SURREY’S worst championship sequence for seven years hardly looked to have run its course when they lost their first six wickets for 126 under cloudless skies on an excellent pitch. What followed may yet transform their season. Thanks to an accomplished 89 from Mark Ramprakash and a maiden first-class fifty from Tim Murtagh, Surrey clambered to the far-off heights of 359.

For a long time, of course, Surrey have batted right down the order. Jimmy Ormond is no No 11, and it was his last-wicket stand of 106 in 19 overs with Murtagh that gave their side both respectability and the sort of lift that can reignite confidence.

For Middlesex, it was an intensely frustrating and hot afternoon session that stretched to three hours 22 minutes. “That’s got to be the longest one I’ve stood through,” George Sharp, one of the umpires, said.

Middlesex’s appalling over-rate was largely to blame but, having bowled well earlier in the day, their attack became ragged. Murtagh’s unbeaten 74 off 94 balls was a revelation, including sweeps and leg-side flicks, some superb strokes through extra cover and powerful drives down the ground. One such blow brought him the first of two sixes in one over from Paul Weekes, when Sven Koenig held him at long off but strayed just over the boundary in doing so. The South African thought that he had stayed inside the rope but Sharp had spotted the errant foot and correctly signalled six. Murtagh was 22 at the time, with the last-wicket partnership worth only nine runs.

Another piece of overstepping proved very costly for Middlesex. Ramprakash was on 33 when he was caught at second slip off a no-ball by Lance Klusener. Without his calming presence — he was ninth out — Surrey might not have made 200. Leaving the ball expertly outside off stump — particularly against Nantie Hayward, who shaped the ball away at genuine pace in a fine opening spell — Ramprakash played some supreme off-side strokes, one push-block off Klusener being so well-timed that it went for four.

The day had begun well for Surrey. Despite quickly losing Jon Batty to a good one from Hayward that nipped back, Ramprakash and Scott Newman added 80 at five an over. Klusener’s wayward first four overs disappeared for 33, but he atoned by persuading both Newman and Rikki Clarke to top edge pulls. Chad Keegan, running in from deep backward square, took a brilliant diving catch. Ally Brown was leg-before to a fine inswinging yorker from Paul Hutchison, before another fine catch.

Owais Shah had imaginatively stationed himself at silly mid-off when he parried a drive from Adam Hollioake, pushed it skywards, and managed to cling on at the third attempt. When Hutchison had James Benning caught behind pushing forward, Surrey had lost five wickets in nine overs.