Ormond's hat-trick halts Middlesex

For all their commendable effort, Middlesex's record-breaking seventh-wicket pair of David Nash and Abdul Razzaq were still upstaged by the all-round excellence of Jimmy Ormond.

The opening bowler had begun the day by making his highest score for Surrey as he and Saqlain Mushtaq, who made an unbeaten half-century, took their last-wicket partnership to 89. Then, a little later, the former Leicestershire man turned the game on its head in one wondrous over, when he whipped out four batsmen in six balls, a haul which included his first first-class hat-trick.

Until then, things had been going swimmingly for Middlesex. Although they had rather let Surrey off the hook by allowing the First Division leaders to scramble to maximum batting points, they hit back well.

The captain, Andrew Strauss, and his opening partner, Sven Koenig, compiled their second century stand against Surrey this seasonbefore lunch. It ended when Koenig drove at Alex Tudor and edged to Jonathan Batty. But Strauss and Owais Shah carried on the good work well into the afternoon session before Ormond took centre stage again.

He had Strauss lbw with one that kept lower, and although Ben Hutton worked his first ball for two and kept out the next, when he tried to work the third ball to leg he was well taken by the wicketkeeper, Batty. Ed Joyce went the way of his captain and Paul Weekes was bowled.

Worse followed for Middlesex three balls later when Martin Bicknell had Shah caught behind. Thankfully, Razzaq, handicapped by his ankle injury and accompanied by a runner, and Nash kept their heads and their wickets intact to haul Middlesex back into contention. By the time the Pakistani was brilliantly caught by an airborne Ian Ward at mid-on, the 155 runs they had also set a ground record for the seventh wicket.

But the dogged Nash, 69 not out at the close, showed why he had not been dismissed in his three previous innings, in which he scored a century and made 183 runs, promising more hard work ahead for Surrey.