WHAT a difference the toss of a coin makes.

Habitual strugglers in four-day cricket so far this season, Worcestershire reverted to their 2006 form against Surrey in the LV County Champion-ship Division One match at New Road and all it took was a correct call from Vikram Solanki.

The skipper, who until 10.30 on Wednesday morning, had lost five out of five tosses in this competition, called right and his side had the chance to go out and post a score rather than trying to restrict their opponents' batsmen.

For the second time in two matches, the New Road openers obliged, piling on a double-century stand before the first wicket went down.

However, it was the recalled Stephen Moore who strode to the crease with Phil Jaques to start the day as opposed to Solanki, who had put on 223 with the Aussie left-hander in Sunday's Friends Provident Trophy triumph over Warwickshire.

Moore reclaimed his opening berth in the four-day side at the expense of Moeen Ali, while Solanki moved back to number three.

Director of cricket Steve Rhodes' decision to keep faith in his preferred Champion-ship team soon paid dividends. After a testing opening spell from Matt Nicholson and Azhar Mahmood, the new ball lost its zip and the pitch flattened out which allowed the batsmen to take control.

Moore began the day as the agressor, racing to 63 by lunch while Jaques, who took 33 balls to reach three runs, took a back seat. But, after the interval, the Aussie stamped his authority on the game, hitting a brace of fours to bring up his half-century. The left-hander took 97 deliveries over his first half-century, but the next one required just 29 balls as he blitzed 14 fours and two sixes in a brutal hundred.

The pair took the score past 200, but Moore was bogged down in the nervous nineties' until Nicholson obliged with a leg-stump full-toss.

Surrey made the breakthrough in the same over, though, with Jaques feathering an edge off Nicholson to wicketkeeper Jon Batty.

Solanki looked in devaststing form as he scored freely all around the wicket on his way to a 57-ball half-century, but Moore's innings was ended on 143 when he was stumped off leg-spinner Ian Salisbury.

Ben Smith and Solanki carried on where they left off against Warwickshire and added an unbroken 117 for the third wicket.