Yesterday, Mark Ramprakash completed the 65th first-class century of his career and his sixth against Sussex. ‘Fortress Hove’ is not a term one associates with the pleasant surroundings of the delightful Eaton Road ground, but prior to this battle royal, Ramprakash had made just 241 runs in seven visits to the crease there.

Apart from being somewhat below par for the man who, in years to come, should have been remembered as one of the best batsmen England has ever produced, Ramprakash has not been involved in a championship victory at Hove since 1990.

The loss of the final session of yesterday’s play to bad light and faint drizzle, and the lack of urgency shown by the Sussex batsmen before tea, makes it unlikely that this match will end in anything but a draw.

Surrey made a far from auspicious start in pursuit of the 68 runs they required to save the follow-on when Martin Bicknell and Ian Salisbury went in the space of three deliveries from Mushtaq Ahmed, who, in the process, passed 70 first-class wickets for the season. But Mark Ramprakash found a staunch ally in Saqlain Mushtaq, who hit his second championship half-century in as many innings.

Saqlain biffed three sixes including two in three balls off Mushtaq, the second of which took the visitors past the follow-on target. Three overs earlier the Pakistan off-spinner had survived a close call for a run out when he only just made his ground for a second run at the bowler’s end before Mushtaq Ahmed’s throw from deep fine leg extracted the middle stump.

Ramprakash’s only reprieve came when he mishooked Paul Hutchison for his 13th four. Some spectators thought that Mushtaq had pulled off a terrific running catch, but the former Middlesex man’s arms being aloft signalled that he had finally ended his Hove hoodoo. Mark Ramprakash’s tenth championship century in chocolate trim was 295 minutes in the making and came off 211 balls.

Six overs later Ramprakash fell to the first delivery with the new ball, bowled by James Kirtley. His partnership with Saqlain Mushtaq was worth 84. Saqlain’s share was 57, but the entrance of Jimmy Ormond saw the Pakistani switch to playing second fiddle in a last wicket stand of 54 in eleven overs.

Ormond’s 42, which lasted just 41 balls and included eight fours, left the home side feeling flat. Their chances were not helped when Chris Adams twice dropped the Surrey number eleven at slip off the bowling of Robin Martin-Jenkins.

When Martin-Jenkins finally got his reward, by uprooting Saqlain Mushtaq’s off stump, Surrey had added 229 for their last four wickets and were just 74 runs short of Sussex’s first innings total.

In twenty-eight overs the home side only managed to muster another 69 for the loss of Montgomerie and Cottey. Richard Montgomerie was lbw prodding forward to Bicknell and Tony Cottey, who was the only Sussex batsman to play with any conviction, looped a catch to square leg after making 41.

Soon afterwards Murray Goodwin, who took 77 balls reaching twenty, and Chris Adams surprisingly accepted the umpires’ offer of bad light and left the field with 37 overs of the day remaining. Their side’s advantage over Surrey stands at a less than adequate 143 going into the final day.

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