SIXTEEN wickets fell on a dramatic day at the Brit Oval where Gloucestershire finished 190 runs ahead of Surrey with three-second innings wickets in hand in their Championship clash.

Surrey, who started the day at 56-1, 173 runs behind, lost nightwatchman Chris Tremlett to the fourth ball from Gemaal Hussain, but Arun Harinath and Mark Ramprakash put on 43 in 10 overs before the wickets began to tumble.

Ramprakash lost his middle stump pushing forward to Jon Lewis and Harinath, who had been dropped at second slip off Hussain on his way to 51, was caught behind off James Franklin.

Rory Hamilton-Brown lost his off stump padding up to his fifth ball from Steve Kirby, who then removed Usman Afzaal's middle and off stumps as he tried to drive.

Chris Schofield and Stuart Meaker were caught behind in successive overs from Lewis and, to complete a miserable morning for Surrey, Iftikhar Anjum was run out trying to complete a third run in the last over before lunch.

Seven wickets had gone down for 42 runs in 16 overs before Jade Dernbach joined Steven Davies in a last-wicket stand of 37, which trimmed Gloucestershire's lead to 51.

In reply, Chris Dent and Jonathan Batty extended that by 37 but then the Surrey seamers hit back.

Meaker claimed Dent leg before and Dernbach had Hamish Marshall caught behind off a lifter.

Alex Gidman tried to regain the initiative by hitting four fours and a six in his 24, but he was then leg before playing across the line against Iftikhar.

Gloucestershire had lost two wickets in two balls when Batty, desperate to do well against the county that released him last season, was leg before to Tremlett and worse was to come when Meaker, the South Africa- born seamer playing in only his 10th first-class match, took 3-2 in 14 balls.

He had Chris Taylor leg, before, Steven Snell caught behind first ball and Lewis also caught behind to have the visitors reeling at 139-7 when bad light stopped play.