This was not a good day for those Durham players hoping for a restful time in the dressing-room, snoozing off the effects of their late-night journey home from Canterbury on Sunday. Most had not arrived home until 2am or later yesterday after their defeat by Kent, so when Dale Benkenstein, the captain, won the toss eight hours later, his bowlers could have been forgiven a smile as their batsmen were sent back to work.

But they might as well have tried to nod off on a fairground ride, such was the helter-skelter day of cricket that was to follow. First Durham slumped to 232 all out on an irreproachable pitch. Then the home team’s bowlers, having been rudely jolted into action, reduced their opponents to 42 for five before Surrey rallied in the evening sunshine. At the beginning of a busy week for Durham, with the Friends Provident Trophy final against Hampshire to come on Saturday, yesterday’s frenetic action seemed appropriate.

Amid the tumult, two beacons of calm stood proud. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the Guyanese batsman, compiled a typically unflustered 81 for the home team, before Mark Ramprakash made a restorative 62 for Surrey. Chanderpaul merely did for Durham what he had done for West Indies earlier in the summer: watching with quiet bemusement from one end as panic spread at the other.

They had reached the relatively untroubled position of 181 for three before, perhaps, that tiredness caught up with them and their last seven wickets fell for 51. The collapse was triggered by the occasional medium-pace of Stewart Walters, who claimed his third first-class wicket when he trapped Benkenstein leg-before.

Chris Jordan, the 18-year-old from Barbados via Dulwich College, then confirmed the promise he had shown on his debut against Kent last week. With his springy action and skiddy pace, he accounted for Phil Mustard and Ben Harmison before Chanderpaul nicked a drive off Jimmy Ormond. That left Harbhajan Singh to take his 500th first-class wicket in some style, a brilliant, left-handed return catch dismissing Paul Wiseman.

If Surrey thought that they had done the hard work, they were quickly shaken back to reality by a lively opening spell from Ottis Gibson. Stephen Harmison had Jon Batty caught behind, but while Ramprakash remained, the prospect of a second sleepless night beckoned for the Durham bowlers. However, when, after passing 50 for the tenth time in 19 innings, he edged Liam Plunkett into the midriff of Michael Di Venuto at second slip, the home team could take to their beds content with their day’s work.