GOOD home form was the basis of Derbyshire's improvement in the LV County Championship last season and they are on course to make a flying start to 2009.

Garry Park and Steve Stubbings cut a sizable chunk out of the 218 Derbyshire needed from their second innings to beat Surrey when they put on 89 for the first wicket, setting the tone for the home side to reach 145-2 at the close, needing 73 more to win.

Stranger things must have happened but it would take a collapse of astonishing proportions for Derbyshire to let this slip.

They did all that could have been asked of them yesterday, bowling Surrey out for 360 after they had started the day in a decent position at 213-3 and batting in a style to fit the demands of a small target with plenty of time to get the runs.

It was a good day all round for Derbyshire but was particularly good for Park, who became the third county player to claim career-best bowling figures in this match and went on to make his first half-century for his new club.

The 26-year-old looks a very compact, tidy player in every way. He fields very well, bowls usefully and bats without great fuss.

You can see why he has been thought of as a one-day performer but there is nothing that has been on view for Derbyshire so far to suggest his skills cannot transfer to the first-class game.

Park took his first wicket the previous evening when he ended Scott Newman's long stay and he polished off the tail after lunch yesterday when his medium-pace knocked over the stumps of Andre Nel and then Pedro Collins.

Final figures of 3-25 in 9.3 overs were a fine return for the sixth choice bowler, especially one who had taken only two first-class wickets in his career previously.

Park was straight back into the action with the bat and, after diving to get off the mark, was rewarded by a five as James Benning's throw shot to the boundary.

He was dropped on 32 by Michael Brown at second slip and was finally lbw to Collins but his 50, made off 90 balls with eight fours, was a terrific effort from a man not used to opening the batting.

Stubbings, with considerably more experience in the role, reached his half-century off 140 balls with five fours and was 66 not out at the close.

Derbyshire set their sights at first on getting rid of the night watchman and then maybe getting another wicket before the new ball was due and they did just that.

It helped their cause that the second of those wickets was Usman Afzaal's for 59 when he was utterly bewildered by an exceptionally slow and looping Jon Clare ball that he could only chip back for a return catch.

The new ball brought immediate reward but only due to a magnificent catch from wicketkeeper Jamie Pipe, who had to switch his balance to take a low, left-handed catch off the inside edge of Jon Batty's bat.

That was 259-6 and Surrey did fairly well to add another 101 to their lead. It helped Derbyshire's cause that Benning threw his wicket away for 36 in the last over before lunch when 314-7 would still have left the bowlers with plenty to think about. But Derbyshire have been the better side in a very good match and should now take their reward.

Admission will be free for supporters for the final day of the match.