Northamptonshire's Mal Loye batted himself back into form at Wantage Road yesterday by hitting an unbeaten 121 and sharing in an unbroken sixth wicket partnership of 161 in 44 overs with Nicky Boje, who made 77, to leave the home side on 330-5 at the end of day one.

After winning the toss and inserting their hosts, Surrey struggled to make any real impression with the ball on a verdant pitch. As temperature increased, so did the visitors' frustration. Andre Nel hurled the ball in anger at Niall O'Brien, shortly after the Irishman had been dropped, on 3, by Steven Davies, off Nel, in the third over.

Nel, who served a two-match ban earlier in this month, after racking up nine penalty points under the ECB's totting-up procedure, howled with rage before throwing the ball at O'Brien, striking him on the pads, in an attempt to throw down his stumps.

O'Brien, abetted by Stephen Peters, proceeded to put on 90 in twenty overs for the opening stand. O'Brien drove Tom Jewell, who was making his championship debut, past mid-off for four. Peters then cut Tim Linley to the third man boundary. Linley was on the receiving end again when O'Brien flicked him to deep backward square leg for four, but then the Irishman nibbled at short ball to be caught behind for a breezy 44.

After lunch, Peters went to fifty, off 86 balls, with his ninth boundary - a cover driven four off Jade Dernbach. Loye, who averaged 12.12 in the championship coming into this contest, announced himself by cutting Chris Schofield through wide mid-off for four. In the 36th over, however, Linley had Peters driving loosely to Schofield at cover. The 31-year-old's 61 had come from 107 deliveries and it included ten fours.

Loye then swept Linley for six and despatched Nel through cover off the back foot for four, though not before the South African had flattened all three of David Sales's stumps in the 41st over. Eight overs later, Dernbach got one to lift off a length and catch the shoulder of Rob White's bat. When Andrew Hall, attempting to pull a short delivery from outside his off stump, became Jewell's first championship scalp the visitors suddenly found themselves 169-5.

Nicky Boje came to his side's rescue with some positive strokeplay, which almost proved to be his undoing when he was dropped at mid-on, on 29, off Nel. At the other end, Loye went to a 114-ball half century, which contained a six and five fours.

With Boje hitting eight boundaries, mostly square of the wicket, his fifty was 87 deliveries in the making. Shortly before the close, Loye brought up his first three-figure score of the season, which came off 203 balls, with a pulled four off Dernbach.

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