Surrey fight back – Day Two Report

Surrey 303 for 6 v Kent 408

Jason Roy celebrated his 24^thbirthday by hitting an aggressive 84 off 115 balls to keep Surrey afloat on a thoroughly entertaining second day of cut and thrust LV= County Championship cricket on a pacy pitch at Guildford.

Roy was joined in a sixth wicket stand of 121 in 30 overs by Gary Wilson as the pair led a Surrey recovery from 105 for five to 303 for six in reply to Kent’s first innings 408.

Wilson then moved on to a determined unbeaten 80, from 140 balls, in a punchy seventh wicket partnership with Gareth Batty which, in the final hour, boosted Surrey by a further 77 in 14 overs. Batty is 24 not out, but the second new ball will be immediately available for Kent at the start of day three in this excellent Division Two contest.

For Kent, the 20-year-old seamer Charlie Hartley stood out with the wickets of Roy and Vikram Solanki in just his second championship appearance, while Calum Haggett also impressed in his first match of the season – following a long absence with a side injury.

The two other members of a seam quartet, Mitch Claydon and Darren Stevens, toiled away on a hot day without much luck – although Stevens did strike twice with the new ball to remove Surrey openers Zafar Ansari and Rory Burns.

Ansari, on 5, was superbly held by Ben Harmison at first slip, diving to his right, and Burns had made only 8 when he flicked an inswinger off his pads and straight to Claydon on the deep square leg boundary.

That left Surrey 31 for two at lunch, and the afternoon session also went badly for them initially as Tillakaratne Dilshan was leg-before to a Haggett nip-backer on 5, Solanki fell for 25 to a fine second slip catch by Adam Riley and Steven Davies was run out for 33.

Davies, indeed, could have gone for three when he edged Claydon through the diving Riley’s fingertips at second slip, but he was going well when Roy sent him back, following a push into the offside and a call for a quick single, and Sam Northeast’s throw to wicketkeeper Sam Billings sealed his fate.

When Riley was given an over just before tea – the off spinner bowled just four overs all day as Kent plugged away with their seamers – Roy drove him down the ground for four and then pulled the next ball out of the ground for six.

In all, there were ten fours and that six in Roy’s innings, which ended when Hartley won an lbw appeal two balls after he had had another impassioned appeal turned down. It was fair reward for the bowler, although Roy trooped off to applause from a good-sized crowd clearly disappointed to have missed out on a hundred on his birthday.

In his last six championship innings, however, Roy has scored 470 runs and 740 overall at an average of 52.85. In addition, he is the leading run-getter in the NatWest T20 Blast, with 546 at 49.63 and an explosive strike rate. Last year, in the championship, he made just 49 runs at 8.16 in only four appearances; it has been some transformation.

Kent, 351 for seven overnight, claimed maximum batting bonus points as Billings, who resumed on 57, added 62 for the eighth wicket with Claydon, who contributed a forthright 35 before being athletically caught at long off by a sprawling Matt Dunn.

Billings was left 82 not out, from 145 balls and with 13 fours, when Stuart Meaker dismissed Hartley, who edged to second slip, and Riley, comprehensively bowled, for ducks with successive ballsto finish with 4 for 106.

Solanki believes the result of this match will be determined in the opening exchanges on Tuesday.

He said: "The first hour tomorrow will set up this match. The second new ball is due and there is still something in the pitch for the seamers. We need to get as close to Kent's 408 as we can, but there is a lot of cricket left in this game and it has been good cricket so far.

"Jason Roy and Gary Wilson have been outstanding for us this season, and they both did it again today with a crucial partnership. Then, after Jason got out, Gary and Gareth Batty put together another important stand for us."