Khan and Edwards bag two apiece but Surrey dig in on day one in Canterbury

Kent v Surrey LV County Championship Division 2, Day one. Canterbury
By Mark Pennell
SURREY stalwart Jonathan Batty missed out on his maiden first-class century for the summer by four runs as the Brown Caps“ batsmen dominated a dour first day“s championship play at Canterbury.
Wicketkeeper and Surrey beneficiary Batty occupied the crease for four-and-a-half hours in compiling 96 from 237 balls as Surrey posted 261 for four against Division 2 leaders Kent.
Batting first after Surrey skipper Stewart Walters won the toss just before the delayed noon start, Batty joined forces with opening partner Michael Brown (88) to add 171 for the first wicket.
Though Kent fielded a weakened attack Surrey“s top six batsmen all played within themselves on a docile pitch during a dour day“s cricket that produced a scoring rate of less than three-an-over.
The visitors limped to 73 without loss by lunch, but both openers continued after the break to reach stoic half-centuries, Batty“s from 124 balls and Brown“s from 139 balls, in the process they scored only 17 boundaries between them.
Kent finally made their first breakthrough at 4.30pm when Brown, fencing at a lifting ball from Amjad Khan, nicked to wicketkeeper Geraint Jones.
Three balls later Khan, bending his back again, had Walters pushing outside off at another steepling delivery that found a thick edge to be well held by Darren Stevens in the gulley.
Third-wicket partners Batty and Mark Ramprakash added a further 60 before Batty pushed down the line of off-stump to rookie Kent seamer Phil Edwards to nick to his counterpart Jones.
Edwards, a product of the Kent Academy, struck again six balls later when he had Usman Afzaal (3) caught low down by a diving Jones to make it 239 for four.
Ramprakash, with a measured 41 from 83 balls, and Matt Spriegel (9) made it through to stumps thereafter as the home attack continued to lack any sustained threat.
Kent made five changes to the side that beat the Brown Caps on Thursday evening. In came Rob Key, Martin van Jaarsveld, Justin Kemp, Amjad Khan and Simon Cook at the expense of Matt Coles, James Goodman, Rob Ferley, James Hockley and Azhar Mahmood. Joe Denly was also absent on England duty and Wayne Parnell has returned home to South Africa.
With injuries to Martin Saggers and Robbie Joseph, skipper Key gave a championship debut to all-rounder Alex Blake and gave another run out to rookie seamer Edwards.