THE travails of Surrey extended to a seventh consecutive competitive match without a win this season after a sizeable defeat in the totesport League first division inflicted by a side also enduring a lean start to the summer. Dewald Pretorius, the Warwickshire fast bowler, made a vital contribution with three wickets in a six-ball spell, while Jonathan Batty scored a resolute half-century in a Surrey rally.

After losing to Ireland in the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy last Thursday, performance levels could scarcely deteriorate for Surrey. Somehow they did during a collapse to seven for four, with Graham Thorpe out first ball, and then to 56 for six in response to a Warwickshire innings that climbed to 240 with the help of six penalty runs for a slow over-rate.

The ball moved lavishly off the seam, an unhappy augury with the projected use of the same pitch for the championship match between the teams starting on Wednesday. Abundant swing also led to 36 wides, 24 of them in the Surrey innings.

Azhar Mahmood, the Surrey and Pakistan Test fast bowler, initially exploited the conditions with five for 24 that included the wickets of Dougie Brown, Brad Hogg and Graham Wagg in four balls late in the innings after Jonathan Trott and Trevor Penney had kept the Bears buoyant. Penney, 36 next month, showed his appreciation for a new two-year contract by making 44 off 42 balls while Trott scored 49 from 66 balls.

After reaching 17, Penney escaped crucially when Tim Murtagh slipped on the wet turf when circling beneath a highly acceptable catch at square leg. The fielding standards of Warwickshire also declined with Nick Knight and Tony Frost fumbling catches.

Pretorius, a South Africa Test player, was as formidable as Mahmood had been for Surrey. He had Scott Newman and Mark Butcher both admirably caught at third man and Thorpe inside-edged him into his stumps. The Surrey struggle became deeply ingrained and even a half- century partnership between Saqlain Mushtaq and Batty did not obscure the Lions’ disarray.