Resuming their second innings on 21-2, Essex would have been aiming only for survival, rather than an improbable chasing down of a 361-run win target, and a two-hour bad weather interruption early in the day certainly helped their cause.

Only 13 balls were bowled at the start, Essex moving quickly to 38-2 as Westley took two fours from Clark’s opening over, before rain ruled out a resumption until after an early lunch at 13:10 BST.

Elgar and Westley then initially flourished – once Westley had survived a huge early shout for leg-before when a Worrall outswinger squared him up and thudded into his back pad – and the pair took their third wicket alliance to 69 before Lawes’ introduction dramatically swung the contest back in Surrey’s favour.

Worrall had been taken for three offside fours in one over by Elgar, while Westley off drove Clark elegantly for four before flicking Worrall away for further boundaries to fine leg and then off his pads to square leg.

But, with his second ball, after replacing Worrall at the Vauxhall End, Lawes had Elgar dropped by Dom Sibley at second slip on 36 before, in his second over, removing both Westley and Matt Critchley.

Each time Ben Foakes dived to his right to take good catches as perfectly-pitched outswingers took the edge of both Westley and Critchley’s forward defensive bats and, suddenly, Essex were 86-4 with Lawes on a hat-trick.