TABLE TOPPING Kent got off to a great start at the Oval today but were pegged back by Surrey's third-wicket partners Rikki Clark and Mark Ramprakash.

Having been invited to field after losing the toss on the opening day of this Frizzell Championship clash, Kent's in-form pacemen Mohammad Sami and Martin Saggers bagged two wickets inside the opening four overs.

Racing in from the Vauxhall End, Sami found a thick outside edge as Nadeem Shahid (1) drove at an out-swinger and Ed Smith, fielding at the finer of two gullies, held a good, throat-high catch.

In the next over Martin Saggers, bowling at the Pavilion End, ran one in to left-handed Scott Newman (0) who went leg before to make it one for two.

Ramprakash scored the first boundaries of the day in the 12th over, taking three fours off Saggers, who only conceded a single in his first five overs of an overcast day.

Clarke (44) then teamed up with Ramprakash to add 91 for the third wicket in 27 overs before Saggers returned for a second stint to send back Clarke.

The tall right-hander had clubbed eight fours in his 75-ball stay before Saggers ran one away and feathered the edge for a head-high catch at second slip by Matthew Walker.

Mark Ramprakash reached a 90-ball half century with nine fours to take the hosts into lunch on 99 for three after 33 overs.

Kent, who were without Andrew Symonds on one-day duty in Zimbabwe, gave a championship debut to all-rounder Dennington, who bowled a tidy opening burst of 6-4-14-0.

Left-arm spinner Rob Ferley also came in as a like-for-like replacement for Min Patel, who pulled his groin playing at Wantage Road on Sunday.

Kent: Fulton, Key, Smith, Walker, Carberry, O'Brien, Dennington, Ferley, Khan, Saggers, Sami.