Ben Hutton scored a second successive championship century to put his team in a stronger position at the close on the first day at Lord’s than at one stage appeared likely. Andy Strauss won the toss for the home side and, ignoring the generous covering of cloud, opted to make first use of an excellent batting surface. But soon after lunch, at 148 for five, the North Londoners were in danger of blowing their advantage.

Martin Bicknell took five for 71 and was chiefly responsible for their indifferent start. Bicknell, who claimed his 950th first-class wicket when Owais Shah was caught behind for 31, has been a familiar name on the visitors’ team sheet for more than a decade. However, another luminary, Alistair Brown, was missing as Mark Butcher and Graham Thorpe were both accommodated in the Surrey line-up for the first time this summer.

Brown made 265 when these oldest of rivals last met in the championship, in 1999. But a run of bad form, which has seen the 33-year-old make only 232 first-class runs from nine completed innings this season, has led to his being dropped for the first time in seven years. There is clearly no room for sentiment in a dressing room full of big names.

The name of Hutton is synonymous with the game of cricket. It was the latest member of the dynasty to grace the first-class game, Ben, who batted with circumspection and occasional flourish to lead his side out of difficulty. The 26-year-old left-hander struck fourteen boundaries, including four sixes, in his 101, which was curtailed three overs from stumps when he played around a ball from Ian Salisbury.

The home side made an enthusiastic start as Strauss and Koenig put on 59. Sven Koenig, who was dropped on 16, became Bicknell’s 900th County Championship victim when he mistimed a pull stroke and was caught at mid-on. Andy Strauss, who made an attractive 47, was at his best when driving through the covers. But the Middlesex skipper was accounted for by Saqlain Mushtaq, to whom he was pushing forward when he was caught off his own boot by Adam Hollioake at silly point.

In his second over after lunch Martin Bicknell struck a double blow when he nipped one back to Shah, to give Alec Stewart the first of three catches, and trapped Ed Joyce lbw three balls later.

As Hutton played and missed Abdul Razzaq struck 29 off 26 balls, including three fours in his first over from Saqlain, which he followed up by taking fifteen off an over from Alex Tudor, who looked rusty upon his return to first team action.

Bicknell, who kept to a disciplined line end length, had the Pakistani caught behind in the next over. Razzaq, who felt the ball had simply brushed his pad, stood his ground momentarily, but eventually accepted Graham Burgess’s decision.

Ben Hutton took twenty-two balls to get off the mark, but in partnership with Paul Weekes set about the Surrey attack. The pair added 108 in 137 minutes for the sixth wicket. Hutton pulled Mark Butcher for six over square leg and then, with expert use of the feet, straight drove Saqlain for another. Before going to his hundred in 179 deliveries, he hooked Bicknell and Hollioake for two further maximums.

After five overs were lost to bad light, Weekes’s patient adhesiveness was brought to a spectacular end when his attempted pull was caught one-handed by Stewart off the bowling of Bicknell.

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