For the first time since September 1997 when, coincidentally, they were beaten by Kent at Canterbury, Surrey appear to be crashing to their second defeat in as many championship games. Assuming they do, this season’s race for the title will be somewhat more open than hitherto with both Kent and Leicestershire coming into contention.

Before they faced Warwickshire at the AMP Oval twelve days ago Adam Hollioake’s men were priced at 1-5 with www.surreycricketbet.com to win cricket’s County Championship. The odds on the visitors getting the 146 they still require for victory in this match with two wickets and Ed Giddins remaining would be interesting. If the sun shines as it did on day one and Ian Ward and Saqlain Mushtaq are still there at lunchtime, who knows? But any other scenario would have Kent down as firm favourites.

Yesterday, needing 410 in five and a bit sessions, Surrey reached 177 for two whereupon they lost five wickets for 31 runs in the space of thirteen overs. Clarke pulled Symonds to mid-wicket. Brown was then dubiously caught at slip off bat and pad and Hollioake was taken behind. Following a short stoppage for rain, Batty gave Andrew Symonds his third scalp in as many overs when he went first ball, caught at forward short leg.

The final wicket to fall in the day was that of Ian Salisbury who kept Ian Ward company for half-an-hour before playing inside a quicker delivery from Mark Ealham. Saqlain Mushtaq helped to see off the last 17 overs, hitting a six and two fours in the process, but as was the case more or less from the outset Surrey were heavily reliant on the former England batsman.

Ward put the hiccup of 144 runs in six championship innings - prior to which he had made four consecutive scores of fifty or more - firmly behind him with a flawless 208-ball century. Playing according to the script rather than for personal advantage, the 31-year-old was on ninety-nine for 34 minutes and 32 balls before reaching three-figures on the ground where he also made the highest score of his career two years ago.

Earlier in the day Kent had added 86 to their overnight total. Robert Key was out to a beautifully delivered outswinger from Jimmy Ormond and James Golding was lbw aiming Ed Giddins to leg. Min Patel and Amjad Khan then put the game effectively beyond Surrey’s reach with a ninth wicket alliance worth 52 in twelve overs. Patel made 43 in 68 deliveries before eventually running out of partners.

Mark Butcher and Ian Ward got the visitors off to a decent start, putting on fifty in less than an hour. However, the game took on an all together different complexion when Butcher slashed Martin Saggers to second slip, where Symonds made up for an earlier miss, and Mark Ramprakash edged an out-seamer to replicate his mode of dismissal in the first innings - c Nixon b Saggers.

Rikki Clarke assisted Ward in terms of rectifying the situation by contributing 66 to a third wicket stand of 123. Clarke hit one six, when he mis-hooked Ealham over the long leg boundary in the 23rd over. The tall 20-year-old straight drove six of his nine fours, including two off successive balls from Min Patel, and brought up his half-century in 50 deliveries by clipping the slow left-armer through mid-wicket. Then, on the stroke of tea, Ian Ward raised the hundred partnership in 24 overs with a perfectly executed cut off of Symonds, who had just switched to bowling off-spin.

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