Judging by his display at Whitgift School yesterday, there is little anyone can teach Mark Ramprakash about the art of batsmanship. As if proof were needed – which it still seems to be in the eyes of the England selectors – the former Middlesex man marked first day of County Championship cricket in Croydon by hitting 191 not out as the home side amassed an imposing 488 for eight against bottom of the table Nottinghamshire.

Whereas some of Ramprakash’s innings this season have been mainly built on a platform of crease occupation – he has faced almost twice as many balls as any other Surrey batsman – his sixth first-class hundred of the summer was dappled with a range of memorable strokes. He seemed to save his best for the Australian leg-spinner Stuart MacGill, who was taken for 146 runs in twenty-six overs, despite beating the bat occasionally with some alarming bounce.

In partnership with another England outcast Graham Thorpe, the 33-year-old enjoyed a third wicket stand of 241 in 57 overs. But when he had made just 21, Mark Ramprakash was hit on the inside of his left knee by Chris Cairns. For brief moment it seemed as though he might have to retire, but following some attention he pressed on with such ease that the incident was soon forgotten.

Ramprakash went to his fifty in 107 deliveries in the 42nd over and three overs later Thorpe reached his half-century off one ball less.

The former Middlesex man came close to being run out on 98 after Graham Thorpe, who had flicked MacGill to Welton at square leg, sent him back. But a majestic cover drive from Mark Ramprakash soon brought up the 200 partnership, which he followed by reaching three-figures with his eighteenth boundary off 178 balls.

Ramprakash then celebrated reaching his century with three fours, followed by a straight six off Stuart MacGill.

Other than top edging a couple of pull strokes, Thorpe’s progress was untroubled until he got into the nineties, whereupon the runs seemed to dry up for the left-hander. 220 minutes after arriving at the crease with Surrey 41 for 2, the 34-year-old chased a wide ball and was caught behind for 99 on the occasion of his 300th first-class appearance.

Rikki Clarke, Alistair Brown and Azhar Mahmood added to the entertainment with brief cameos as Surrey’s next four wickets put on a further 175 in thirty-two overs.

Earlier in the day, the home side won the toss and elected to bat on a hard straw-coloured pitch. Ian Ward and Jonathan Batty got the defending champions off to a positive start before Batty failed to handle a ball that rose sharply and was caught at throat height by Warren at first slip. Ward went in the next over, the tenth, when he attempted to follow up a crunching cover drive with a pull to leg. However, the 30-year-old left-hander only succeeded in getting a bottom edge on to his stumps.

Other than Stuart MacGill, Nottinghamshire’s bowlers performed manfully in the energy-sapping heat. Greg Smith was by far the most dangerous and, in the circumstances the tall left-arm seamer, should have been employed more. Charlie Shreck came back well after an expensive opening spell. Paul Franks bowled with consistent nip, which was finally rewarded with two wickets in two balls when Alistair Brown edged a cut to Chris Read and Adam Hollioake obliged by performing an action reply. The Notts skipper Chris Cairns did not shirk his responsibilities, but suffered somewhat from overstepping, which he did a total of seven times in 22 overs.

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