Dan Lawrence closed in on his second Specsavers County Championship century of the season as he underpinned Essex’s response to Surrey’s Kumar Sangakkara-inspired 369 at Chelmsford. Lawrence, 19, received his Essex cap at lunch on the first day and seemed intent to underline the form that earned him a call into the England Lions squad to face South Africa A in a three-match series next week. He was the dominate partner in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 89 with Ravi Bopara that carried Essex within touching distance of the follow-on mark of 220, their first target.

At the close, Essex were 154 runs behind with seven wickets in hand and Lawrence was 78. Nick Browne, in contrast, had struggled to put a total on the scoreboard this season, but finally notched his first Championship half-century of the season in a dogged show of crease occupation. His 52 took 152 balls and at one point in the afternoon he scored just two runs in 50 minutes’ play.

Amar Virdi, an 18-year-old offie, took over the spin duties in the absence of Gareth Batty and retirement of Zafar Ansari, and sent down 24 overs on debut without success, but with plenty of guile and no little promise.

Essex had eventually accounted for Sangakkara in the morning, but not before he had added 23 runs to his overnight score to finish on 200. His record fifth consecutive Championship century took his season’s total to 792 runs and his average to 113.14.

Alastair Cook and Browne raced to 58 for nought in 13 overs before lunch with a flurry of boundaries. But the afternoon session turned into one of toil and graft as Essex added just 69 runs. To illustrate the pedestrian progress: the first fifty of the innings took 12 overs, the second a further 24. Cook had struck six fours before the interval, but lasted just seven balls after the interval. He shuffled too far across his stumps and was plumb lbw to Tom Curran for 36.

Browne put on 26 runs with Tom Westley for the second wicket in 15 overs before Westley wafted at one from Sam Curran to give Ben Foakes the catch behind. Virdi had both Browne and Lawrence in knots at times, though Lawrence went aerial over long leg for the boundary that brought up the Essex hundred. Browne, too, awoke from his stupor to turn successive balls from Virdi off his hip for a combined seven runs. He finally reached his first Championship fifty of the season from 150 balls when he clubbed Stuart Meaker through midwicket. Two balls later, though, he pulled the same bowler straight to Tom Curran and went for 52.

Things sped up appreciably in the evening. Bopara got off the mark with successive boundaries, off front and back foot, while Lawrence sent thumping cuts off Tom Curran through the covers for fours. He reached both his half-century and the fifty partnership when he swatted Sam Curran to fine leg for his eighth boundary. His personal landmark came off 98 balls, the fourth-wicket mark in 18 overs.

The Surrey innings lasted 14 more overs in the morning during which time Sangakkara took his overnight 177 to exactly 200 before he holed out to Neil Wagner on the long-off boundary. When Virdi had been ninth man out – clean bowled to give Jamie Porter his fourth wicket for 89 – Sangakkarra was still five runs short of his double century. He went to 199 when Wagner bowled a leg-side full-toss that was despatched contemptuously to the boundary.

In the next over Ravi Rampaul eked out the single that gave Sangakarra the strike. The milestone was duly achieved with a push into the covers off Porter. Two balls later the Sri Lanka’s seven-hour marathon was over. It had encompassed 321 balls and included 27 fours. His second century partnership of the innings was ended when Porter found the edge of Meaker’s bat in the seventh over of the day. Meaker had contributed 49, from 99 balls, to the 110-run eighth-wicket stand.

Nick Browne scored his first half-century of the season, and admitted: "It has been quite a frustrating start of the year. I’ve played quite well without getting the results, not that I deserve them, but the results I wanted. I got fifty, which I’m happy with, but I’d still like to be out there, score a hundred and put us in a good position for the lads. But hopefully now I’ve got 150-odd balls under my belt I can kick on.

"We managed to score quite quickly in the first session, but after lunch they bowled really well. They bowled tight lines and bowled straight to more defensive fields and stopped us scoring. It was a tough period for us and we had to try and soak up some pressure and come out the other side of it. We did just that in the last session – but unfortunately I wasn’t there to do that.

