Surrey batsmen continue to toil as Kent edge toward victory

Kent v Surrey LV County Championship Division 2, Day four. Canterbury.
By Mark Pennell
KENT were being made to work harder for their wickets at St Lawrence on Bank Holiday Monday when Surrey“s back-to-the-wall batting effort continued to frustrate Rob Key“s side.
The visitors went in at lunch on 221 for seven after 77 overs, representing an overall match lead of 127 with only two sessions of this top-versus-bottom game to go.
Surrey lost only two wickets in the morning session, that of Chris Schofield for a battling 36 then Jade Dernbach who chipped in with 16 in a dour 68-minute stay.
Pushing inside the line of one from Amjad Khan, the left-handed Schofield had the top of off stump grazed by one that appeared to seam down the St Lawrence slope to make it 163 for six.
Key rang the bowling changes using five bowlers in all and off-spinner James Tredwell from both ends, but seventh wicket partners Stuart Meaker and Dernbach refused to be budged in adding 45 in 19 overs.
It took a lifting delivery from Justin Kemp to finally dislodge Dernbach, unable to keep the ball down it flew off the splice of the bat to Darren Stevens who pocketed a simple catch at backward point.
With Mark Ramprakash unable to bat with a broken thumb, Kent will have to take two more Surrey wickets and knock off the required runs if they are to achieve their seventh win of the division two campaign.