Jamie Smith, with a majestic 166, has now scored a century in each of Surrey’s opening two Rothesay County Championship matches, while Ollie Pope produced a brilliant 103 as Surrey piled up 412 for six against Leicestershire in front of a 5,000-plus day one crowd at the Kia Oval.
Smith and Pope put on exactly 200 for the third wicket, after Leicestershire had decided to bowl first on a green-looking pitch and initially reduced Surrey to 42 for two.
Pope’s hundred, the 25th of his first-class career, was more of a workmanlike affair as he looked to spend time at the crease following two low scores in Surrey’s high-scoring draw at Warwickshire in the season’s opener last week.
Smith carried on from Birmingham and looked in prime touch throughout his high-class innings after making a six-hour 132 on the final day against Warwickshire last Monday. Overall, he faced 240 balls and struck 19 fours and two sixes before edging seamer Ben Green to slip seven overs before stumps.
Smith has been handed a new No 3 specialist bat role by Surrey this summer, seeing Smith’s powerful stroke-making as a key asset in their top order as they start a quest to reclaim the championship after being pipped to a fourth successive title by Nottinghamshire last September.
Dan Lawrence briefly enjoyed himself with a 36-ball cameo of 31, smashing New Zealand Test spinner Ajaz Patel straight for six from the second ball he faced, and also swinging Green over the deep mid-wicket ropes before chopping on against Rehan Ahmed’s leg spin.
Ben Foakes, meanwhile, also showed he is in fine form with the bat, unfurling some lovely strokes in a poised unbeaten 62 to follow up scores of 128 and 36 not out against Warwickshire and add a further 105 with Smith.
Leicestershire, who won promotion from Division Two last year, simply struggled to contain the commanding Smith and a busy Pope once they came together in the 15th over.
That followed Dom Sibley’s second-over departure, leg-before for four to an inswinger from left-arm paceman Josh Hull, and Rory Burns chipping Tom Scriven’s medium pace to mid on after a largely untroubled cruise to 24.
Pope finally fell in the 60th over, caught behind pushing at one tossed up by slow left-armer Patel, and by the end of a long day in the field Leicestershire – who lost by 222 runs to Sussex last week on their return to the top flight – are certainly up against it once more.
