On the first day of a season that many predicted would see Surrey having everything their own way, Lancashire demonstrated that given the right conditions even the champions can be made to look fairly ordinary. Despite the visitors making 391 runs, the pace of the day’s events seemed almost pedestrian – not that it deterred a decent-sized Bank Holiday crowd from turning up in such numbers that queues formed outside the AMP Oval before the start of play. Most of them were still there at the end, by which time Mal Loye and Stuart Law had added an unbeaten 222 in 59 overs for Lancashire’s third wicket.

Even with Azhar Mahmood out of the country and Alec Stewart under orders to rest, Surrey had the luxury of being able to leave out Mark Butcher. But the key absentee was Martin Bicknell, who was sidelined by a sore hip. The home side could have done with his control. Instead it was Tim Murtagh who took the new ball alongside Alex Tudor after Lancashire had won the toss and, unsurprisingly, elected to bat.

To his credit Murtagh beat the outside edge a couple of times, but whenever the 21-year-old erred in length he was latched onto by Iain Sutcliffe, who straight drove him for three wonderfully executed fours. Most of the Surrey attack had a day they would care to forget. None more so than Rikki Clarke, who relieved any pressure that had been built up by the opening duo by conceding 17 runs in his first over.

That prompted the arrival of Saqlain Mushtaq, who only arrived back in the country himself on Wednesday after attending Azhar Mahmood’s wedding. The Pakistani off-spinner fared somewhat better, except when Alec Swann struck him for three fours in four balls. In the next over, the 24th, the former Northants man brought up his half-century in 83 deliveries. Not long afterwards, however, he was the victim of a needless run out.

Sutcliffe ran Salisbury down to fine leg, but refused to answer his partner’s calls for what appeared to be a comfortable single. Starting, stopping, then starting again, Swann was eventually forced to retreat and would probably have regained his ground had it not been for a good piece of work by Ian Salisbury, who made up for Tudor’s less than accurate throw.

In the first over after lunch Iain Sutcliffe went to fifty in 85 deliveries. Loye took two fours off Saqlain’s ninth over, but in the Pakistani’s next, the 45th, Sutcliffe, who looked set for a hundred, played forward and was adjudged leg before by Neil Mallender.

Despite going unrewarded, the pick of Surrey’s bowlers in the middle session was undoubtedly Salisbury. But like most of his colleagues he caused no more than the occasional indiscretion on the part of the batsmen.

Mal Loye reached his half-century in 105 deliveries, while Stuart Law took 84 over his, which he posted just before tea by straight driving Adam Hollioake for four. Three overs after the resumption the hundred partnership was clocked at 29 overs.

Having done a good job protecting the short boundary on the gasholder side for the most part, Surrey’s fieldsmen began to tire late in the day. After Lancashire passed the 300-mark it was all Law, who reached the 57th hundred of his first-class career in 156 deliveries, with his fourteenth boundary - a dab to third man off the bowling of Clarke. Six overs later Loye did what Sutcliffe had been unable to do and reached a hundred on his Lancashire debut in 210 deliveries.

Salisbury, who conceded 58 runs in his first twenty-one overs ended the day with 71 off twenty-three after being taken to the cleaners by the 34-year-old Queenslander. Saqlain Mushtaq would probably have bowled more, but was off the field for most of the final session after injuring his back by falling on to the ball in the field. If Saqlain is unable to bowl tomorrow, it could prove to be another long and arduous day for Surrey’s bowlers.

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