Kent cruised to their first LV=County Championship Division 2 win of the season against Surrey at the Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence on Wednesday.

Rob Key’s men needed just 54 runs to win in their second innings and, although they lost both Key and Sam Northeast to Aneesh Kapil with only 11 on the board, Daniel Bell-Drummond (29 not out) and Brendan Nash (18 not out) ensured there were no further alarms as Kent knocked off the required runs in 9.3 overs.

Earlier, young spinner Adam Riley confirmed his potential by claiming his fifth wicket of the innings – and ninth of the match – as Surrey, resuming their second innings on an overnight 170-9, were eventually dismissed for 203 after tailenders Matt Dunn and Jade Dernbach added 33 runs.

Apart from Riley’s performance, the crucial feature of the match for Kent was Key’s first innings 197-run third-wicket stand with fellow century-maker Nash that enabled the home side to make 435 in reply to Surrey’s 285.

Key passed 18,000 runs in first-class cricket during his superb 126 and Nash made exactly
the same score as both men hit their first tons of the season.

The visitors collapsed to 47-4 in reply, their cause not helped after captain Graeme Smith had been forced to bat down the order at No.6 because he was looking after his ill daughter.

Kent had been granted the extra half-hour on Tuesday in a bid to force victory inside three days, but in the end they would have been happy just to have posted a morale-boosting success.