Northants crumble against Surrey

County Championship D2, Northampton (stumps, day three)
Surrey 328 & 424-6 dec v Northamptonshire 300 & 97-6

Match scorecard

Leaders Surrey are set for another victory in Division Two after reducing Northamptonshire, chasing 453, to 97-6.

Jonathan Batty (133) put on 281 with Mark Ramprakash (155), while Azhar Mahmood (52) and Ali Brown (44) made quick runs as Surrey declared on 424-6.

Northants made a terrible start to fall to 20-4, with Mahmood and Mo Akram taking two wickets apiece.

Lance Klusener (42no) and Riki Wessels added 45 but Nayan Doshi removed the latter to confirm Surrey's dominance.

On a morning of few chances, Northants were made to toil in the heat as Ramprakash and Batty both notched their half-centuries.

Shortly after lunch the hosts got the chance they craved but with Batty on 83 Bilal Shafayat dropped the wicket-keeper at slip after he had edged a Charl Pietersen delivery.

There were no more mistakes from the in-form duo with Ramprakash the first to notch his century, with Batty following closely behind.

Batty's dismissal sparked a mini-collapse as off-spinner Jason Brown picked up three wickets in six overs but Mahmood rubbed salt into Northants' wounds after tea by racing to his half century.

The hosts made the worst possible start as Rob White was trapped leg before by Mahmood for just seven before Usman Afzaal was bowled by Akram for a duck.

Shafayat and Sourav Ganguly soon followed before Ian Salisbury accounted for David Sales.