If the first two days at The Oval belonged to batsmen, the third was distinctly in favour of bowlers with 15 wickets going down, the last eight of which were Somerset's who finished the day with an overall lead of 164 and two wickets standing.

In the final session, which saw four Somerset wickets fall, there was some resistence from Ian Blackwell who stayed for an hour and a half to make 30 and from Robert Turner who took up 76 minutes for 22.

Mark Lathwell was the first to go after tea on 111, managing only 13 after his 99 in the first innings. Following that Somerset lost the sixth and seventh wickets on 156 and 159. Shortly before stumps, which were drawn on 190 for eight, Richard Johnson unleashed two sixes and a four in one over from Salisbury who finished with four for 72, his best figures this season.

Somerset in their second innings, which began after lunch, lost early wickets, the first on 27 and the second on 45. It was a similar start to their first innings when they were 46 for two.

They then lost the third on 58 when Peter Bowler, who batted so well in the previous innings for 73, was caught behind for ten.

A recovery seemed on the way, as it was in the first innings when the fourth wicket had put on 140, but this time, on reaching 100, in the last over before tea, Michael Burns' 86-ball innings of 42 came to an end with Salisbury trapping him leg before wicket. He had struck seven boundaries during his hour and a half at the crease.

Earlier this morning, Somerset bowlers did a splendid job after their wayward performance on the second day, to bring about an extraordinary collapse in which the home side lost seven for 38 to be dismissed for 403 in the first innings, shortly before lunch.

Surrey had begun well with Mark Ramprakash and Adam Hollioake adding 43 in 41 minutes with Hollioake scoring 29 of those runs with some hard hitting.

He lifted Keith Dutch for six over long-on in the tenth over of the morning to bring up the 350 and three overs later he took a boundary off left-arm spinner Blackwell at mid-off and sent the next ball for a straight six. That took his score to 47 but a run later with the total on 365, Steffan Jones was brought on and he trapped the Surrey captain lbw with his second ball.

That dismissal sparked a Surrey collapse. With Gary Butcher caught behind for eight off Dutch and four runs later Ramprakash's five-hour stay ending on 143, Surrey were 386 for six.

Ramprakash had added 27, from 57 balls, to his 116 overnight when Jones bowled him. Wickets fell quickly, the seventh on 388 and the next two fell to Johnson, both lbw off successive balls, on 399. Dutch then wrapped up the innings, finishing with four for 96.

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