GUILDFORD

(Day three of four; Surrey won toss)

Surrey 220 and 185 for three (S A Newman 67); Durham 410 (W R Smith 201 not out, P Mustard 62 , P J Wiseman 34, J Ormond 4 for 90).

Lunch

An impatient Phil Mustard failed to add to his overnight 62 but Will Smith turned his fifth first-class century into the highest score of his career to put Durham in a position of strength.

Durham, resuming on 259 for five, had added only three when Mustard slashed at James Ormond and was caught behind but Paul Wiseman gave Smith aggressive support in a seventh wicket stand of 66.

Wiseman hit 34, including two sixes and four fours, before he pulled Jade Dernbach to deep square leg while Smith, who had started bis innings at 5.35 on Wednesday, went steadfastly on. At lunch, he had been there more than seven hours for his 166 off 340 balls with 19 fours and Durham were 124 ahead.

Tea

Smith twice pulled Chris Schofield for four and Liam Plunkett hit sixes off both Schofield and Murtaza Hussain as the eighth wicket added 54 to put Durham in sight of a fifth batting point.

They did not quite make it after both Plunkett and Callum Thorp had fallen to the spinners but Steve Harmison hung around long enough to enable Smith to complete his double-century. He finished unbeaten on 201 after batting for more than eight hours, facing 396 balls and hitting 22 fours.

Durham had a commanding lead of 190 but Scott Newman, who had been off the field with a knee injury, responded positively, racing to 50 off 57 balls with two sixes and eight fours.

Close

Newman and Stewart Walters had put on 96, Surrey’s biggest opening partnership in the championship this season, when Wiseman had Newman caught off bat and pad at silly mid off. Newman had needed only 88 balls to add 65, including two sixes and eight fours, to his first innings 113.

Walters and Chris Murtagh then perished to the pace of Thorp and Steve Harmison but Jonathan Batty and Usman Afzaal maintained Surrey’s counter-attack by putting on 59 in only 11 overs.

Steve Harmison was hammered for 73 in 13 overs, Liam Plunkett went for 29 in two and when rain brought an early close Surrey were only five runs behind with seven wickets in hand.