood’s eight for 61 is sure to one of the highlights of year come the end of the season.

Ramprakash admitted: “We stuttered in the first innings, badly, and it took a monumental effort. I mean Azhar Mahmood was just incredible, that really turned the game for us big time.”

As for his century he said: “It was definitely one of the best of my career I think. All credit to Lancashire, the ball swung consistently all through the innings and we knew it was a big game, a top-of-the-table clash. Just the pressure of the fact it was a big game. It now gives us three wins out of three, so I think it probably means so much more.”

GO TO:

BACK TO: