Surrey v Kent (day two)

Kent slipped to the bottom of the LV County Championship first division table and appear to be coming second best in most departments of this match in Kennington where they limped to 235-7 at the mid-point of their four-day clash with Surrey.

Despite seemingly ideal batting conditions at The Brit Oval, Kent were making heavy weather of their reply to Surrey’s total of 397 all out.

Having seen the hosts potter along at a scoring rate of 2.9 an over, Kent took an ultra positive approach to their first innings and paid the price for an early run-rate of 4.7 an over by losing a rash of wickets.

Thankfully for Kent fans of a nervous disposition, vice captain Martin van Jaarsveld was not in the mood to toss his wicket away and the South African’s dogged 136-ball stay for an unbeaten 95 at least gave Kent hope of reaching 248 to avoid the follow-on.

By stumps van Jaarsveld had hit 12 fours and formed an eighth-wicket stand with fellow Kolpak signing Ryan McLaren (25) that has so far added 50.

Kent were seemingly stuck in Twenty20 attack mode at the start of their reply as young opener Joe Denly cracked five fours during his 32-ball stay worth 26 before falling into a trap laid by home skipper Mark Ramprakash and bowler Jade Dernbach.

Unable to resist a tempting bouncer, Denly’s hook shot merely picked out the man placed at deep square leg, Usman Afzaal, who took a good low catch looking into the sun.

Left-hander James Tredwell, still preferred at No3, survived a huge shout for leg before to his first ball from Pedro Collins, but a fourth ball off-cutter sent him packing once umpire Jeff Evans raised his finger to uphold the lbw appeal, and at 37-2 Kent were on the ropes.

The situation became even more parlous in the 16th over when Key (24), only half forward to an in-ducker from Abdul Razzaq, was given leg before by umpire Rob Bailey despite the hint of an inside edge.

Darren Stevens, as is his wont, looked completely at home in reaching 22 but, soon after taking off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq for two successive boundaries, the right-hander steered a turning ball into the hands of Matt Spriegel at short leg to make it 109-4.

Three more went after tea, Justin Kemp (8) working to leg against Saqlain to go leg before, Geraint Jones (12) wafted airily to edge through to Jonathan Batty off Razzaq then Yasir Arafat (14) was sharply caught low down at silly point, again off Saqlain.

Arafat may yet find himself in hot water for dissent after loitering at the crease having been given out by umpire Bailey.

Earlier, a stoic, unbeaten 136 from Surrey wicketkeeper Jonathan Batty was the highlight of Surrey's first innings.

Batty's dogged performance ensured that the hosts moved above Kent in the table after setting a testing total. Their only down point being that Batty took so long that they ultimately missed out on maximum batting bonus points.

Resuming on their overnight score of 251-4, the Browncaps lost two wickets inside the opening 20 minutes of Monday's play but rallied through their wicketkeeper-batsman to almost reach 400.

They started the day at the gallop when Ali Brown clattered the fist two balls of a bright morning for four as Robbie Joseph made a tardy start from the Pavilion End.

However, Kent's Antigua-born pace bowler soon had his revenge by removing Brown (19) in his next over, the third of the day, when the right-hander nicked to slip for van Jaarsveld to take the catch.

In his next over Joseph struck again by having Razzaq caught behind by Jones off a thin edge as the Pakistan batsman tried to withdraw the bat from a timid back-foot defensive shot.

Joseph, with his dander up, was generating good pace and bounce from a white, sun-baked pitch to make Surrey's No8 Chris Schofield look truly uncomfortable in the early exchanges. As a result Key went on the attack with three slips, two gulleys and a shot-leg to support his spearhead bowler.

From the Vauxhall End McLaren was getting the ball to move around through the air and a dipping short ball deceived Jones and flew away for four byes to raise Surrey's 300 and take Kent's shameful extras tally beyond 50.

Schofield survived Joseph's onslaught and finally, after almost an hour, Joseph gave way to Tredwell.

Both Batty and Schofield used their feet to attack Kent's off-spinner and a straight six from Batty took him into the 90s and broke a slat on the Pavilion sightscreen.

Yet later in the over Schofield (16) pushed at one that turned and bounced to be caught by Jones stood up to the stumps and end a stand that added 49 in 12 overs.

In Tredwell's next over Batty turned a single to mid-wicket to reach his first century of the summer, his second against Kent and the 17th of his career from 293 balls with 10 fours and a six. It took him six-and-a-quarter hours.

After the lunch interval Tredwell hit back, having Saqlain (23) caught at short leg off a looping bat-pad chance, then Dernbach’s attempted slog sweep skied high to Jones to send him packing for 13.

Last man Collins went leg before to his second ball to Martin Saggers leaving Batty unbeaten on 136 after a mammoth seven hour and 25 minute stay.

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