Surrey survive for draw

Mark Butcher © Getty Images

Surrey’s last pair Mark Butcher and Matthew Nicholson survived for 21.4 overs to deny Worcestershire their first LV County Championship Division One victory of the season.

Their defiant efforts made it a particularly frustrating day for New Road spinner Gareth Batty, who took 5-84 to end with a match haul of eight for 184 against his former county.

Skipper Butcher, who was forced to bat with a runner for the second time in the game because of Achilles tendon trouble, finished on 29 not out, with Nicholson undefeated with 20.

The tense deadlock leaves both sides still searching for their first win of the season after being promoted last year.

After resuming 272 behind on 59 for one, the visitors were 281 for nine at the close, with Butcher having batted for three hours.

Seamer Kabir Ali removed Surrey's Scott Newman

The absorbing day’s play began with nightwatchman Neil Saker managing to survive for 10 overs before clipping Batty to short leg, where Ben Smith held a neat reflect catch.

Scott Newman, 30 overnight, went in the next over when he fell victim to an excellent one-handed take by wicket-keeper Steve Davies off paceman Kabir Ali for 34.

Alistair Brown followed shortly afterwards when he pushed forward to Batty and was snapped up low down by Stephen Moore at silly point.

Worcestershire then struck a crucial blow when Mark Ramprakash slashed at a wide delivery from seamer Nadeem Malik and was expertly caught head high by alert Graeme Hick at slip for 33 - 64 short of completing 1,000 first-class runs for the season.

At lunch, Surrey were in uncertain territory on 133 for five, with Rikki Clarke and Azhar Mahmood battling to keep the dogged home attack at arm’s length.

Batty bowled throughout the morning session and continued after the interval before being replaced by spinner Vikram Solanki after a 21-over spell in which he took two for 40.

Solanki completed just one over before Batty was back in the firing line again, but he too bowled just one more over before being replaced by Kabir.

The quickfire changes paid off when Azhar moved across a delivery from Kabir and was trapped leg before for 44 after putting on 53 in 21 overs with Clarke.

Batty returned to the fray later to end a restrained innings by Clarke, who was removed lbw by a turning delivery which kept low. His determined 41 spanned 42 overs.

Chris Schofield became another Batty victim when he was forced on to the back foot and adjudged lbw before Ian Salisbury became the deadly spinner’s fifth scalp when he was fooled by a delivery which bounced and was caught at slip by Hick.

After that, it was sheer frustration for bottom-of-the-table Worcestershire as Butcher and Nicholson kept them at bay while putting on 26 runs in 78 minutes.

Butcher faced 142 balls and Nicholson 67.