Leicestershire supporters could not have asked for any more from the final day of the Championship fixture with Surrey at Grace Road.

When their side were dismissed for 165 on the opening day and the visitors forged a first-innings lead, defeat was looming.

But the fightback launched by the bowlers on Thursday was continued by the batsmen throughout a splendid final day for County as they secured a draw.

When hostilities ceased, Leicestershire had piled up 487-5 in their second innings, thanks largely to a quite magnificent stand between Boeta Dippenaar and HD Ackerman.

The 314 the South Africans amassed in the 83 overs they were together at the crease was the highest for any wicket for County against Surrey. It was also the seventh biggest in Leicestershire's Championship history.

During the course of the stand Dippenaar posted his maiden century for the Foxes, something he has knocked on the door of a couple of times already this season without quite getting there.

It was a marathon, and it needed to be in the circumstances, as he faced 331 balls, hitting 17 fours and one six in his 143.

Centuries from Ackerman have become common-place in his five-year stint at Grace Road. This was his 16th in first-class cricket for Leicestershire and was right out of the top drawer.

His stroke-play on the final morning was exceptional as he timed the ball beautifully and found gaps in the field seemingly at will.

Having started the day on 50, Ackerman raced to three figures, adding 91 runs to his total before the lunch break.

His colleague also reached the magical figure before the interval, going past 100 with a ferocious cut and, by the time the players left the field, County had progressed to 332-2 from their overnight 181-2, a healthy advantage of 168.

The game was almost secure at that stage, but Ackerman and Dippenaar were not about to offer Surrey the slightest chance of victory as they continued to rack up the runs during the afternoon.

As the stand went beyond 300, it appeared as though the Championship best of 390 made by Barry Dudleston and John Steele against Derbyshire in 1979 could come under threat.

Unfortunately, Dippenaar was undone by a full toss of all things from the slow left-arm of Usman Afzaal.

The Foxes' captain hoisted a catch to mid-on when he might have been looking to add six more to his tally.

Just eight runs later Ackerman, having reached 180, was bowled by Afzaal, ending a stay of 226 deliveries which included 24 boundaries, the majority of which came right out of the middle of the bat.

Afzaal claimed a third wicket in bizarre circumstances when Jim Allenby's powerfully-struck sweep rebounded off short leg straight into the gloves of Jonathan Batty.

It was frustrating for Allenby, who would have welcomed some time at the crease ahead of the resumption of Twenty20 cricket next week.

Still, at 421-5, Leicestershire were well and truly in the safety zone, Tom New and James Taylor adding 66 for an unbroken sixth-wicket stand as the game meandered to its conclusion after tea.