Runs galore for Surrey at Guildford on day one of their Second XI Championship match against Kent as the hosts race at a rate of 4.5 runs per over and pile up a massive score of 432 for 3 from 96 overs.
On a warm, sunny day in Woodbridge Road, Surrey batters put on a delightful display of fluent batting, with Josh Blake and Ben Geddes striking spectacular centuries, Ryan Patel playing an imposing knock of 87, and Arjun Gill capping the day with a beautifully-composed 87 not out.
Reinforcing their skipper’s decision to bat first, opener Patel and Geddes provided a flying start to the hosts, unfurling a flurry of boundaries against the new ball of J Singh and Arafat Bhuiyan.
Changes in bowling did not bring about a change in the outcome as the dashing opening pair swayed Surrey to 147 for no loss, seemingly without breaking a sweat, at the stroke of lunch.
A classy flick for four from Geddes and a powerful pull for six from Patel to begin the afternoon session suggested the dominance of Surrey openers wouldn’t stop but Patel nicked OB Curtiss, falling 13 short of his hundred, leaving Surrey 167 for one.
While newcomer Blake was finding his feet in the middle, Geddes (103) carried on charge and converted his century with a smashing pull, having been dismissed in the nineties in the season-opener against Sussex. Soon after, however, he holed out to midwicket off AR Sylvester, attempting a front-foot pull shot.
The new pair of Blake and Gill took their time to get their eye in before driving through the gears and embarking on a 170-run stand, which also was very easy on the viewer’s eye.
Either side of the tea interval, the duo – just like the batters who preceded them – played some glorious strokes all around the ground, keeping Kent bowlers under the pump.
With a dance down the ground against the off-spin of H Qadri for a gentle tap-and-run on the leg side, the Surrey skipper brought up his century, which included 15 fours.
Batting on 113, the second new ball signalled the end of Blake’s 158-ball stay as he was caught behind off Bhuiyan, with the scoreboard reading 383 for three. For the remaining 12 overs of the day, Stuart van der Merwe was joined by Gill in the middle.
Surrey saw off the second new ball just as they did the first one – by reverting the pressure onto Kent and freely scoring runs. Gill and van der Merwe (27*) added 49 runs to Surrey’s mammoth day-one tally by the close, with the former, who remains unbeaten on 87, closing in on his century.
