Brown and Butcher centuries spark onslaught by Surrey

There are days – just occasionally – during an English summer when the sun blazes, cricket pitches turn instantly benign and the last thing any bowler would wish is to be facing the brown-hatted batsmen of Surrey.

It is a truth to which Devon Malcolm would testify, particularly after the first day here, in which the favourites for the Frizzell County Championship won the toss and played themselves into a position of strength.

Surrey suffered a setback when they were beaten at Hove last week, but look in the mood to regain the momentum established by victories over Kent and Yorkshire that preceded it. Hundreds from Mark Butcher, Ally Brown, plus half-centuries by Hollioake and Rikki Clarke enabled them to top 450 by the close. Leicestershire would have considered themselves better than outside challengers until a heavy defeat against Kent cost them important ground three weeks ago. The other end of the table is now of greater concern.

It would be an unwise man who reminded Malcolm of that after Surrey's afternoon charge here reached peak velocity. Having lunched just a little uneasily at 88 for 3, the morning having ended with the ball swinging under cloud cover in stickily humid air, the combined forces of Butcher and Brown turned Surrey's afternoon into a blitz of attacking strokeplay, no one taking a more spectacular battering than Leicestershire's 39-year-old former England pace bowler. In an extraordinary passage, he conceded seven fours in the space of eight deliveries – three from Butcher at the end of one over, followed by four in five balls fired off by Brown in his next.

This was at the heart of a session that brought 205 runs in 37 overs, the fierce pace inevitably set by Brown, whose strength on the front foot was kept all too readily supplied by the Leicestershire attack until Darren Maddy at last produced a ball to place uncertainty in his mind and had him caught at cover.

By then Brown had scored 104 off 97 deliveries, including 14 fours, and two sixes against the off-spin of Mohammed Kaif – Leicestershire's overseas player for one week only – and Surrey were well on their way. Brown's partnership of 211 in 37 overs with Butcher does not suggest that the home crowd will end this game celebrating.

Maddy had earlier dismissed Jonathan Batty leg before wicket and then taken a fine catch at second slip to see off Mark Ramprakash for nought, helping Matt Whiley supplement the lbw verdict he had obtained from a full toss on to Ian Ward's toes. Leicestershire sniffed a chance then. But by the time Butcher became Maddy's third victim, taken at the wicket by the sharp Neil Burns for 116 (19 fours, 156 balls), the sky was cloudless and the home side's mood anything but. Hollioake would have become a third Surrey centurion had Trevor Ward, called up for a rare spell of off-spin, not found a thin edge to make him only his ninth victim in first-class games.