Surrey pile on the pain for Kent as the hosts look to enhance their position at the top

Surrey hit their highest ever score against Kent by raking up 673 before the hosts declared their first innings. Four players made centuries with Sam Curran reaching his highest ever score for the county and Ben Geddes on championship debut also reaching the milestone off three figures.

By the close, Kent had reached 147-2 with their hopes of saving the game in the hands of Daniel Bell-Drummond and skipper Jack Leaning.

Surrey resumed on 445-5 after centuries yesterday from both Hashim Amla and Ben Geddes with his first championship century of the season. Sam Curran was unbeaten on 53 overnight with the hosts looking to push past 500, after Jamie Smith fell to what turned out to be the last ball of the day.

Will Jacks walked out to the middle with Curran at the start of the second day and steadily started to out score his partner. The pair feasted on some poor bowling from the visitors with Jacks bringing up his half century off 48 balls including ten fours.

In the same over bowled by South African all rounder George Linde, Curran posted his first hundred in any form of the game by hitting a maximum into the pavilion, with the all rounder doing a celebration dance, much to the delight of the crowd.

His first ever century came off 64 balls with twelve fours and three sixes. At the end of the over Curran’s celebrations were briefly cut short when the players were forced of the field of play by a light shower at 12.03.

When the players returned after a short break of twenty minutes, there was still no rest bite for the Kent attack. Curran smashed New Zealand quick bowler Jacob Duffy for 18 off four deliveries with Duffy among many bowlers carted around the Kia Oval. After 21 overs the New Zealander had gone for 145 runs without taking a wicket.

The visitors finally had something to cheer about when Curran(126) holed out into the deep off slow left armer George Linde. Curran’s knock came off 75 balls including 15 fours and five sixes.

Kent, who are really struggling this season having conceded a hat full of runs with the lowest total conceded 430 along with 500 runs leaked in five out of six games, went into this match with five players injured including key player Darren Stevens.

By lunch the Kent attack had been plundered for 190 runs in the session, with Jacks unbeaten on 77 and Gus Atkinson 30, with the hosts lunching on 635-6.

Shortly after lunch, Surrey lost their seventh wicket of the innings when Atkinson(42) drove Jack Leaning straight to cover- one of eight bowlers used by the visitors.

There was still time for the hosts to add further misery for the Kent attack with Jacks becoming the fourth centurion in the innings by hitting successive cover driven boundaries, the last of which brought up his century which came off 92 balls including 18 fours, at which point Surrey declared their innings on 673-7, a record score against Kent which beat their 671-9 declared against Kent at Beckenham back in May in a game that featured no centurions.

Kent soon found themselves in trouble in the fourth over of the day when Ben Compton(4) was bowled by Curran.

Daniel Bell-Drummond joined Joe Denly in the middle with the pair taking the score to 45-1, when rain drove players from the field of play at 3 pm.

The clouds were closing in and the rain getting heavier, but eventually after a delay of over an hour play resumed.

Joe Denly made 38 before being bowled by Dan Worral to leave Kent 55-2. It was down to Daniel Bell- Drummond and Jack Leaning to see the visitors to safety at the close, as the visitors reached 147-2 with Bell- Drummond 62 not out.

Surrey      Kent

Surrey 673-7 declared  Kent 147-2

LV=County Championship Day Two Monday 27^th June 2022

Peter Moore  at the Kia Oval

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