Middle-order runs frustrated Kent after they had made a good start with the ball on a positive first day against Surrey.
Having been asked to field, Adam Riley was the pick of the bowlers for the home side, taking 4-77, after the seamers had reduced Surrey to 32-3 at one stage during the morning.
However, decent contributions from Jason Roy and Zafar Ansari, amongst others, meant honours were about even come the close of play on the opening day.
Kent made one change to the side that had started their previous Championship game against Leicestershire, as Adam Ball, who hit 121 for the 2nd XI last week, replaced Robbie Joseph.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat, Surrey found the going tough early on, as Doug Bollinger and Mitch Claydon bowled economically and probingly, so much so that the first five overs were all maidens.
Surrey captain Graeme Smith, who recently stepped down from his role of captain of the South African national team, was the first man to go, trapped lbw by Bollinger having played and missed a number of times.
Dominic Sibley came in at three and made 10 before edging Ball to Stevens in the slips, before the all-rounder picked up a wicket of his own in the next over, trapping Rory Burns lbw for 12; the 23-year-old having been struggling against Stevens bowling for a couple of overs.
With their side reduced to 32-3, Zafar Ansari and Steve Davies came together and steered the visitors through to lunch with the score at 64. The morning session was certainly Kent’s, although it could have been an even better one for them with two catches put down in the slips.
Ansari and Davies continued to make progress together into the afternoon session, and had added 71 for the fourth wicket when Davies, on 31, attempted to drive Adam Riley over the top, only to send a simple catch straight to Ben Harmison at cover.
Riley then also removed Ansari as the spinner took an excellent low catch off his own bowling; the Surrey all-rounder falling two short of a half-century. Ansari’s knock was an important one for his side, the visitors having been in trouble when he came to the crease.
Jason Roy and Arun Harinath took their side through to tea on 162-5, and Roy went on to make his highest First Class score since July 2012 in the final session of the day. He had made 60 when he became Riley’s third victim of the day, bowled around his legs attempting to sweep.
By the time Kent had taken the new ball on 80 overs, the visitors had reached 228-6, but in the second over with the new cherry, Claydon picked up his first wicket of the day, Harinath (33) driving straight to Brendan Nash at point.
Aneesh Kapil (38), making his first appearance for the Surrey first team, added 31 for the eighth wicket with Stuart Meaker, before charging down the pitch and missing the ball completely to be stumped by Sam Billings, giving Riley his fourth wicket of the day.
Meaker and Matthew Dunn were able to see the visitors through to the close of play, by which point they had moved the score onto 276-8.
With only Jade Dernbach still waiting to bat, Kent will be hoping to pick up the final two wickets early in the morning and get on with overhauling the visitors’ first innings score.
Stumps, day one: Kent vs. Surrey, LV= County Championship Division Two, The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence, Canterbury, 4-7 May 2014:
Surrey 276-8 (Roy 60, Ansari 48, Riley 4-77) after 96 overs against Kent
Kent: Northeast, Key*, Bell-Drummond, Nash, Harmison, Stevens, Billings†, Ball, Claydon, Bollinger, Riley.
Surrey: Smith: Burns, Smith*, Sibley, Ansari, Davies†, Roy, Harinath, Kapil, Meaker, Dunn, Dernbach.
Surrey won the toss and elected to bat.
Bonus points: Kent 2, Surrey 2
Full scorecard available here
Bottom picture supplied by www.sarahansellphotography.com