But for an unbeaten 102 off 164 balls from Geraint Jones, Surrey would have had plenty to smile about at the end of day two at Canterbury, where Kent trail their guests by 181 runs with seven first innings wickets intact. Jones, who led a charmed life at times, played some authoritative drives through extra cover, but his side will need the former England wicketkeeper to continue frustrating the Brown Caps' attack before they can begin to feel secure.

Kent's reply to Surrey's 423 did not get off to the best of starts when Rob Key fell leg before wicket to a full-pitched delivery from Jade Dernbach in the fifth over. That brought Jones to the crease and his 222-minute stay was somewhat eventful.

Having been dropped at fourth slip by Chris Schofield, first ball, he edged Tim Linley past third slip for four in the 17th over. Five overs later, he was struck on the helmet by Stuart Meaker, but, showing great presence of mind, managed to prevent the ball rolling on to his stumps before seeing if the blow had caused any damage to either himself or his helmet.

When Meaker bounced him again in the 24th over, the former England wicketkeeper top-edged a pull to deep backward square leg where Dernbach, who had come in too far off the rope, had to back-peddle. The ball flew past his outstretched right hand and went for four.

Jonathan Batty was also unable to stop the ball from going over his head for four when his opposite number cut Linley into the ground in the last over before tea.

By this time the Division Two leaders had also lost Sam Northeast, whose dazzling 48 off 85 deliveries, which included ten fours, ended tamely, with Matthew Spriegel holding on to a firmly struck return catch in the 28th over.

After tea, Jones went to 47 by despatching Pedro Collins through extra cover for a brace of fours. Two overs later, the 33-year-old repeated the stroke to go to bring up his half-century, off 84 deliveries, with his tenth boundary.

In the 44th over Jones came down the track to Spriegel and launched him over long-on for six. Having managed just 28 in twenty overs at the crease, Martin van Jaarsveld attempted to sweep Schofield's sixth delivery and was adjudged to be leg before.

Jones went into the nineties with the second of three successive fours off Meaker in the 56th over. Dernbach, at deep fine leg, got a hand to the third, though it would be harsh to deem it a chance.

Earlier, Mark Ramprakash cracked the tenth ball of the day through cover for four, but three overs later the former Middlesex man was undone by a lifting delivery from Simon Cook, which caught his right glove and looped gently to second slip. It later emerged that the blow fractured Ramprakash's right thumb and that the 39-year-old could be out of action for the remainder of the season.

In the 98th over, Spriegel took Surrey past 300 with his fourth boundary in the space of six overs - an extra cover drive for four off Cook. But Spriegel and Schofield were only together for five overs before Schofield, prodding at a ball that left him off the pitch, fell to a catch at second slip upon Phil Edwards's re-introduction to the Kent attack.

Meaker hooked Edwards to the boundary at deep square leg and, two overs later, drove Amjad Khan straight down the ground for four, before departing, next ball, to a catch low to van Jaarsveld's left at second slip.

Dernbach lifted Justin Kemp over mid-off's head for four, but then chased a delivery that was pushed slightly wider to be caught at cover point. In the 113th over, Linley took Surrey past 350 with a quickly scampered three to deep square leg. Five overs later, Spriegel was denied what would have been a second half-century in as many matches when Khan got the ball to hold its line.

Linley and Collins then frustrated the Kent bowlers with a tenth wicket stand of 58 in twelve overs, which was eventually ended by Khan shortly after lunch when Collins, attempting a pull, dragged the ball on to the base of his stumps; leaving his partner with an unbeaten 35 and Khan with figures of 5-113 - his best return since June 2006.

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