Unlike other areas of the country, or for that matter the prophecies of the weather forecasters, Canterbury was bathed in almost unbroken sunshine yesterday. The result, in stark contrast to day one, was a phase in which the bat enjoyed superiority over the ball. By stumps Surrey had established a slender lead of 37, but with the likes of Azhar and Bicknell still to come the visitors will be eyeing a sizeable total, despite losing Mark Ramprakash plus nightwatchman Jimmy Ormond in identical fashion as the shadows lengthened across the St.Lawrence ground.

The Oval outfit owe a large slice of their advantage to Scott Newman’s first championship hundred since late April – his second of the campaign – plus a patient half-century from Richard Clinton.

In putting on 170 in 42 overs (Surrey’s most prosperous opening stand of the summer by some distance), the left-handed pair provided a solid platform on which to build. The duo have now put on ninety or more for the first wicket in three out of four attempts; proof that the Brown Hatters’ recent turnaround in fortunes coming at the same time as Clinton’s introduction is no mere coincidence.

Both favoured the off side yesterday whilst collecting sixes on the leg. Newman, who picked Butler up over mid-wicket in the 13th over, made an authoritative 111 in 149 deliveries, including nineteen boundaries. At the other end Clinton, who went down on bended knee and swung Patel over wide mid-on nine overs later, made 58 off 106 balls.

In what could be a turning point, both perished in the space of two overs from Matt Dennington, who finished the day with three for 74. The 21-year-old seamer had Clinton leg before to an inswinging full toss before tempting Newman to drive loosely to Matt Walker; who was positioned at gully cum wide slip.

With Mark Ramprakash said to be feeling under the weather, he and Batty swapped places in the order. The Surrey captain, punishing anything full in length and wide of off stump, was still there at the end, but not as content as he might otherwise have been after seeing three of his colleagues come and go.

Rikki Clarke, who brought up the visitors’ first batting point with a sumptuous straight drive off Butler in the 47th over and took his side past Kent’s 226 with a maximum down the ground off Ferley six overs later, was out half an hour before the close when he prodded Patel tamely to first slip. Ramprakash and then Ormond both played down the wrong line with the end result being the absence of their off stick.

Following a delay of half an hour to allow the groundstaff to tend to the bowler’s run-ups, Ian Butler and Rob Ferley batted out the entire first session. In so doing the pair set a new record for Kent’s ninth wicket against Surrey, beating Martin McCague and Min Patel’s 89 at the Oval in 1996.

Butler, who made a career best 68 off 98 balls, was by far the dominant partner. Ferley, who gave a difficult chance to Brown at third slip off Ormond when 16, struck just two boundaries in his two and a half hour vigil before falling immediately after lunch to a rising delivery. Butler went in the very next over to give Azhar Mahmood figures of five for 54, his best first-class return of season.

GO TO:

BACK TO: