County Championship: Warwickshire on brink of defeat after following on against Surrey

Kemar Roach's four scalps, two in successive balls, helped take his Surrey tally to 23 for the season in six games

Reigning champions Surrey are poised to strengthen their position at the top of the County Championship after taking 17 Warwickshire wickets on day two at The Oval.

The injury-hit Bears were bowled out for 161 in reply to Surrey's 396 by an unrelenting seam attack, led by West Indian Kemar Roach (4-64) and Australian Dan Worrall (3-34).

It scarcely got any better for Warwickshire second time around as they lurched to 35-5.

At that stage Warwickshire were heading for a two-day defeat but Dan Mousley's unbeaten 60 helped them avoid that ignominy to close on 126-7, still trailing by 109.

In mitigation, Warwickshire have been without three batters - Rob Yates, Alex Davies and Jacob Bethell - who would have played, while Liam Norwell is still to bowl a ball this season.

But, even at full strength it is debatable whether they could have done too much better against the sustained excellence of Surrey's attack on a green-tinged pitch offering good pace and carry.

Warwickshire's day had started well enough as they took Surrey's last six wickets for 57.

Ed Barnard (5-66) took three of them to claim his first five-wicket haul for the county - and a first for the former Worcestershire all-rounder in four years.

Surrey even missed out on a fourth batting point when Ben Foakes was last out for a superb 125, caught off a top-edged pull aiming for his 20th boundary.

Surrey's seamers were soon enjoying helpful conditions themselves, although they benefited from some debatable shot selection as well.

Skipper Will Rhodes, trying to leave a full-length ball, lost his off stump to Worrall, who then had West Indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite caught at second slip on his debut in the last over before lunch.

Roach had already castled Barnard, promoted up the order to number three after an outstanding One-Day Cup campaign. And in the over after the resumption he picked up wickets in successive balls, going round the wicket to bowl Mousley via an inside edge before Chris Benjamin was taken at slip.

Former Surrey Academy player Michael Burgess (54) led a recovery of sorts in stands of 40 with Sam Hain and 48 with Danny Briggs.

But Clark's nip-backer accounted for Hain and Burgess was defeated by Worrall's seam movement before Tom Lawes got in on the act when he picked up the last two wickets to end an innings lasting only 44.3 overs.

The Bears were soon in trouble again as Clark picked up three wickets. Brathwaite lost his off stump, Hain was undone by extra bounce and Benjamin fell leg before.

Worrall proved just as effective, getting skipper Rhodes caught behind before Barnard drove loosely to cover.

Mousley and Burgess put on 75 with few alarms but Roach returned to bowl Burgess through the gate and Worrall squared up Briggs with the first ball of his second spell.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.