PERHAPS this is not such a bad wicket for the batsmen after all.

Greg Smith certainly thought so. Ian Hunter enjoyed his time in the middle and Scott Newman made a mockery of all that happened on the previous day.

After the tumble of 17 wickets against the swing of day one, it was time for the bats to hit back yesterday at the County Ground.

The edge is just with Derbyshire still after their last three wickets gave them a first innings advantage beyond their most optimistic estimates but Surrey, shot out for 131 first time, showed much more resolve to reach the close at 213-3, a lead of 70.

This is shaping up to be a very good LV County Championship contest, because it is difficult to predict which way it will turn next.

Derbyshire started the day with a slender edge of 21 and, considering the help the bowlers had on the first day, would have been perfectly happy to stretch that to 70.

By the time they were finally bowled out just before lunch, they were 143 ahead and in very good shape to turn the screw on Surrey.

Smith and Graham Wagg did very well to emerge from the first hour safely by taking their eighth-wicket stand to 102, which beat the previous county record for that partnership against Surrey which had stood for 125 years, since Alfred Cochrane and George Walker put on 95 at The Oval in 1884.

It ended when Wagg was given lbw attempting to sweep leg spinner Chris Schofield for 35. When Mark Lawson was caught down the leg side off Chris Jordan for nought at 191-9, a single batting point looked like it would be the best Derbyshire could hope for.

They got two and were well on their way to a third when the last wicket finally fell.

Ian Hunter came out swinging but this was no last-man's thrash. There were some very elegant shots in his 47, one run short of his best for Derbyshire, as he hit a six and eight fours in a 52-ball stay that included 14 in an over off Schofield.

Smith carried on playing as well as he had the previous evening and, indeed, as well as he did at Chelmsford.

He completed his second half-century of the season in good time, off 86 balls, and was to finish 93 not out, which came off 133 balls with 14 fours.

Hunter was bowled trying to steer the ball through the gully by Pedro Collins, the West Indian's fifth wicket of the innings.

The partnership of 83 in 13 overs was also a record for the county against Surrey, though it was not so long ago – 1996 – that Dominic Cork and Paul Aldred added 74 at The Oval.

While Derbyshire could be very pleased with themselves, Surrey will have made careful note of the fact that the wicket was not anything like as difficult to bat on as it had been the day before.

There was still good pace and bounce but not as much deviation.

It demanded caution and Newman, opening the innings with Michael Brown, showed plenty.

They batted all the way to tea but then Brown was out to the sixth ball after the resumption, caught at second slip for 28 at 83-1.

Laurie Evans was horrified to be bowled by one that shot through low, possibly the first ball to misbehave so badly in the match, but Newman went on to complete an impressive century, off 165 balls with 16 fours.

Derbyshire badly needed a breakthrough and it came four overs from the close when Newman was out for 124, caught by Jamie Pipe standing up to Garry Park, his first wicket for the county with his fourth ball of the match.

It could be a crucial moment but there may be plenty more big moments to come.