WHITGIFT SCHOOL: day one of four: Somerset won toss

Surrey 280-7 (S.A. Newman 84, J. G. E. Benning 69) v Somerset

Lunch

Mark Ramprakash will have to wait a while longer for his 100th first-class century. The former England batsman was out for just 17 after Surrey were put in on a sporting pitch at Whitgift School.

Off the mark first ball with a single to long leg, he batted for just over an hour and had driven two fours in an over from Steffan Jones when, in the next over from Charl Willoughby, he edged a ball that moved away fractionally and was caught at the wicket. The one batsman to excel was Scott Newman, who drove with a flourish in making an unbeaten 46. Matthew Spriegal, who was making his championship debut, showed signs of promise in reaching 22 before he edged Ben Phillips to first slip.

Tea

An unbeaten half century by James Benning, following Scott Newman's aggressive innings of 84, enabled Surrey to repel Somerset's pace-dominated attack on a school pitch with a ridge or, perhaps, damp patch at one end.

Newman, who reached his half century with a characteristically fierce square driven four off Alfonso Thomas, was finally leg before to a ball from the same bowler that kept low. He struck 16 fours and faced 137 balls in all.

Of the other batsmen, Mark Butcher was caught and bowled by Ben Phillips in his follow through and Usman Afzaal was nicely picked up low down by Justin Langer at first slip, also off the bowling of Phillips. Benning, though, opted to go for his shots in the manner of Newman earlier in the day, and had struck ten fours by the tea interval.

Close

James Benning, who had made 55 at tea, had reached 69 when he charged down the pitch to Ian Blackwell's left arm spin, missed and was stumped. He had faced 102 balls and hit 11 fours.

There were useful runs, too, from Jon Batty, who was unbeaten with 28 when bad light curtailed play with a quarter of an hour remaining, and from Matt Nicholson, whose 36 came through flinging the bat at the ball and surviving a relatively straightforward chance to mid on. Surrey would have been content with the runs they added after tea, for the ball was turning, as Saqlain Mushtaq would have noted during his brief unbeaten innings.

A decent crowd at one of the two festival grounds used by Surrey was swelled by a number of famous old cricketers including Micky Stewart, Geoff Arnold, Roger Knight, David Ward and Roger Harman.