A top-class contest did not have the finish it deserved at the Kia Oval as Surrey decided to bat it out for a draw against Somerset.

Needing 305 to win from 85 overs, after taking the last three Somerset second-innings wickets at the start of the day, Surrey reached a promising 96 for one before a mid-afternoon collapse to 148 for six scuppered their realistic hopes of reaching that target.

They eventually ended up on 239 for seven when the match was declared a draw.

At tea, however, with Rory Hamilton-Brown and Gareth Batty midway through a determined seventh wicket partnership that was to reach a match-saving 71 in 34 overs, Surrey's supporters still had hopes of a last session charge to victory with their side on 184 for six and with another 121 required from 36 overs.

But South African Test fast bowler Vernon Philander and outstanding young Ireland left-arm spinner George Dockrell conceded only 12 runs from the first eight overs after tea and it soon became obvious Hamilton-Brown and Batty had decided that risking defeat to try to win was not a tactic they wanted to pursue.

With the score on 219, Batty was bowled by Dockrell for 33, leaving Somerset 11.4 more overs to take the last three Surrey wickets.

But Hamilton-Brown, who finished on 70 not out from 161 balls, and his new partner Jon Lewis saw out time with few alarms and Surrey finished the match still 66 runs away from their target.

Dockrell took four for 89 from 32 overs.

Somerset had resumed on 154 for seven, 278 ahead, and Philander was the first to go for five when he hit Stuart Meaker straight to short extra cover.

Surrey fast bowler Meaker, who already had five wickets in the innings before the start of play, then clean bowled both Overton twins, Craig and Jamie, in the space of three balls to finish with a career-best eight for 52.

Steven Davies fell early in Surrey's second innings, chopping on against Philander on four, but both Jason Roy and Jacques Rudolph rode some good fortune against the seaming ball to take the total to 66 for one at lunch with some sparkling strokes.

Both Roy and Rudolph were unafraid to hit over the top, especially against Dockrell, but after Roy (41) had been caught at short leg off one which bounced and turned from the 19-year-old Irishman the Surrey charge stuttered to a halt.

South African left-hander Rudolph, who had put on 89 with Roy, fell for 45 when he advanced down the pitch to Dockrell but was beaten in the flight and could only drag his attempted lofted straight drive to a wide deep mid-wicket where Arul Suppiah took the catch.

Later in that same over, a brilliant tumbling catch at deep square leg by Craig Meschede sent back Zander de Bruyn for one, and suddenly Surrey were 103 for four.

Peter Trego then won leg-before appeals to remove both Tom Maynard (13) and Chris Jordan (six) with off-cutters, but in the end the stand between Hamilton-Brown and Batty denied the visitors.

Somerset take 11 points from the match, and Surrey 10.