Vikram Solanki and Steven Davies compiled centuries as Surrey continued their fight for Division One survival in the LV= County Championship with a much-improved batting display against Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
Solanki, with 162, shared in partnerships of 166 with Hashim Amla and 182 with Davies - who hit 77 and 103 respectively - as the bottom-of-the-table county reached a commanding 400 for five at the halfway stage of the match.
In leading the team to their first batting bonus points in three matches, Solanki and Amla showed the application, as well as flair, that was missing in last week's defeat by Somerset at Taunton.
With nearly a day lost here because of rain, time is against Surrey claiming a win but Solanki, in particular, could not have done any more to make that a possibility.
His second hundred since moving from Worcestershire is the first for Surrey in the championship in more than two months since Ricky Ponting scored 169 not out against Nottinghamshire.
A well-balanced innings, watchful when necessary but full of flowing strokes, was just what his team needed after a late start to the second day because of further rain.
By the time Surrey resumed at 59 for two, 94 overs had been taken out of the game but Solanki and Amla brought a positive approach to the situation.
Yet it all ended in some exasperation for Amla. Having been dismissed three times in the 80s in four matches, the South African batsman again missed a century when he was caught at slip, driving at a ball from left-arm seamer Keith Barker.
Solanki, now Surrey's leading run-scorer for the season, completed his century from 155 balls and more hardship was in store for Warwickshire as Davies played equally well, reaching his second hundred of the season with his 14th four.
When Solanki was finally dismissed, chopping on to Chris Woakes, he had hit 25 fours and a six in more than five hours, and in the next over Davies also departed when pulling Maurice Chambers to deep midwicket after facing 136 balls.