HAVING made 158 in a losing cause when Surrey played Hampshire in the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy quarterfinal at the Oval last month, Jonathan Batty must hope that his century yesterday is not another pyrrhic victory. After he fell for 124, carelessly run out, Surrey failed to reach 400, but Mohammad Akram bowled with such vigour before the close that the home side might yet ease their relegation battle.

With the whole of Wednesday lost to rain, Surrey would have been looking to win the toss and pick up maximum batting points quickly. That was Scott Newman’s intention, setting off like a dervish, although he lost Richard Clinton in the first over and Mark Ramprakash fell leg-before to James Bruce for six.

Newman was batting like a man who had a taxi waiting outside with the meter running. His fifty came off 40 balls with a fifth boundary edged through the slips. It seemed to be his favourite shot, although it was a controlled stroke. Newman looked well set for a century before lunch but was out for 71 on the stroke of noon, driving round a straight one from Dimitri Mascarenhas.

Graham Thorpe had pulled out of the match after suffering back spasms in the nets, but one England left-hander was replaced by another at No 4. Mark Butcher, playing only his second championship innings this summer, constructed a careful partnership of 112 in exactly 200 balls with Batty.

After taking 111 balls to reach fifty, Butcher cut loose, taking a fancy to Bruce, whom he hit for four successive boundaries. The bowler claimed revenge two overs later, Nic Pothas taking a smart catch down the leg side.

Alistair Brown then batted as if it were the closing stages of a one-day game, driving his second ball from Bruce for four, playing the next to the mid-wicket boundary and cutting the final ball of an eventful over into the hands of Sean Ervine at point.

Batty played more sensibly, passing 5,000 runs in first-class cricket, but his rush of blood may prove costly. Having turned a ball from Shaun Udal to long leg, Batty tried to run a second to Bruce’s arm. It was not the brightest thing to do with Surrey 40 runs away from claiming maximum batting points. The last three wickets fell to Shaun Udal in four balls.

With the third ball of Hampshire’s reply, Akram moved one away from Michael Brown and Batty dived to his right to take the catch, plucking the ball off first slip’s toes. The pair also united to send back Ervine. The wicketkeeper may hold the destiny of this game — and Surrey’s season — in his gloves.