Honours were even at Beckenham’s County Ground on day two of this LVCC match as bad light suspended and then ended the day’s play early.

The game ebbed and flowed throughout with Surrey ending the day the happier having batted throughout the day ending with a rearguard action that has earned them an unexpected two batting points.

Starting the day at 17/1 it was the hosts Kent who started the better and had the visitors chasing the game with the score at 95/4 at lunch. Matt Coles was first to strike as he bowled around the wicket to Burns who could only edge the ball to wicket-keeper Sam Billings – Burns out for 18 and Surrey 32/2.

New batsman and Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara arrived at the crease, in turn representing a top four (including night watchman Dunn) who are all unusually left-handers, and soon hit Coles for a boundary – Soon surviving a muted appeal for LBW off Ivan Thomas’ bowling.

Nightwatchman Dunn brought about Surrey’s fifty off Thomas’ bowling but he was not to be denied as Dunn (10) soon saw his off stump removed – Surrey reduced to 52-3 which soon became 52-4 as Sangakkara (10) skied a Stevens’ delivery high over Calum Haggett at mid-off who took a fine catch.

Surrey were wobbling but in Davies they had a way out – Davies currently averaging over 100 for the season. Both Davies and Sibley stabilised the visitors and saw the session through to lunch at 95/4.

Haggett and Thomas made life difficult for their visitors just after lunch with Surrey bringing up their hundred in the fifth over the session – Good disciplined bowling from the Kent side.

Haggett’s spell after lunch almost ended up with a wicket. The all-rounder appeared to have Davies LBW but the umpire was unmoved indicating not out – TV replays suggest Haggett was extremely unlucky with perhaps his round the wicket action and subsequent angle of delivery in the umpires mind.

Kent’s bowling proved to be well drilled as the batting side struggled to score runs and the pressure soon told as Adam Riley got the breakthrough. Davies (45) played a loose shot wide of off-stump and was caught by Haggett at Point with Surrey on 128/5.

New batsman Jason Roy gave Kent hope early on as he edged Coles through a vacant 4^th/5^th slip and moments later playing a loose shot off Riley with captain Sam Northeast so close to taking a catch low to his right and Roy’s partner Sibley then offered Kent chances as he wafted at a Coles delivery then went for a big shot off Riley’s bowling – The ball going high on the off-side and with Joe Denly chasing it, he got a hand to it but couldn’t hold onto the ball – An extremely tough chance for Denly to take, running away from the square having to watch the ball over his shoulder all the way.

Kent weren’t to be denied for long as Northeast’s bowling change provided instant success as Darren Stevens and Bell-Drummond combining to see off Roy (16) whose false shot saw the catch neatly taken at mid-on (155/6) with the Kent legend at it again seeing off Sibley (41) with a regulation catch taken by Riley at 2^nd slip – Surrey were now 170/7 and reeling.

Shortly before the tea-break Denly was once again unlucky getting his hand to a ball low to his right off Stevens’, the visitors seeing off the final embers of the session to reach 180/7 at tea, still 102 runs adrift.

With Coles and Thomas keen to get hold of the new ball Kent saw Gary Wilson edge through a vacant 4^th slip area, in turn bringing up the visitors 200 and a batting point, and then skied a Denly delivery high into the sky but his miscued and mistimed effort fell safely despite Bell-Drummond’s efforts to take the catch.

With the new ball taken Coles took only three balls to strike as Billings caught Wilson’s (42) edged effort ending a 55-run partnership with Gareth Batty (225/8) with Thomas unlucky at the other end with his partner in crime Coles unable to hold onto the ball at 2^nd slip in the following over.

As the day reached a close Coles was left frustrated once again as the umpire turned down his LBW appeal after seemingly trapping Batty in his crease – Again the TV replay suggesting the bowler Coles was unlucky.

At the end of the over the umpires convened and at the end of the next over from Thomas, where Surrey had managed to muster a second batting point, the players left the field as bad light brought about a suspension in proceedings – However the light never improved and the umpires ended the days play with Surrey on 250/8 – 32 runs adrift of the hosts.

A day where Kent had the better of it early on but Surrey ending the day with their tails up and with this game at the half-way stage it’s all to play for. Kent will be looking to sweep up the Surrey innings quickly in the morning and build a score capable of winning the game.

 

Close of play day two: Kent vs Surrey, LV= County Championship Division Two, The County Ground, Beckenham, 24-27 May 2015:

Kent 282 all out (Key 89, Northeast 73; Curran 3/64, Dunn 3/65), Surrey 250/8 (Davies 45; Stevens 3/47, Coles 3/58). 

Kent 2 points, Surrey 3 points. 

Kent: Bell-Drummond, Denly, Key, Northeast*, Cowdrey, Stevens, Billings†, Haggett, Coles, Riley, Thomas.

Surrey side: Burns, Ansari, Sangakkara, Sibley, Davies, Roy, Wilson, Batty, Curran, Dunn, Fletcher.

Kent won the toss and elected to bat.

Pictures supplied by David Cross.