IT WAS like the good old days. Surrey, bolstered by a massive first-innings score, chipping away at the opposition with Saqlain Mushtaq wheeling in from one end and Ian Salisbury the other. But this win, Surrey’s first over fierce rivals Middlesex since 1998 and their first in the championship since mid-June, was much too little, much too late.

Far from delivering a fourth title in seven seasons, the result — victory by an innings and 39 runs, 40 minutes into the final session — brought them merely crumbs of comfort ahead of a winter spent contemplating life next year in the Frizzell championship Second Division, where they alone among the seven Test match-staging counties will reside.

Even though they have paid for a shortage of back-up players, Surrey remain strong enough to make an immediate return to the first division, although it will not be an easy task, given that from now on only two teams can earn promotion rather than three.

They may need the likes of Saqlain and Salisbury to be back at their best. In eight seasons for Surrey before this one, they had claimed 656 first-class wickets between them, and that they were fit enough to make only 10 appearances in 2005 — and take only 15 wickets before this match — had a huge bearing on the team’s inability to win a four-day match in July or August.

The team played yesterday with the verve of a team high on indignation, and their most ardent supporters will doubtless make much of their eight-point penalty in May for ball-tampering (without it they, rather than Middlesex, would have stayed up), but an internal investigation by the club concluded that there had been malpractice. The punishment was deserved.

If they are to return to winning ways soon, Surrey need to bring in fresh talent to support the club’s younger generation, which is promising but still short of maturity.

There will be signings, possibly even of Kolpak players, something the club has tried to resist. The club’s one indulgence in the hazy area of non-England qualified players is Mohammad Akram, their most reliable fast bowler this season, whose early removal of Ed Smith began Middlesex’s slide. Smart catching off the bowling of Rikki Clarke added the wickets of Ben Scott and Ben Hutton before Saqlain took up residence at the Pavilion End, where he bowled 15 overs unchanged.

He, too, was assisted by some safe hands in the field, substitute Chris Murtagh holding a good catch at deep square leg to remove Owais Shah, whose failure was a small blot on an excellent season that brought him 1,728 first-class runs, more than anybody else.

Salisbury was soon brought on to keep Saqlain company and they gradually whittled their way through the rest of the batting. Saqlain finished with three for 77 from 20 overs, Salisbury with three for 79 in 11.3. Salisbury was the more expensive because he took punishment from Peter Trego, who hit him for three sixes and three fours in two overs, but Salisbury got his man and also took the wicket of Ed Joyce, falling to another sharp catch by Scott Newman at short leg.

Surrey batted on for just over an hour to give themselves a lead of 282 and a record total in this ancient fixture, Mark Butcher declaring after Azhar Mahmood had reached a maiden double-century.

Middlesex can take little from this game. They went into it with the sole intention of securing their survival and by declaring at four down on the first day to deny Surrey bonus points, they effectively achieved their aim. Yesterday, they batted like a team without ambition. They have no reason to gloat at the fate of their old foe.