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MARK Ramprakash continued his love affair with the Worcestershire bowling attack as he made 142 out of Surrey's first innings of 347-8 in another rain-punctuated day at Guildford.

Only 50 overs were possible on the second day of an LV County Championship Division One game both sides need to win to bolster their hopes of survival.

Ramprakash, 32 not out overnight, reached the 93rd first-class hundred of his career shortly before lunch when he flicked Doug Bollinger for two on the leg side to embellish his impressive record against the visitors.

In his last 17 innings against Worcestershire, for Middlesex and Surrey, he has scored nine hundreds with five in his last seven knocks. He faced 223 balls, hitting 14 fours and three sixes before being caught behind attempting to sweep Gareth Batty.

With captain Mark Butcher he put on 98 for the third wicket before Butcher was caught behind off Kabir Ali for 46 but Ramprakash was hardly troubled, hitting Batty over mid-wicket for one of his sixes, as he closed in on three figures.

Butcher and Ramprakash were offered the light just 13 balls into the day but opted to carry on with Ramprakash clearly untroubled by the conditions.

He was outscored in a partnership of 58 with Stewart Walters who made 30 before playing on, attempting to pull his bat away, to Dewald Nel.

Rikki Clarke mistimed a pull off Kabir, armed with the new ball, and was caught by Vikram Solanki running around from mid-off.

Solanki and Bollinger, from mid-on, were both going for the high ball but the captain got their first and narrowly avoided colliding with his opening bowler in taking a smart catch.

After a rain delay that lasted for three-and-three-quarter hours Ramprakash was still in fine touch, square driving the first ball after the resumption for four and lofting Nel for six.

He lost Richard Clinton, leg before to Kabir for a duck and Chris Schofield for 10 before being dismissed.

With two days of the game to go both sides will be keen to engineer a result but with more showers forecast it may be beyond them.

7:33pm Thursday 26th July 2007

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