Thanks to two significant partnerships featuring a blend of youth and experience, it was Leicestershire who ended day one at the Brit Oval with their noses in front on 291-4. Either side of lunch, Boeta Dippenaar and Greg Smith put on 139 in 48 overs for the second wicket then, straddling the tea interval, H.D.Ackerman and James Taylor combined for 105 in 33 overs before Ackerman was caught at slip off Chris Schofield, just when it looked as though a century was his for the taking.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, the visitors lost Matthew Boyce in the first over, when the 23-year-old was beaten by Schofield’s direct hit at the bowler’s end from mid-wicket.

That brought Dippenaar to the crease and the Foxes’ skipper went to 28 in boundaries on his way to a 78-ball half-century, which he brought up in the 27th over with a driven four straight down the ground off Tim Linley. At the other end Smith, making his first championship appearance of the summer following a broken thumb, was also playing immaculately.

By lunch, Leicestershire had advanced to 107-1, of which the 20-year-old Durham University student had contributed 41. But after the break Smith took 23 overs adding a further five to his score before edging behind off Jade Dernbach; not long after a brilliant catch by Stewart Walters at second slip had brought Surrey the wicket of Dippenaar, who departed for an attractive 86 in 149 deliveries.

Sandwiched in-between was an eventful Dernbach over in which Ackerman took three boundaries off the 23-year-old seamer. The first was cut for four and the third was clipped through mid-wicket, but Ackerman was fortunate not to lose his leg stump to the second, which raced instead to the rope at fine leg.

Taylor also wasted no time getting into his stride, straight driving Andre Nel for four before flicking him through the leg-side in the same over. The visitors collected their first batting point shortly after tea and in the 71st over Ackerman went to his fifty, which came off 63 balls and included eight fours.

With the diminutive Taylor sweeping Schofield and the dependable Ackerman latching on to anything overpitched on leg stump, the Foxes’ second bonus point arrived just twelve overs later.

Following the departure of Ackerman, Tom New survived a concerted appeal for a catch at short leg, first ball, to finish with an unbeaten 16 while Taylor, who brought up his half-century in the 93rd over, could look back proudly on a diligent 53 in 134 deliveries.

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