Ward stood between Lancashire and an innings win
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Ian Ward calmed Surrey nerves but two wickets for Andrew Flintoff, and the run-out of Ali Brown for nought left Lancashire still in with a chance of an innings victory at The Oval.
Ward followed his first innings 49 with an unbeaten 78 but at lunch the defending county champions were still 169 runs short of making the visitors bat again.
Division One new boys Nottinghamshire's closed in on victory over Warwickshire thanks to a 99-run partnership between Darren Bicknell and Kevin Pieterson.
Opener Bicknell hit an unbeaten on 80 and, although Melvyn Betts had Pieterson lbw for 54 on the stroke of lunch Notts had already moved within 54 runs of clinching a win.
Abdul Razzaq and Ed Joyce shared an unbeaten century partnership to take Middlesex within sight of a draw with newly-promoted Essex's at Chelmsford, despite a first innings deficit of 188.
Razzaq hit his second half-century for the county, celebrating with two sixes off Paul Grayson, and Joyce was not far behind as the visitors reached 361-4 at the break.
Division Two
New Worcestershire skipper Ben Smith's decision to declare on 264-9 in the hope of forcing a victory over Hampshire brought immediate rewards when Nantie Hayward took two wickets in the seven overs before lunch.
The visitors were left needing 301 runs, and the hosts eight wickets, to gain a result at New Road.
Former skipper Jamie Cox led the way with a half-century as Somerset reached 181-3 at lunch, needing 101 more to down Gloucestershire.
But Peter Bowler could not go on from his 50, the opener the only wicket to fall in the morning, lbw to Mike Smith.
A draw looks the most likely result at Derby, where rain wiped an hour off the start of the final day.
Resuming 189-5, Derbyshire declared at lunch on 245-6 - a target of 314 for Glamorgan but with just two sessions remaining.
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County Championship D1
Surrey v Sussex