Surrey dominated day two of their Championship match with Northants at the Brit Oval after two brilliant centuries from Scott Newman and Mark Ramprakash.

The Brown Caps, in reply to the visitors’ first innings score of 347, now have a lead of 65, with eight wickets still in hand, after Ramprakash closed unbeaten on 174 and captain, Mark Butcher on 73.

In four successive matches, Ramprakash has now surpassed 150 and his tally in the Championship has
Ramprakash in action today now gone over 1600. People can look on in amazement at the ease at which the veteran scores his runs but those close to him will realise that it only looks like that from the surface. Hours an hours of additional work on top of his Surrey training schedule are put in and if you arrived at the ground in time for warm ups, it wouldn’t take a cricketing expert to see who was first out to have a practice net.

The hundred today now makes it his 86th first-class ton and it would take a bold man to bet against him from reaching that magical 100 hundreds before he decides to hang up the boots.

Earlier today, Newman returned to form magnificently with a superb 143 that included 23 boundaries and two sixes. After a bit of a lean patch in Surrey’s last couple of four-day matches, the left-hander hit back hard and as well as scoring his first Championship hundred in 2006, surpassed 1000 first-class runs for the season.

Two moments, which typified Northants’ luck this season was when Ramprakash, who had just brought up three figures, was dropped twice in consecutive balls by Ben Phillips at mid on off the bowling of Jason Brown. Now, they are starring down the barrel of yet another Ramprakash double hundred, with Surrey ramming home the advantage with wickets in hand
It was a welcome return to form today for Scott Newman tomorrow.

Butcher also rubbed salt into the visitors’ wounds with an unbeaten half century, adding an unbroken 168 with Ramprakash for the third wicket.

Surrey wicket-keeper batsman, Jonathan Batty (18) was the only man to miss out today, when he was adjudged lbw off the bowling of Lance Klusener to a ball that came in quite sharply to the right hander. It was disappointing for Batty who has been in excellent form this season with both bat and gloves, especially when a big score may have finally put his name in the mix as a possible candidate for the England keeping job.

Highlights of the match are available from Surrey TV

Surrey v Northamptonshire match scorecard

Add to Del.icio.us Digg it share on Facebook (What is this?)

• Listen
• Watch