JUST as Surrey seemed poised to push for a second consecutive win at the Oval and gain revenge for the heavy defeat they suffered in Bristol a fortnight ago, rain intervened and 60 overs were lost in the afternoon. Such was the pace of their scoring, though — at 4½ an over — that Surrey have time to win this match if they are not frustrated further by the showers that are forecast for today.

Alistair Brown has been the pivotal figure, with his first century in all cricket since September 2002. He took his overnight 131 to 170 before he was eighth man out edging a cut to first slip via the gloves of Steve Adshead, the wicketkeeper, who was standing up to Alex Gidman. By then, Surrey were well on the way to a first- innings lead of 230.

Brown has an excellent conversion rate of making big hundreds. This was his 33rd first-class century and the eleventh time that he has gone on to pass 150. It was a timely first advertisement of his powers to Steve Rixon, the new Surrey coach, who had not seen it with his own eyes before. Rixon is just about to write his first appraisal of the players for the Surrey board.

In a chanceless innings, Brown was back to his belligerent best, taking only 234 balls to score 170, with 20 fours and four sixes. He has had a lean time, scoring only 481 runs at an average of 28.29 last season, when he was dropped for the first time in almost a decade, and 238 at 26.44 hitherto this season.

“What I saw was a class player,” Rixon said. “It does get to the point where your patience gets a bit thin, but we know from his weight of runs that a big knock was around the corner. The pace of the game has been dictated by the way he took them on.”

On Saturday, Brown added 243 in partnership with Jonathan Batty — including 212 between lunch and tea. Batty, the captain, scored his second century of the season and should keep batting at No 5. “Jon was quite happy to sacrifice himself opening, but he averages 12 there and over 100 at five, so it was not that hard a decison,” Rixon said.

Surrey took their overnight 419 for five to 598 with useful runs down the order. They would have declared but did not want to bowl with a wet ball. Gloucestershire’s bowling was decidedly average. Jon Lewis, who took seven for 72 in Surrey’s second innings at Bristol, bowled as if injured yesterday and went for five an over all around the field.

But at least Gloucestershire grabbed a third bowling bonus point when Shabbir Ahmed had James Ormond caught behind with the first ball of the 130th over, the last in which bonus points can be won. That highlighted how ridiculous the system often is. How can a side be rewarded when the score is 575 for nine off 129.1 overs? Gloucestershire emerged for two overs of their reply when bad light took them off and rain kept them there.