Runs kept coming at The Oval with Mark Ramprakash featuring prominently in registering his second CricInfo Championship century. It was a brilliant, chanceless innings and by stumps took Surrey to an imposing 322 for three

Throughout his 228 minutes at the crease he looked totally at ease against the Somerset attack, playing his shots with confidence and showing what a force he remains on the county circuit. His 119-run, third-wicket stand, from 163 balls, with Nadeem Shahid further strengthened Surrey's position, after he had already put on 79 earlier for the second wicket

Ramprakash remained unbeaten on 116 off 190 balls and played the major role in Surrey's progress to just 55 runs behind - with seven wickets standing - Somerset's substantial first innings.

Shahid's innings was equally impressive with 50 of his 65 runs coming from boundaries and just as Mark Butcher and Ramprakash had done, he too made Somerset's bowling look quite innocuous. None of the bowlers were able to settle under the onslaught from Surrey's strong upper-order batting.

Faced with Somerset's considerable first innings total of 377, which now looks inadequate, Surrey's left-handed opening pair Butcher and Ian Ward began a spirited reply, reaching 50 in 10.3 overs. Butcher was particularly fluent in his strokeplay and along with Ward took the total to 76 before the first bowling change split the stand when Ian Jones had Ward caught at second slip.

With Mark Ramprakash coming in, the scoring rate remained brisk and Butcher reached his fifty from 59 balls. They took the total to 155 in 40 overs when Butcher drove at Keith Dutch only to edge the ball to slip. Forty of his 76 had come from boundries.

It was an excellent knock from Butcher; he used his feet well to the spinners, Dutch and Ian Blackwell, playing his shots mainly in the cover and wide mid-wicket area. But one of his finest shots was the flick to backward square-leg that gave him his fifty.

Ramprakash, who was 43 at Butcher's dismissal, reached his half-century in the last over before tea which was taken on 178 for two.

Earlier today, in the Somerset innings, Richard Johnson's hard hitting half-century was most entertaining, containing two sixes and five fours. His was the last wicket to fall, half-an-hour-before lunch.

Resuming on the overnight score of 260 for six, the lower order had little difficulty in adding 117 with Blackwell first and then Johnson doing the bulk of the scoring with the help of two sixes and five fours.

Blackwell added 31 to his overnight score before Martin Bicknell took the second new ball and hit his off-stump. He struck again, having Matthew Bulbeck caught low at gully and Somerset were 326 for nine. Then came the free-hitting 51-run stand, from 57 balls, before Bicknell picked up his third wicket of the morning, bowling Johnson for 51 and finishing with figures of four for 62.

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