The visitors – who have not won at the Oval since 1994 – need a miracle to avoid relegation in the County Championship. They had grafted to 106-2 before Surrey, who led Essex by 18 points going into the penultimate round of matches, took four wickets on the day play resumed after a two-hour rain delay.

As of stumps, Northants had reached 171-6 from 63.4 overs with Indian batsman Karun Nair undefeated on 51.

With only 33 runs scored in 11 overs, openers Emilio Gay, who made 145 a year ago at Northampton, and Hassan Azad did well to navigate Kemar Roach and Dan Worrall’s testing opening spells.

Jordan Clark made the breakthrough with his fourth ball when Gay tickled a rising delivery down the leg side to give Ben Foakes his 50th catch of the season. Clark became Surrey’s leading wicket-taker with 47 wickets.

After replacing Worrall at the Vauxhall End, Jamie Overton had bowled only 17 balls before walking off.

While he caught Luke Procter at second slip off Tom Lawes for eight to reduce Northants to 51-2, he also dropped Nair on 11 off Worrall.l.