Surrey dominated day one of the Rothesay County Championship match against Essex at Kia Oval, bowling them out for 217. Michael Pepper's 75 was the standout performance for Essex, but after a promising start, they lost momentum drastically. Surrey, chasing the total, ended the day at 94-3. Kurtis Patterson led the response with 51 runs. The initial overs suggested a different match with Essex starting strong, but they faltered as Surrey's bowlers improved their lengths, putting Essex under pressure, a position they aim to exploit further in the next innings.
Having won the toss, the champions fielded first on a well-grassed surface and despite Michael Pepper's 75, they bowled Essex out in two sessions.
From 50 without loss, Essex slipped to 95-4 as the Surrey seamers profited from bowling a better length.
But they have got themselves into a familiar position and will try to bat into the third day before putting Essex back under pressure.
Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes snapped up a simple opportunity when Walter poked at Jordan Clark's outswinger but there was nothing ordinary about his next intervention.
Collection
[
|
...
]