Ramps gets new lease of life

Mark Ramprakash was in imperious form with the bat

Surrey captain Mark Ramprakash was in a league of his own as his 103rd first-class century shut out Kent, once worthwhile play finally got under way on day three at Canterbury.

There was never the slightest sign in this LV County Championship Division One match between title hopefuls and relegation favourites that Ramprakash (127) might have spent too long celebrating his 39th birthday yesterday.

He played at a different level throughout, dominating three half-century stands on the way to an exemplary 143-ball hundred which contained 10 fours and four sixes and steered Surrey towards 220 for five by stumps.

With more rain forecast tomorrow after the first two days were washed out, apart from 13 runless balls, there will be no positive outcome here without major surgery to the running order - leaving only bonus points to play for.

Ramprakash did his best to suggest bottom-of-the-table Surrey may yet profit most from whatever play proves possible, with his 50th hundred for these employers - against the same team who were in opposition when he made his first, on debut seven years ago after his move across the Thames from Middlesex.

The only sticky moments in a largely seamless innings came with a dicey single off the mark, a reprieve at first slip off Robbie Joseph on 31 - and a close lbw call when he pushed forward to the same bowler, on 99.

Ramprakash batted beautifully in blustery but mercifully dry conditions - and long after the rain had abated, the former England batsman had Kent treading water.

There was time for just seven overs this morning after a prompt start, despite overnight downpours, but before long more bad weather arrived.

Joseph’s testing new-ball spell either side of the lunchtime mopping-up deserved more than the solitary wicket of Scott Newman, his 50th in a productive first-class summer so far.

Surrey were one down without a run on the board when Newman misjudged both line and length, deciding to leave a ball which could have done with a routine forward push.

Robbie Joseph claimed his 50th first-class scalp © Getty Images

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The result was the loss of off-stump, early reward for Joseph’s slingy pace.

Number three Ramprakash got under way by pushing for one and leaving Chris Murtagh struggling to make his ground as Ryan McLaren’s rolled throw narrowly missed the one stump he had to aim at.

Murtagh was in less of a hurry to open his account and did not do so until he edged his 34th ball through the fingers of Darren Stevens at third slip - off Joseph.

If that nick did not quite carry, Joseph could count himself unlucky to see Ramprakash survive when James Tredwell put down a sharp but regulation chance.

The 50-run stand was up soon afterwards, Murtagh’s contribution still in single figures.

The opener’s determination could only take him so far, and he eventually went for nine off 60 balls when he followed some swing up the hill from Yasir Arafat (3-42) to be caught behind.

When McLaren tried to tempt Ramprakash with full-length swing on 49, his drive easily cleared the short cover boundary.

An over later, a pick-up shot off Arafat gave Ramprakash the second of his six sixes in all - clattering into the same seating area - and he repeated the dose to bring up the Surrey hundred when Stevens’ medium-pace replaced the Pakistani at the Nackington Road end.

Jonathan Batty, a second 'sleeping' partner for Ramprakash, holed out off Amjad Khan at third man - where Stevens made up for dropping the same batsman in the gully shortly beforehand.

Ramprakash steadied himself and his team but had enough power to add to keep Usman Afzaal well in the shade as another 68 were put on for the fourth wicket.

For Kent, there was even frustration in the circumstances of Ramprakash’s dismissal - Tredwell the slip catcher off Arafat, and the main man having plundered 96 more runs since he offered that first chance to the same fielder.

The remaining business saw Afzaal push Surrey to a first batting point and Kent fail to bank a second with the ball - honours even in a damp contest which may have little more to offer before the weather has an appropriate last word on the scheduled final day.