KEY KEEPS KENT ON THEIR FEET AS BATTY MAKES HISTORY by Marcus Hook
Surrey 479 v Kent 239 & 254-4

Going into the final day Kent, with six second-innings wickets in hand, carry over a slender advantage of 14 runs. Possessing a tail that a Lemur would be proud of the key today, in every respect, will be how long Robert Key can be partnered at the crease. The 25-year-old batsman has so far spent all but thirty-five minutes of this match on the field. In these days of team masseurs in addition to the usual physiotherapists, perhaps Key will be asking his county to employ a chiropodist when this contest is finally over.

His chanceless unbeaten 134 supported by Michael Carberry, who made 61 off 148 balls in a fourth wicket stand of 126 spread over three hours, meant that the Oval outfit must wait for their first championship win of the season and Kent, the Division One leaders prior to this match, their first defeat.

The Surrey captain and wicketkeeper, Jonathan Batty, took three catches, bringing his tally for the summer to 22 and eight in the first innings alone, which gives the 30-year-old a share of a championship record established by David East, of Essex, in 1985 and matched by Kent's Steve Marsh in 1991. It is only the eighth time it has happened in all first-class cricket, including nine in an innings twice.

Just over an hour into the day’s proceedings Batty, who caught the first five batsmen out on Wednesday, took Mohammad Sami off Martin Bicknell to ensure Kent followed on and, in so doing, bettered Arnold Long’s Surrey record of seven catches against Sussex at Hove in 1964.

History now beckons for Bicknell, whose dismissal of Walker, first ball, second time around, left the veteran all-rounder on 999 first-class wickets. How he would like the next to be Key, who, on this form, must be close to making a ninth Test match appearance for England. The right-hander’s fifty came at more or less a run-a-ball and his hundred in 155 deliveries, with 14 fours.

The 20th century of his first-class career in his 200th innings was his fourth hundred in his last half a dozen knocks. His so far unbeaten 134 has come in 262 deliveries and includes 17 fours plus one sixth, which came when he hooked the out of sorts Zaheer Khan.

After his departure for 86 in Kent’s first dig the visitors lost their last four wickets in the space of 20 balls, three of them to the bowling of Rikki Clarke.

Key then returned to do business again as Kent, following on 240 in arrears, soon lost David Fulton, who clipped Azhar Mahmood to mid-wicket, and Ed Smith, who played on to James Ormond before Matthew Walker padded up to Bicknell.

Carberry would have been Bicknell’s 1,000th victim had Azhar taken a reasonably straightforward chance at second slip with his score on nine. The southpaw made the most of the let off by posting a 132-ball fifty. But five overs from the end Ormond, bowling his occasional off-spin by then, tossed one up and Carberry simply pushed it into the waiting hands of Alistair Brown at slip.

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