Despite Kevin Pietersen falling lbw for a second ball duck, Surrey ended the opening day against Glamorgan with their noses in front thanks to an enthralling 96 from Rory Hamilton-Brown and a superb half-century from Jason Roy. After winning the toss and electing to bat the hosts closed on 324-6. They might have established a vice-like grip on proceedings had it not been for Dean Cosker, who picked up 4-40, including the wicket of Pietersen.

Those who were looking forward to seeing the England batsman spend time in the middle were kept waiting until the 27th over. In the meantime Roy batted with an ease that belied his twenty years. Playing only his second first-class innings, Roy followed up the 76 he made against Leicestershire two weeks ago with an eye-catching 69. It then fell to Hamilton-Brown, who took sixes of all five of Glamorgan's front-line bowlers, to re-establish Surrey's dominance. Hamilton-Brown, who was positive throughout, made 96 off just 84 balls before he became the fourth of Cosker's victims.

Only 31 deliveries were possible before a heavy downpour resulted in the loss of 24 overs. When play resumed at 1.30pm, Roy picked up where he left off by off driving Huw Waters for four in the sixth over and taking two successive boundaries off the 23-year-old two overs later.

James Harris made the initial breakthrough when Tom Lancefield departed to a routine catch at second slip in the ninth over. But that was followed by a stand of 79 between Roy and Ramprakash.

Roy brought up his fifty, which came off 47 balls, with a cover driven four off Jim Allenby. Mark Ramprakash took Surrey to one hundred with the second of four boundaries in the space of two overs.

Roy perished giving the charge to Cosker, who then accounted for Pietersen a couple of balls later. When the 32-year-old slow left-armer beat Ramprakash in the flight in the 31st over Surrey, who had been 119-1, suddenly found themselves 136-4.

But instead of digging in, Hamilton-Brown and Gary Wilson treated the crowd to some impressive strokeplay as they added 127 in just 21 overs for the fifth wicket.

Wilson took Surrey to 200 in the 41st over with a cut four off Robert Croft. Eight overs later, the home side had 250 on the board thanks to some clean hitting both down the ground and over extra cover from Hamilton-Brown, whose fifty came off 45 deliveries and included four maximums.

But Wilson and Hamilton-Brown fell in successive overs. Mark Cosgrove, who was pressed into action when Waters pulled up with a hamstring strain, broke through Wilson's defences in the 52nd over. The Surrey skipper perished in the next when he danced down the wicket to the first ball of Cosker's second spell.

Chris Schofield and Gareth Batty played a great deal more watchfully as they put on 61 to see their side through to stumps.

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