Surrey kept indoors

County Championship D1, The Oval, day three (stumps): Surrey 163-2 v Northamptonshire
No play Thursday or Friday, rain

Match scorecard

Newman kept a brisk pace in overcast conditions

Two days of solid rain have given Surrey and Northamptonshire little hope of manufacturing a result at The Oval in Division One of the Championship.

On Wednesday, Scott Newman was in form with the bat as Surrey reached 163-2.

The England A opener struck 90 not out off 104 balls as Northants' decision to insert their hosts backfired badly.

But with no play since that point, it will take a final day of forfeits and declarations to engineer anything other than a scramble for bonus points.

Newman had put on 93 for the first wicket with a watchful Jon Batty (28) before Mark Ramprakash helped add 70.

When Ramprakash was caught at slip off Steffan Jones for 34, Graham Thorpe was ready to bat in Surrey kit for the first time this season.

But he has had to wait an awfully long time thus far, due to the dreadful weather in London.

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Surrey: S A Newman, J N Batty (Capt, Wkt), M R Ramprakash, G P Thorpe, A D Brown, A J Hollioake, Azhar Mahmood, I D K Salisbury, M P Bicknell, Saqlain Mushtaq, J Ormond.

Northamptonshire: M J Powell, T B Huggins, T W Roberts, U Afzaal, D J G Sales (Capt), G P Swann, G L Brophy (Wkt), B J Phillips, J Louw, P S Jones, J F Brown.