Surrey’s Dom Sibley and Rory Burns dominated Kent on day two of their Vitality County Championship derby at Canterbury, putting the visitors in a commanding position.
Sibley remained unbeaten on 87, while Burns contributed 69 as Surrey reached 185 for one at stumps, trailing Kent’s first-innings total of 244 by just 59 runs.
Cameron Steel and Tom Lawes were the standout bowlers for Surrey, claiming three wickets each to restrict Kent to a modest total. Night-watcher George Garrett provided some resistance with a career-best 48, but his efforts proved futile as Sibley and Burns took control of the match.
Kent resumed their innings on 111 for three, but Kemar Roach struck early to remove Jack Leaning for 30. Garrett then played a defiant knock, pulling Lawes for successive fours to surpass his previous highest first-class score of 24.
However, the remaining Kent batters failed to capitalize on their starts. Joe Denly was bowled for 32, while Harry Finch was caught behind for nine. Garrett fell two runs short of his half-century, edging Steel behind.
Steel then had Matt Parkinson stumped for a duck, and Ben Foakes caught Joey Evison off Lawes for 30 to leave Kent on the brink of collapse. Jas Singh made his highest first-class score of 15, but his dismissal to Lawes left Kent six runs short of a batting point.
Surrey’s response was impressive, with Sibley and Burns putting on a century partnership for the opening wicket. Sibley was dropped on 10, but he made the most of his reprieve, reaching his half-century from 86 balls.
Burns also reached his half-century, but he was eventually dismissed for 69 by Garrett. However, Sibley and Dan Lawrence continued to bat through to stumps, leaving Surrey in a strong position to secure a victory.
