SURREY FOLD TO STEVENS AND TREDWELL by Marcus Hook
Kent 266 & 230 v Surrey 127 & 104. Kent win by 265 runs.

By skittling out their opponents in less than thirty overs, James Tredwell and Darren Stevens applied the finishing touches to Surrey's most comprehensive championship defeat, in terms of runs, for four years. Not even amongst them could the Oval outfit muster as many runs as Rob Key managed in his second innings, as he carried his bat to set-up Kent's third championship victory of the summer.

Even allowing for the conditions in which Surrey's second innings was conducted, their capitulation was abject. In light that was barely passable and with the ball swinging lavishly, for Stevens, whilst also gripping, for Tredwell, the visitors were in danger of being dismissed in double figures for the first time in eleven years.

Had it not been for Rory Hamilton-Brown, the only Surrey batsman prepared to put a price on his wicket, the visitors might have recorded their lowest total since July 1992, when they were bowled out for 76, by Kent, at Guildford. As it was Surrey's total of 104 was their lowest in the championship for ten years.

Faced with a target of 370 in five sessions, the visitors lost Steven Davies almost immediately, when Darren Stevens trimmed the bails of the former Worcestershire stumper, who was playing a loose drive on the walk.

Just four deliveries were possible after lunch before bad light held up proceedings for an hour and three quarters, resulting in the loss of 15 overs and an early tea.

The manner in which Mark Ramprakash lost his off stump to the thirteenth ball following the resumption suggested the light played a large part. Two overs later, Zander de Bruyn wafted at a delivery from Stevens and was caught behind without scoring.

Hamilton-Brown then became Stevens's tenth wicket in the match when he slashed to gully, where Rob Key held on at the third attempt. Two overs later, Jason Roy summed up Surrey's lack of interest by slapping Stevens straight to mid-off and with James Tredwell plucking out Zafar Ansari's middle stump the visitors were 68-6.

A six from Tom Maynard punctuated the collapse before Gareth Batty deflected Tredwell into the waiting hands of Key at leg slip, soon to be followed by Yasir Arafat, who was pinned on the crease first ball.

With Tim Linley also flummoxed by a turning delivery it was left to Jade Dernbach, who struck three boundaries in seven balls before lofting his eighth to long-on, to give the visitors' total the merest hint of respectability.

Earlier, Key converted the only fifty in the match into his seventh hundred against Surrey. He gave just one chance, when he was dropped at deep cover, on 71, by de Bruyn, who seemed to have covered enough ground to take the catch over his left shoulder, off Linley.

The third over of the day saw Linley's persistence rewarded with his fiftieth championship wicket of the season, when Adam Ball was caught behind off a thin edge. Matt Coles made a breezy 13, which included a cover driven four and a straight six, before lofting a high return catch to Batty.

Two overs later, Wahab Riaz picked out deep mid-wicket, thus leaving it to Simon Cook - who batted at number eleven in both innings, without being called upon to bowl - to hold up an end while Key progressed to his second championship hundred of the season, both of which have been at Surrey's expense.

The Kent captain reached the landmark with a push into the off-side for two runs off Batty. It had taken him 266 minutes, 192 balls and, as if to underline its diligence, included just five boundaries.

Batty picked up his third wicket of the morning when Cook, sweeping, popped up a catch to Maynard, who did well to get around to his right from slip.

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