Sean Dickson followed up his first innings score of 128 with an impressive 91 to lead Kent to a Specsavers County Championship draw with reigning champions Surrey.

The 27-year-old along with fellow South Africans Heino Kuhn (81) and debutant Wiaan Mulder (68 not out) did their utmost with the bat to fend off all Surrey’s attack could hurl their way to see the hosts to their first draw of the season.

Dickson – who plays as an England qualified player under a UK passport courtesy of his mother, Pat – spent almost 10 hours at the crease during the game to help Kent bat out the fourth and final day to finish on 352-8.

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The hosts started the day requiring an improbable 426 for victory, but night watchman Adam Riley set the tone by batting on for 35 minutes before being scuppered by a Sam Curran yorker.

Kent No.4 Daniel Bell-Drummond then appeared fortunate to survive appeals for caught behind and leg before from consecutive Rikki Clarke deliveries.

The bowler’s protests led to a reprimand from umpires Graham Lloyd and Alex Wharf, which he later followed up by trapping Bell-Drummond lbw for seven.

Morne Morkel, Clarke and Conor McKerr combined superbly for Surrey to fully test the resolve of Dickson and his interim skipper, Kuhn, but the pair dug in to add a crucial 82 in 28 overs.

Dickson’s 178-ball stay for 91 ended in near identical fashion to his first innings when he glanced to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes.

Ollie Robinson came in to join Kuhn, who battled to a 106-ball 50 with three fours, as Kent reached tea on 233-4.

The former was dismissed four balls after the restart, chipping Morkel's delivery to square leg to leave on 34 and end a fifth-wicket stand of 70.

Kuhn's time at the crease eventually came to a halt when he was adjudged to have been caught behind off the bowling of Morkel, leaving the field on 81.

Mulder, making his Beckenham bow, experienced a scare on 27 when he nicked to first slip Dean Elgar, only for umpire Graham Lloyd to call a no ball.

Surrey could celebrate soon after though when Alex Blake, propping forward to the slow left-armer Elgar, offered a simple bat-pad catch to short leg.

21-year-old Mulder posted an impressive 50 from 71 balls with seven fours as he and Darren Stevens propelled Kent to within 25 balls of safety.

After Stevens was caught behind for eight, Mulder and Harry Podmore saw out the final four overs to clinch a draw and earn Kent 10 points.

Report courtesy of MBP Sports Media

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