Barring something totally outlandish happening this morning, Surrey will seal their first opening game win in the championship for seven years. With all ten second innings wickets at their disposal, the home side need just ninety more and then they can start turning their thoughts to Wednesday’s encounter against the reigning champions Yorkshire.

Although one had to admire the artistry with which Chris Adams reached the third century of his career against Surrey and the doggedness Tony Cottey displayed to record his second, the home side - captained with great precision by Mark Butcher - had their heroes too.

One of them was certainly Alex Tudor, who took three wickets for 81. On the sort of pitch that would leave Glenn McGrath scratching his head, the 24-year-old all-rounder bowled a telling line and was lively throughout all of his twenty-one overs. The way in which he did Adams, when he followed a brace of lifting deliveries with an even quicker ball on off stump, was the sort of three-card trick one only expects to see from an Australian fast bowler these days. Tudor spent most of last winter in Adelaide, so perhaps some of the Aussie culture rubbed off.

On such an unforgiving surface it was also brave of Butcher to persevere with Ian Salisbury for as long as he did. But it often pays to give the batsmen something different to think about, especially with a ring of close catchers employed around the bat and eventually three of them succumbed to the pressure. Salisbury’s figures of 19-0-93-3 were hardly flattering, but his role in setting up what appears to be almost certain victory should not be underestimated. Nor should Nadeem Shahid’s prowess at silly mid-off. Whereas the bat-pad catch to dismiss Goodwin was sharp, the one that saw the back of Davis needed to be scooped up as well.

Sussex were invited to follow-on when James Kirtley, playing back to an Ian Salisbury googly, was lbw to the second ball of the day. Needing 267 to make Surrey bat again the visitors could not have hoped for a worse start, losing Richard Montgomerie in the first over when Alex Tudor got one to come back in to the right-hander.

Murray Goodwin and Chris Adams added 110 runs in 28 overs for the second wicket, but Adams was undeniably the senior partner. After reaching his fifty in 62 deliveries, he punched Azhar Mahmood for three off-side boundaries in one over. After lunch he perfected his on drive against Salisbury and then proceeded to despatch Bicknell for consecutive boundaries in precisely the same manner.

The thirty-first hundred of Chris Adams’s 14-year career took him just 112 balls. 86 runs - twenty fours plus one towering six over square leg off Tudor - came in boundaries.

Tony Cottey took a while to get going, but was severe on anything short of a length outside off stump. His fifty came up in 76 balls and his century occupied 142. The Welshman survived two half chances in the 44th over, which was bowled by Alex Tudor, when a pull dropped just short of wide mid-on and an attempted hook was finger-tipped by Alec Stewart. Otherwise, his four-hour stay was faultless.

After Adams went Cottey could have done with more support. Michael Yardy only lasted 26 deliveries before he was trapped on the back foot by James Ormond and the way Robin Martin-Jenkins and Matthew Prior both lost their wickets - hooking to the furthest bit part of the field - could only be described as irresponsible.

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