At one stage yesterday it looked as if another large Surrey total would fail to include a century-maker, but just before the close Alistair Brown went one better than Mark Ramprakash and Graham Thorpe by moving safely from the nineties to three figures. It has to be said, though, that he is lucky to still have Azhar Mahmood around. The Pakistan all-rounder was nearly run out by his partner, so intent was Brown, on 98, on running a quick two rather than a certain single.

Brown’s knock ensured that the hosts ended the opening day of the Guildford Festival in great shape. The 35-year-old, who is unbowed on 101, has been involved in all of Surrey’s championship clashes with Kent going back to 1993 and even before yesterday’s effort the hop county were the only side against whom he has made over one thousand first-class runs.

It is also worth noting that Brown has only been involved in two Surrey defeats against Kent in the championship in his 18 previous appearances. Indeed, a Brown hundred is a good omen for Ovalites fans. Surrey have only lost one championship match containing a century from the great entertainer since June 1997 – that is 26 hundreds ago – and have gone on to taste victory seventeen times during the intervening period.

Significantly, perhaps the only loss was in last year’s championship fixture at Guildford, against Warwickshire, in which the hosts won the toss, inserted their opponents and proceeded to provide the support cast for two virtuoso batting performances from Ian Bell. Mark Ramprakash did not make the same mistake again.

A modicum of early moisture may well have been the cause of Richard Clinton’s demise in the fourth over, caught behind. But thereafter the pitch flattened out to the benefit of the Ovalites’ upper order, which was missing Scott Newman, who pulled a hamstring in Monday night’s nail-biting Twenty20 Cup quarter-final.

They were abetted, however, by some hapless bowling at times. Batty and Ramprakash put on 105 in 28 overs for the second-wicket before the Surrey stumper was caught at short mid-wicket for 50, shortly after his skipper had gone to his half-century in 86 balls in the 30th over, which was bowled by Patel.

For the next two hours Mark Ramprakash and Graham Thorpe harvested 133 for Surrey’s third wicket. Thorpe’s fifty took him 68 balls and included one six over square-leg off Amjad Khan and six fours. But Ramprakash was only able to add a further ten runs to his score before falling to a wide ball from Simon Cook, who, curiously, did not bowl after tea.

Surrey emerged from the interval on 281 for three off 72 overs. Graham Thorpe gave the England selectors a timely reminder of his talents by notching up 95 off 140 balls, his highest score of the season. He was eventually bowled by Min Patel trying to hit over the top. Perhaps there was a reason why he was out forcing the pace. When Thorpe’s wicket fell, Brown had faced 111 of the fourth-wicket partnership’s 153 deliveries.

Rikki Clarke was bowled by Darren Stevens for 18 as he tried to force off his legs, but Brown went to his third championship hundred of the season in 151 deliveries. It contained 13 fours and a straight six off Patel.

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