WHEN Jon Batty clipped his twentieth four through mid-wicket to reach his hundred just after tea, Mark Ramprakash embraced him. Batty had been the flashing blade to Ramprakash’s restrained play — captain and vice-captain in alliance — in an unbroken stand of 214 in 54 overs that put Surrey in control and could have deep significance for the rest of the season.

Ramprakash might be one of those who felt that he could have captained Surrey when Adam Hollioake stood down. If this partnership, in which both men completed their first championship hundreds of the season, helps to strengthen bonds in the team, it will be worth more than runs alone.

Ramprakash had already reached his 68th first-class hundred, his seventeenth for Surrey and fifth against Kent, anchoring the innings after a start to have the dressing-room sweating again.

Surrey won for the first time this season against Essex on Sunday in the totesport League, but at one for two after four overs and with Mohammad Sami and Martin Saggers champing at the bit, it did not look as if they had turned a corner. Kent, the championship leaders, smelt blood. Batty dropped himself down the order and Nadeem Shahid came into the team as opener. He did not last long, edging Sami to one of two gullies in the third over.

Scott Newman, Surrey’s leading scorer this season, was unlucky to be judged leg-before in the next over to one from Saggers that swung back in to the left-hander. But Kent’s second-string seamers were wayward and, as Ramprakash averages a hundred every five first-class games, it was no surprise that he should score his first of the season, (not including his century against Oxford UCCE) in his sixth championship game. It came off 185 balls.

Rikki Clarke proved a temporary partner. Dropped on 20 by Amjad Khan off his own bowling, he was out just before lunch edging to second slip.

Batty faced one torrid spell against Sami in the afternoon, but once through that he took the other bowlers apart. Particularly strong square of the wicket, it should have been his undoing on 87 when he uppercut Sami straight to Michael Carberry at backward point, but the chance was spilt. Batty completed his seventh first-class hundred after tea off 145 balls, the last 69 off 61 balls. But after initially refusing the bad light he was quick to leave the field when the ball was thrown to Sami in the gloom.