Brown butchers Leicestershire

Surrey 416 for 4 (Brown 131*, Clarke 32*, Butcher 105, Ramprakash 73) lead Leicestershire 251 by 165 runs
Scorecard

Ally Brown rediscovered his touch for Surrey, as both he and Mark Butcher hit centuries to keep Surrey firmly in the driving seat against Leicestershire. After making just 98 runs in seven innings this season, Brown ground to 131 not out, and shared a fourth-wicket stand of 203 with Butcher to frustrate a hardworking Leicestershire attack.

It wasn't vintage Brown and he started off scratchily. But once he found his groove - particularly against Claude Henderson - he shifted gears, launching into some trademark scythes through the covers and nearly beating Butcher to the century-mark. In the end he needed just 154 balls to bring up his 40th first-class ton.

Butcher was more circumspect, playing compactly and with some particularly lovely strokes off the seamers through point on his way to 105. As usual, his timing was imperious, and it was no surprise when he brought up his fifth fifty of the season, nor when he went on to convert that to a century. He did offer one difficult chance when he was on nought, turning it round a corner but Paul Nixon could not get his hands down in time.

Mark Ramprakash was unable to go on to his century, though, and when Dinesh Mongia trapped him lbw for 73, Leicestershire must have thought that their luck was in (160 for 3). Ramprakash, of course, has been punishing attacks at will - he already has 763 runs this term - and when he brought up his fifty, littered with the usual aesthetic charm, Leicestershire were preparing themselves for the worst.

As it was, Brown and Butcher were the ones who proved painfully difficult to shift as they took Surrey way past Leicestershire's first-innings total of 251. Butcher carried them into the lead with an emphatic aerial drive over mid-on. Slowly they ground Leicestershire into the Oval loam.

The morning passed quietly with only the fall of Jonathan Batty, cutting low to point off Stuart Broad, disturbing Surrey's steady progress (106 for 2). Ramprakash and Butcher then batted watchfully against some tight bowling, and didn't take any chances.

Butcher opened up in the latter part of the day, bringing up his century from 212 balls, although it was Brown who really pressed the accelerator. Yet Leicestershire stuck to it and eventually prised out Butcher, David Masters enticing him to pop a soft catch to Darren Robinson at first slip (363 for 4).

Rikki Clarke showed no signs of disappointment at being overlooked for England's one-day squad. He joined Brown towards the end of the day and the pair pushed Surrey beyond 400, to leave them handily placed with a lead of 165.