LANCASHIRE have secured a 31-point lead over Surrey at the top of the LV= County Championship Division Two table after drawing their second match in seven at the Oval yesterday.

The Red Rose county, replying to 448, advanced their first innings from 342-8 overnight to 429 all out before Surrey reached 186-0 from 61 overs in their second innings. The players shook hands on a draw at 4.50pm.

Cricket director and head coach Ashley Giles has now seen his side win four and draw two this season, and he will have no doubt been delighted with the resilience on show here on the way to 12 points in this top-of-the-table clash.

After Lancashire reduced Surrey to 74-4 during Sunday’s opening day, the visitors relinquished control of a heavily weather-affected fixture, later to slipping to 108-6 in the first innings on Tuesday’s third day.

But their last four wickets added an impressive 321 runs to concede a lead of only 19 and end Surrey hopes of win.

Australian James Faulkner hit a maiden century on Tuesday before Kyle Jarvis and Tom Bailey completed a ninth-wicket stand of 65 inside 19 overs yesterday morning.

After Bailey was stumped off Gareth Batty’s off-spin for a career-best equalling 34 to leave Lancashire at 377-9 after 101 overs, Jarvis and Simon Kerrigan ensured the visitors claimed a fifth batting bonus point for reaching 400.

Kerrigan also made 34, hitting two sixes, in a 10th-wicket stand of 52 in 11 overs with Jarvis, who finished with 47 off 100 balls.

The Zimbabwean fast bowler, the leading wicket-taker in the division with 38, has also returned some valuable contributions with the bat this season, including 17 not out in a century stand for the last wicket with Alex Davies at Derbyshire in April.

He fell three runs short of a maiden 50 when he edged Stuart Meaker behind 40 minutes before lunch.

Surrey openers Rory Burns and Zafar Ansari then reached 110 and 66 respectively as Alviro Petersen and Paul Horton were even given a bowl.

Meanwhile, Jos Buttler has been made available by England for tomorrow’s NatWest T20 Blast Roses clash with Yorkshire at Headingley.

Jimmy Anderson, left out of England’s one-day squad, will be rested before England decide whether he will play any county cricket in the build-up to next month’s Ashes series.