Surrey's hopes of a third successive Championship looked all but gone, whilst Glamorgan continued their fight against relegation on the third day of their CricInfo Championship fixture at The Oval.

A glut of injuries preoccupied Surrey, as the unsung Welsh due of Mark Wallace (64 no) and Darren Thomas (57) composed a partnership of 94 in 158 balls to take the visitors from 83 for six to 223 all out, just 58 behind.

Surrey's second innings soon collapsed to 95-7 to an unheralded Glamorgan seam attack. Four current Test batsmen all edged to wicket-keeper Wallace or his slip cordon. Only Ben Hollioake and Alec Stewart were blameless in their dismissals.

It was then left to Martin Bicknell (25no) to be responsible for the batting as well as the bowling. Surrey closed on 129-7, 187 ahead, and must be worried about a first home defeat since the last game of the season in 1998.

Early on, Matthew Maynard passed 1,000 runs for Glamorgan against Surrey, but became the first of Bicknell's four victims today. The consistent 32-year-old completed 50 wickets in a season for the tenth time in his career, second only to Phil DeFreitas of current county players, when he dismissed Robert Croft during a morning spell of 3-13.

Bicknell claimed the cricketers he most respects are "ordinary county trundlers". With a season's batting average above 40 and a bowling average of 21, Surrey's captain today is too good to retire with this tag to be applied to him. Headingley on Thursday might well see a third Test appearance for Bicknell after an eight-year interlude.

Surrey's reply was dogged by two early dismissals, as England's middle order of Mark Butcher and Mark Ramprakash played airily at Ian Jones. Meanwhile Ian Ward strained his knee, but soldiered on until slashing Darren Thomas to second slip when on 24.

In contrast another England left-hander Graham Thorpe looked fit in The Oval's indoor nets as he tested his broken little finger.

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