County Championship: Kent openers resist after Surrey enforce follow-on

Tom Lawes is playing his first County Championship match for Surrey

Tom Lawes took four wickets on his County Championship debut as leaders Surrey forced Kent to follow on at The Kia Oval.

The 19-year-old, swinging the ball consistently against the right-handers, sparked a collapse by taking 3-10 in the space of 18 balls either side of lunch after Kent, fortified by Daniel Bell-Drummond's century, had been 216-2.

They were bowled out for 331 with Lawes, a product of Surrey's academy and Cranleigh School, finishing with 4-51.

Kent followed on with a hefty deficit of 342 but openers Ben Compton (47) and Joe Denly (63) dug in to reach 121 for no wicket at stumps, although they still trail by 221 with work to do on the final day.

• Relive the third day's play in the County Championship as it happened

Bell-Drummond and Jack Leaning had put on 161 for the third wicket to raise Kent's hopes of saving the match on what remains a good batting surface.

When he reached 93, Bell-Drummond passed 7,000 first-class runs and a clip through mid-wicket off Gus Atkinson shortly afterwards took him to his 14th first-class century.

He would have been disappointed to have got out in the manner he did, slicing a long hop from Will Jacks to backward point for 102, which included 10 fours.

Lawes could have claimed Leaning twice in the same over before eventually dismissing the Kent captain for 75. He failed to hold on to a tough return catch diving low to his left in his follow-through before Dan Worrall dropped a straightforward chance at slip three balls later.

But the teenager's perseverance was rewarded with two wickets in two overs as Leaning played on and wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson drove airily and was caught at third slip.

From 256-3, Kent proceeded to lose their last seven wickets for 75 in 27 overs.

George Linde played on to Lawes in the third over after lunch and the teenager had his fourth wicket when Matt Milnes wafted outside off stump and was caught behind.

Conor McKerr picked up two wickets when he switched to the Vauxhall End as Jordan Cox, who played well for his 47, clipped a leg-stump half-volley to midwicket and after Jacob Duffy was caught behind to give Atkinson his only wicket, McKerr finished things off courtesy of a superb reflex catch by Ben Geddes at short leg off Jas Singh's firm push.

There were 44 overs left in the day when Kent began their second innings, but Surrey were unable to find a breakthrough.

Jacks was introduced in the ninth over but there was little turn for the off-spinner while Compton coped well when Surrey's seamers tested him against the short ball.

The left-hander passed 1,000 Championship runs for the season when he got to eight and Denly reached his highest score of an injury-affected campaign as Surrey's seven bowlers toiled in vain for a breakthrough.

Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network.