With wickets falling at regular intervals, Northamptonshire had the better of the opening day at the re-branded Kia Oval. Rory Hamilton-Brown threatened to hand Surrey the initiative, but the prospect of the hosts taking control faded when the Surrey captain fell shortly before tea for an attractive 74 off 111 balls. Had it not been for Gareth Batty's first championship half-century for a year, the visitors would now be responding to relatively modest total for the Oval. As it was, Surrey's 322 was their lowest first innings total against the Wantage Road outfit for over a decade.

After winning the toss and electing to bat on a straw-coloured pitch, the home side made a useful start, despite losing Michael Brown to the second ball of the new championship campaign, when Chaminda Vaas got one to pitch in line and straighten.

Zander de Bruyn opened his Surrey account by driving the Sri Lankan to the rope at third man, after which Gary Wilson took charge, twice despatching the left-armer for four in the fifth over.

Three overs later, the 25-year-old hit three boundaries in the space of four deliveries from Lee Daggett, two of them through cover, but then, going for drive again, Wilson provided Niall O'Brien with a routine caught behind to make it 46-2.

De Bruyn was composure personified, seemingly very much at home in his new surroundings, until the 20th over when he attempted to angle James Middlebrook's fourth ball to fine leg, only to be bowled around his legs for a promising 35.

At lunch, Steven Davies and Rory Hamilton-Brown had taken Surrey along to 134-3, but that became 134-4 immediately after the break when Davies pushed Vaas into the off-side and ran a single, only to find himself at the same end as his skipper.

Tom Maynard was quick to assert himself, despatching Vaas through extra cover twice in as many overs. But Hamilton-Brown was more looking more solid, hitting Andrew Hall through the mid-off and extra cover region before cutting his opposite number to the rope at cover point.

In the 41st over, the Surrey skipper posted a 64-ball half-century with the first of two successive boundaries behind square on the off-side off Lee Daggett. However, three overs later, poor shot selection proved to be the undoing of Maynard, who was bowled looking to slog sweep Middlebrook into the Laker Stand.

Hamilton-Brown brought up his side's first batting point of the new season when he cut Daggett for four. But, then, in the 49th over, Daggett accounted for Chris Schofield with a ball that lifted and left the former England leg-spinner, who was well caught low down to the keeper's left.

Hamilton-Brown, in alliance with Gareth Batty, was just beginning to position the hosts for a decent score when he departed shortly before tea, looking to work Hall into the largely unprotected on-side.

Eleven overs later, Yasir Arafat became the third victim for both Middlebrook and O'Brien when he was caught behind looking to cut.

But Batty, who is nothing but determined, refused to let Northants have it all their own way. In the 75th over he despatched David Lucas to the rope at extra cover before driving him through mid-wicket for four. Two overs later, the former Worcestershire man brought up his fifty in 90 deliveries, with a pulled boundary off Hall.

In the 85th over, Batty and Meaker's ninth wicket stand became the longest of the innings, but three overs later Batty fell leg before for 64, soon to be followed by Meaker, who was caught at second slip, also off the bowling of Daggett, who finished with 3-63.

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