Kent’s batsmen worked hard to see them into a decent position at stumps on the first day of their Championship game against Surrey at Guildford.

Sam Northeast and Sam Billings both passed fifty as Kent closed the first day on 351-7, not a bad score at all having been inserted by Surrey on a relatively green surface at the outground of Guildford Cricket Club.

Northeast continued his impressive recent form as he top-scored for his side with 91, while Billings posted his second half-century of the Championship season with an unbeaten 57, batting out the entirety of the evening session in the process.

It was partnerships that were the key to Kent’s success, with five of them worth 50 or more as the batsmen came together to accumulate runs throughout the day.

Both Surrey and Kent are pushing hard for promotion from LV= County Championship Division Two, and a positive result for either of them in this game would go a long way to further enhancing their hopes of playing Division One cricket next season.

With just one day gone, the result is still well and truly in the balance, although Kent will have taken heart from their batsmen’s efforts so far.

After losing the toss and being invited to bat by Surrey skipper Gary Wilson, Kent saw themselves three batsmen down after the morning session despite only having lost two wickets.

Captain Rob Key was struck in the groin region by the very first delivery he faced in the day’s opening over, as Matt Dunn got one to nip back in towards him. He struggled on in some discomfort for a while, making 2 from 17 balls before he left the field, retired hurt, after just seven overs of the Kent innings, and was reported to have been taken to hospital by the time the lunch break came around.

Key’s opening partner Daniel Bell-Drummond made 15 before edging Stuart Meaker to Vikram Solanki at first slip, bringing Brendan Nash to the crease to join Ben Harmison, who had come to the middle when his captain left the field.

Harmison and Nash added 69 together in what would prove to be the day’s biggest partnership, helping to put their side in control in relatively bowler-friendly conditions, before former-West Indian international Nash fell when he looked well set, shortly before the lunch break.

He was dismissed by the very first spin delivery of the day; attempting to sweep the wily Gareth Batty, only to overbalance and find himself the victim of a smart stumping by Surrey’s wicket-keeper captain Wilson.

Nash’s innings of 38 had helped Kent to enjoy the best of the morning session, however, as they lunched on 115-2.

The visitors continued to make progress going into the afternoon, with Harmison and 24-year-old Northeast, batting at number five as he did against Leicestershire in Kent’s last four-day game, adding 31 runs in the first five overs of the afternoon.

Harmison had batted patiently and calmly, but saw himself fall two short of what would have been a deserved half-century when he was bowled by Dunn for a 111-ball 48, leaving Kent 167-3.

Darren Stevens made 34, putting on 63 with Northeast as the pace slowed a little during the afternoon; Dunn bowling an impressive spell which the batsmen did well to negotiate for the most part. All-rounder Stevens was Kent’s second wicket to fall in the afternoon, however, as he was removed by Meaker shortly before tea, which Kent reached at 236-4, Northeast already having passed 50 by this stage.

The in-form Kent vice-captain, who hit a century in the side’s winning chase at Leicestershire last time out, pushed on into the evening session, and looked set to make it consecutive three-figure scores in four-day cricket, but it was not to be.

He was trapped lbw by the swinging medium pace of Jason Roy for a superb 91; a 153-ball innings that had featured 12 fours.

His dismissal saw Rob Key return to the crease, although the skipper still looked far from comfortable in the middle, and added just five more runs to the two he had scored in the morning before he was trapped lbw by the left-arm spin of Zafar Ansari.

Calum Haggett, making his return from injury and his first appearance of the season for Kent, had replaced Adam Ball in the only change to the side that won at Leicestershire, and he was the next man to join Billings.

The pair added the fifth half-century partnership of the Kent innings, with Billings himself passing 50 as well; the wicket-keeper looking in good touch and finding the boundary regularly, especially after Surrey had taken the new ball; bringing up his landmark from 83 balls with nine boundaries.

Haggett was the last wicket to fall before stumps when he edged behind the metronomically consistent Tim Linley for 15 just over three overs before the close. Mitch Claydon helped Billings to see Kent through without further loss; the score 351-7 by the time stumps were drawn, with Kent already having secured four bonus points for their batting efforts so far.

They will be hoping to add further runs in the morning before making inroads into the Surrey batting line-up tomorrow, as they look to take full control of this vital Championship game.

 

Stumps, day one: Surrey vs. Kent, LV=County Championship Division Two, Woodbridge Road, Guildford, 20-23 July 2014:

Kent 351-7 (Northeast 91, Billings 57 not out, Harmison 48; Meaker 2-87) after 96 overs

 

Surrey: Burns, Ansari, Solanki, Dilshan, Davies, Roy, Wilson*†, Batty, Meaker, Linley, Dunn

Kent: Bell-Drummond, Key*, Harmison, Nash, Northeast, Stevens, Billings†, Haggett, Claydon, Hartley, Riley

Surrey won the toss and elected to bowl

Bonus points: Surrey 2, Kent 4

 

Full scorecard available here

 

Pictures supplied by www.sarahansellphotography.com