DE BRUYN AND MAYNARD LAY FOUNDATION FOR SURREY by Marcus Hook
Glamorgan v Surrey 286-4.

On the tenth anniversary of Mark Ramprakash's debut for Surrey, a Ramprakash-like century from Zander de Bruyn - flanked by an unbeaten 60 off 107 balls from fellow new Surrey signing Tom Maynard - laid the foundation for a commanding first innings total. De Bruyn, facing Glamorgan for the first time in the County Championship, ended the opening day at Cardiff's impressive Swalec Stadium - the hottest day of the year, so far - with a remarkably controlled 109 from 219 deliveries, which, to date, has included 16 fours and two maximums.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first on a light-coloured strip, Surrey made a watchful start, due, in the main, to James Harris's initial spell, which read 5-1-5-0. The first boundary did not arrive until the eighth over, when Gary Wilson cut a loose ball from Huw Waters. Seven overs later, Wilson steered Graham Wagg's left-arm seam through cover for four. Michael Brown's first boundary arrived in the following over, when the 31-year-old threaded Harris between gully and backward point.

But in the 18th over, Dean Cosker's first, Wilson flicked the slow left-armer to short mid-wicket to make it 42-1. That brought Zander de Bruyn to the crease, but before he could properly join forces with Brown, the former Middlesex and Hampshire opener, looking to pull an aggressive delivery from Wagg, was caught off a glove at second slip.

Even though de Bruyn survived two chances, when he was dropped, on 11, at gully, shortly after lunch, and on 40, at backward point, in the 52nd over, the 35-year-old barely played a false shot in five hours.

In the 34th over the South African pulled Wagg for four. In the next over, Steven Davies dealt similarly with Waters. Five overs later, de Bruyn brought up the fifty partnership for Surrey's third wicket by hoisting Cosker over long-on for six.

The 43rd over saw Davies, who was on 23, being put down by Gareth Rees at short leg off Robert Croft, who was making his 350th first-class appearance for the Welshmen. Two deliveries later, Davies pulled the former England off-spinner for four, before flicking a full toss to the rope at mid-wicket.

De Bruyn and Davies had put on 82 in 26 overs when de Bruyn pushed the ball into the off-side. But before Davies could make his ground at the keeper's end, Stewart Walters arrowed the ball in from cover point to make it 145-3. That became 164-4, shortly before tea, when Rory Hamilton-Brown's laboured innings of two was curtailed by a superb catch at slip by Alviro Petersen off the bowling of Cosker; though not before de Bruyn had posted a 113-ball half-century.

Four overs after the break, Tom Maynard used his feet well to Cosker, but the next hour belonged to de Bruyn, who unfurled an array of strokes, including a sweep, fine, off Cosker, which sped away for four and two boundaries in the space of five balls off the same bowler; the second of which brought up 200 for the visitors.

The 82nd over saw de Bruyn move into the nineties with back-to-back boundary hits off Wagg; the first of which cleared the third man fence. Three overs later, the former Somerset man went to his first century in chocolate trim, which was 196 deliveries in development, with a straight driven four off Harris.

Maynard then claimed centre stage against his former county, cover driving Harris in the 87th over and hooking Wagg for six in the 88th. The 22-year-old had the good fortune to be caught at short leg off a no-ball from Wagg, whom he immediately despatched through mid-wicket off the back foot. In the 89th over, Maynard brought up the hundred partnership with a pulled four off Waters and, next ball, went to fifty in 88 deliveries.

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