AFTER their proposed pre-season tour to Barbados fell through, Surrey were grateful that their first visit to The Parks since 1990 had been pencilled in. Having batted in cold conditions on Saturday, when they raced along at nearly five an over, they were fortunate that the weather was milder when they took the field yesterday. All the bowlers had a useful workout with Oxford, helped by some dropped catches, surviving 81 overs before Jon Batty, in his first match as captain, predictably declined to enforce the follow-on.

Pleasingly for Surrey, two bowlers who finished last season with bad injuries, Jimmy Ormond and Alex Tudor, appeared both refreshed and fully recovered after a winter’s rest. Each bowled within himself on a decent pitch that was as slow as might be expected for April 11, Ormond even purveying a few overs of off-spin after tea. Tudor took two wickets with the new ball, including that of Ollie Hutton, grandson of Sir Leonard, who was well caught at fourth slip.

Hutton, studying a one-year law conversion course after graduating from Durham University, should have been one of two famous cricketing names in the Oxford side. The other, Mali Richards, son of Vivian, was not selected, however, after haphazard appearances at pre-season practice. He was meant to act as twelfth man yesterday but failed to show up, causing Graham Charlesworth, the Oxford coach, further concern about his commitment. Richards is at Oxford Brookes and it was two of the five members of the side from the old polytechnic that formed the backbone of the innings.

Omar Anwar and Josh Knappett, a wicketkeeper-batsman, added 108 for the fifth wicket in only 135 balls. Anwar, a Londoner who scored 99 against Middlesex last year, again got close to a maiden hundred before a loose drive gave backward point a head-high catch. His positive 82 off 104 balls contained 17 fours.