County up against it as they face the follow-on
Northamptonshire lost six wickets for 66 runs and seven in all during the final session to leave Surrey in total command at the mid-point of their LV= County Championship Division Two clash at The Oval.
Responding to Surrey's mammoth 620 for seven declared, the visitors appeared in good shape at 94 for one, only to lose their next six wickets inside 19 overs to go in at stumps on 174 for eight against an inspired Surrey attack.
Home wicketkeeper Steve Davies took the first four catches to account for Ben Howgego (12), Alex Wakely, three balls after posting his 69-ball 50, David Sales (seven) and then Stephen Peters for a dogged 41.
Paceman Chris Tremlett deepened Northamptonshire's gloom by cleaning up Elton Chigumbura (23) with a middle-stump yorker and by trapping visiting captain Andrew Hall first ball, leg-before to a near-identical delivery.
James Middlebrook (13) was snared lbw by a Gareth Batty arm ball in the
penultimate over of the day.
And though David Murphy and David Lucas limped through to the close without further alarm, Northamptonshire will need to bat markedly better on day three to prevent Surrey chalking up their third win of the campaign.
The day began with Surrey, resuming on their overnight total of 430 for five, batting on throughout the first session and then for 20 sensational minutes after lunch to amass their second-highest score ever against Northamptonshire.
It also allowed Mark Ramprakash to rewrite the record books by reaching his 12th double-hundred for the county and feature in two more century stands, 182 for the fifth wicket with Matt Spriegel and then 154 for the seventh with Gareth Batty (48 not out).
Spriegel dominated the early exchanges by reaching his first championship century of the summer with a steered boundary to third man off Lucas from the 146th ball of his stay.
But four balls later and without addition to his boundary count of 16 fours and a six, the left-hander, in aiming to cover drive on the up, pushed away from his body to edge behind and give Zimbabwe Test rookie Chigumbura figures of four for 100.
Just before lunch Ramprakash had manoeuvred a single to third man off the same bowler to post his double ton with 26 fours after almost eight hours at the crease.
It was the 17th time the 40-year-old right-hander had bettered 199 in first-class cricket, moving him equal fourth alongside Herbert Sutcliffe in the game's all-time list of double-century makers.
Only Middlesex legend Patsy Hendren (22), Gloucestershire and England great Wally Hammond (36) and Australia's little maestro Sir Don Bradman (37) now lie ahead of Ramprakash on the illustrious roll of honour.
After lunch Ramprakash cut loose to add a further 43 in 20 minutes.
Batty chipped in with five boundaries until Ramprakash finally miscued an audacious back-foot force to wide mid-off to go for 248 with 35 fours and a six.
His demise sparked Rory Hamilton-Brown's declaration, leaving Northamptonshire to score a little matter of 471 merely to avoid the follow-on.
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Weather for Kettering
Sunday 27 May 2012
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