"It wasn’t the most enjoyable session, no, and not the greatest 50 minutes to watch, I’m sure. It was tough on a slow wicket to pierce the field. You feel you’re timing the ball nicely but wasn’t going anywhere because the ball got quite soft. I just had to soak up the pressure and come out the other side. Bowlers aren’t robots – they’re going to give you a bad ball at some stage and hopefully I’m there to hit it for four."

There are competition for places in Essex’s batting line-up, and Browne said: "The management have backed me and it is my job to score runs and it’s not worth worrying about anyone else. If I score runs I’ll stay in the side. It’s not particularly a big issue, but it’s great for the side we’ve got batters in the wings, like Adam Wheater and Varun [Chopra], who can come and take a spot when needed."

Surrey's bowling coach Stuart Barnes was full of praise for 18-year-old debutant spinner Amar Virdi: "His composure was brilliant. He bowled a long spell, which he is used to doing. He blocked up an end and created chances. If he plays like that he has a great future ahead of him." The second new-ball is due in the morning and Barnes added: "Our lads will be nice and fresh and hopefully they will bowl slightly better with this new-ball than they did with the first one."

TEA REPORT

Nick Browne grafted and toiled to his first Specsavers County Championship half-century against Surrey at Chelmsford. The left-hander had long spells without scoring during the afternoon, adding just 28 to his score in 34 overs before he departed in the over before tea. At that point Essex were 127 for three in reply to Surrey’s 369. Alastair Cook had batted beautifully before lunch, striking six fours, but lasted just seven balls after the interval. He shuffled too far across his stumps and was plumb lbw to Tom Curran for 36. Nick Browne became becalmed post-lunch and managed just two runs in one 50-minute spell before he drove Amar Virdi through the covers for four. But he lost Tom Westley, wafting at one from Sam Curran, after a 15-over stand during which just 26 runs were added. Virdi had both batsman in knots on occasions in his first Championship bowl, though Dan Lawrence did loft him over long leg for the boundary that took Essex past 100 in the 36th over. The first fifty, in comparison, had taken only 12 overs. Browne, too, turned successive balls from the off-spinner off his hip for a four and a three before going back into his shell. He finally reached his fifty in the penultimate over before tea when he clubbed Stuart Meaker through midwicket for his ninth four. He had taken him 150 balls. Two balls later he pulled Meaker to Tom Curran at midwicket and exited for 52.

LUNCH REPORT

Kumar Sangakkarra’s seven-hour marathon finally ended just two balls after he had reached his double-century against Essex at Chelmsford. The veteran Sri Lankan had batted for all but the first four of Surrey’s 110 overs in posting his record fifth consecutive Specsavers County Championship century. He faced 321 balls and hit 27 fours. In reply to Surrey’s 369, Essex were 58 without loss at lunch with Alastair Cook (34) and Nick Browne (24) finding the boundary with some regularity. Jamie Porter had broken the stubborn eight-wicket stand in the seventh over of the day when he found the edge of Stuart Meaker’s bat. Meaker had contributed 49 of the 110-run partnership and faced 99 balls. Sangakkarra was still the immovable object. When Neil Wagner dropped one short he hooked the ball contemptuously for his 26th four. He lost his seventh partner when Porter demolished Amar Virdi’s stumps with a ball that was too good for the 18-year-old debutant. It meant Sangakkara was on 195 with one wicket to fall. He went to 199 when Wagner bowled a leg-side full-toss that was despatched to the boundary. In the next over Ravi Rampaul eked out the single that gave Sangakkara the strike and the chance to reach 200. The milestone was duly passed with a push into the covers off Porter. Two balls later, Sangakkara went for a big-hit that belied the patience and concentration he had shown before and lofted Simon Harmer’s second delivery of the day straight to Wagner on the long-off boundary. The great man was already halfway to the pavilion before the catch was taken.

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