Rory Burns followed his double-hundred against Lancashire last week with 161 as Surrey ended day one of their Vitality County Championship match against Nottinghamshire on 339 for five.
Burns was ably support by half-centuries from Will Jacks and Ryan Patel against a relegation-threatened Nottinghamshire side, the defending champions after the first day.
The home side – their options reduced by injuries, a Test call-up for Olly Stone and, in the case of Dane Paterson, paternity leave, also gave a first-class debut to 23-year-old pace bowler Rob Lord.
Farhan Ahmed, whose selection displaced Cris Tinley as the youngest first-class player in the Nottinghamshire record books 177 years since the latter made his debut at 16 years 288 days in 1847, was trusted to enter the attack as early as the seventh over, by which time it was already clear that it was not a pitch for persevering with seamers, especially with the Kookaburra ball.
Lord, who has played national counties cricket for Cheshire and signed a short-term contract with Nottinghamshire last month, took the only wicket to fall in the session as Dom Sibley was caught at second slip, the ball glancing off the opener’s bat as he swayed out of the path of a rising delivery.
Burns completed his fifty from 104 balls soon after lunch before surviving a confident appeal for leg before by Ahmed on 78. It was not the most fluent innings he has played, his hundred coming up off a streaky inside edge off seamer Lyndon James that ran away for his eighth four, but his stand of 175 for the second wicket with Ryan Patel put Surrey in a commanding position on 203 for two at tea.
Patel had been caught behind for 77, a well-deserved maiden Championship wicket for Ahmed.
Patel was a first victim behind the stumps for Nottinghamshire’s latest overseas recruit, the South African Test wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne.
There was a heavy workload, too, for left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White and, on only his second first-class appearance, a busy day for Freddie McCann, the 19-year-old top-order batter, who also bowls off-spin.
Burns clubbed McCann for his third six shortly before reaching 150, prompting Nottinghamshire to take the new ball after 84 overs, although it was only two overs old when they turned again to Ahmed, who was lofted down the ground by Burns for his fourth maximum but then dismissed Burns and Ben Foakes with consecutive deliveries.
A catch at wide mid-on accounted for Burns as the erstwhile England opener attempted to clear the ropes again before Foakes, capped as recently as March this year, prodded outside off-stump and was caught behind.
Jacks survived the hat-trick ball but after hitting Ahmed for his third six he was caught on the long-off boundary to give the youngster his fourth scalp.
“I think it just makes you quietly confident at the crease and quite comfortable when you’re walking out there.”
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) August 29, 2024
Rory Burns reflects after another big hundred speaking to @TheMiddleStump 🎤
🤎 | #SurreyCricket pic.twitter.com/PKsq4NBAWX
