Surrey trail Warwickshire by 356 runs with three first-innings wickets remaining Warwickshire tightened their grip on Surrey and are well-placed to force a first championship win of the season. The visitors face a real battle to avoid the follow-on, with their top order gone and the pitch giving plenty of assistance to Warwick-shire's three spinners. Certainly they will need more stomach for the fight than they have demonstrated so far, while Warwickshire are at last showing the consistency with bat and ball that would enable them to fulfil undoubted potential. The home side owe much of the credit to Brad Hogg, who started the day by completing the third - and highest - century of his first-class career. The Australian batted quite beautifully as Warwickshire built on their good work of the first day. The whole side appeared to take heart from his confidence. With Saqlain Mushtaq off the field nursing a sore knee, there was little impediment to the overnight pair and Hogg and Ashley Giles batted Warwickshire into an impregnable position. Their part-nership, worth 191 in only 40 overs, was Warwickshire's highest for the seventh wicket against Surrey, passing the 170 put on by Alan 'A C' Smith and Tom Cartwright at The Oval in 1961. Hogg was irresistible. Driving with style through cover, he pulls with power and runs well between the wickets. His century, brought up with a savage cut, came from only 103 balls. Though it was his first for eight years, his form suggests there should be more to come. Giles (126 balls, six fours) played some pleasing shots in his 70 and he and Hogg (163 balls, 19 fours and a six) fell only because they were chasing quick runs to set up a declaration. Neil Carter (22 balls, four fours and a six) added salt into Surrey's wounds with a typically aggressive cameo, and Warwickshire's total was a record at home against this opposition, passing the 510 in 1906. Surrey were soon struggling. Carter found bounce to have Mark Butcher caught off the glove at short leg, Scott Newman drove recklessly at a widish ball and Mark Ramprakash prodded at one he could have left. When Tony Frost fluffed a routine edge offered by Graham Thorpe on 13 in Giles' first over, Warwickshire may have squandered a vital chance. With Keith Piper having been given the all-clear to resume training, Frost could ill afford such a slip. Mark Wagh struck, however, with Thorpe top-edging a sweep, and Adam Hollioake tapping back a return catch in the same over. Wagh again lost nothing in comparison to the other spinners. With Surrey captain Jonathan Batty leading by example, Azhar Mahmood and Martin Bicknell at last showed the fight missing from their colleagues. But Azhar padded up to a straight one and Bicknell missed a full toss to leave Surrey reeling once again. Their captain, having batted for nearly three hours, will have to coax some remarkable cricket from his team if they are to avoid defeat. Surrey, without a win in seven championship matches, looked lacklustre in the field, devoid of energy or, it seemed, passion. With Thorpe and Butcher unavailable for much of the season on England duty and Saqlain's injury likely to keep him out for three or four weeks, Surrey, unthinkable though it may sound, are increasingly looking like relegation candidates. | 
