Like England at Lord's, Surrey were frustrated after enforcing the follow-on by a placid pitch and a much-improved batting display by the opposition in their second innings. Surrey's chances of clinching a first win of the season had looked strong when they reduced Nottinghamshire to 207 for six, just 22 runs ahead, but a resilient, unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 165 between Samit Patel and Graeme Swann saw the home side to the safety of a draw that keeps them on top of the table.

Both these players had ground to make up after rash dismissals in Nottinghamshire's limp first innings of 218. Patel's shot selection was more discreet yesterday, but his timing did not suffer. He reached three figures from 130 balls with 15 cleanly struck fours, the first century from a Nottinghamshire top-order batsman this season.

“I played a ridiculous shot in the first innings, there was no excuse,” he said. “We had to learn from the mistakes we made and we did that.”

Swann's batting seldom suggests permanence, but he adopted the role of elder statesman yesterday, urging Patel to keep his concentration. He completed his fifty from 76 balls, with five fours and a six hooked resoundingly over mid-wicket off Chris Jordan. By this time, it was clear that Nottinghamshire were safe.

They had looked vulnerable earlier in the day, when Adam Voges edged a drive to give Jonathan Batty his 500th first-class dismissal and Chris Read lost his middle stump to Pedro Collins. But Nottinghamshire bat a long way down, a quality that has helped them to maintain their place at the top of the first division.

Surrey had lacked the firepower to transcend a sluggish surface. Jordan always looked dangerous, nipping a ball away from Matthew Wood to have him caught behind. Matt Nicholson, occasionally gaining extra bounce, threatened sporadically and yorked Andre Adams, who had made an entertaining 47-ball 58 as nightwatchman.

So it will be the end of July - at the earliest - by the time Surrey record a win this season. The first division remains tight, but they need to start working their way northwards some time soon.

Surrey: First Innings 403 (U Afzaal 89, C J Jordan 57, M N W Spriegel 51, Saqlain Mushtaq 50; D J Pattinson 5 for 72)

Nottinghamshire: First Innings 218

Second Innings (overnight 46-2)

M J Wood c Batty b Jordan 26

A R Adams b Nicholson 58

A C Voges c Batty b Dernbach 35

S R Patel not out 134

*† C M W Read b Collins 5

G P Swann not out 68

Extras (b 3, lb 10, nb 14) 27

Total (6 wkts, 99 overs) 372

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-46, 3-113, 4-129, 5-198, 6-207.

Bowling: Collins 15-3-53-2; Dernbach 20-5-64-2; Jordan 20-3-82-1; Nicholson 16-2-51-1; Saqlain 17-4-62-0; Spriegel 4-0-19-0; Walters 7-1-28-0.

Umpires: M J D Bodenham and P Willey.