On a day of wavering fortunes for both sides, a gem of an innings by Rikki Clarke rescued Surrey’s hopes of claiming second place in the County Championship. Clarke, who missed the Ovalites’ emphatic 147-run win over Lancashire at Old Trafford two weeks ago for disciplinary reasons, answered his critics, who had questioned his call up to this winter's England Academy, by making one of the fastest hundreds of the season.

For a batsman of such high promise, 2004 has been a disappointing year for the 22-year-old. But his 112 off 90 balls, which included 18 fours and three sixes, will live long in the memories of everyone at Eaton Road yesterday. Whether it will prove sufficient to keep the Oval outfit in the hunt for the runners-up spot remains to be seen, not least because much depends on the outcome of Middlesex’s visit to Canterbury, where Kent have a handy advantage at the end of day one.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, Surrey soon found themselves at 14 for four, with James Kirtley claiming three of the wickets to fall in the opening nine overs. Had it not been for Clarke, the game could have been beyond the visitors’ reach after the first session, which simply overflowed with action.

Scott Newman was bowled off his pads fourth ball and Richard Clinton was pinned on the crease. Mark Butcher, who could have been caught behind off Kirtley, then edged a back foot drive to give Jason Lewry his first success before Mark Ramprakash fell victim to a ball that moved away lavishly.

Alistair Brown kicked-started the Surrey innings with some uninhibited aggression until his skipper played indeterminately at Lewry. Thereafter, Rikki Clarke took centre stage. It cannot be often that Brown has played second fiddle, but after being dropped at point on three, Clarke struck nine boundaries in less than four overs – including a quartet in the final over of Martin-Jenkins’s solitary spell – and brought up his half-century in just 31 deliveries courtesy of his tenth.

Brown and Clarke added 82 in thirteen electrifying overs, but Sussex were probably the happier of the two teams going into the interval after the former – who passed 1,000 first-class runs for the season – attempted to club his first boundary off Mushtaq Ahmed and perished at deep mid-off.

Either side of lunch Martin Bicknell filled the void created by Brown’s departure, partnering Clarke for fifteen overs in which the Surrey pair put on 86 for the seventh wicket. Clarke struck three sixes. The first came off the penultimate ball before the break, when he pulled Yardy over the rope. The other two, both slog sweeps off Mushtaq, respectively brought up the first batting point and the batsman’s 2,000th run in first-class cricket.

Clarke was bowled off a bottom edge moments later. Bicknell, who made 40 off 76 balls, was caught inches off the ground at mid-wicket. Murtagh went to a lofted catch at mid-off and Ormond drove Mark Davis to mid-wicket to give the off-spinner attractive figures of three for 26.

Michael Yardy then benefited from the last minute omission of Ian Ward, who was reported to be “unwell”, by making an unbeaten 69. The 23-year-old left-hander opened his account by angling two fours to third man in the first over of the Sussex innings and, whilst not dominating, looks to have his sights set on surpassing his career best, which he set against Surrey in 2002.

Richard Montgomerie was lbw pushing forward, though not before passing 1,000 first-class runs for the season, and Tony Cottey was brilliantly caught low down and to the left of second slip. Yardy and Goodwin then dug in to frustrate the visitors by adding 53 for the third wicket, but the pendulum swung back towards the visitors when Murray Goodwin was adjudged leg before to Nayan Doshi in the final over of an intriguing first day’s play.

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