County Championship: Daniel Bell-Drummond century earns Kent draw with Surrey

Daniel Bell-Drummond's century was his fourth in the Championship this season

Daniel Bell-Drummond added a fighting 107 not out to his first-innings 102 as Kent battled to a draw against County Championship leaders Surrey.

It is the first time 28-year-old Bell-Drummond has scored two hundreds in a first-class match.

The loss of 14 overs to bad weather at the start of the final day was frustrating for Surrey, but the Oval pitch remained a good one for batting throughout and hands were shaken at 17:48 BST when Kent had taken their overnight 121 for no wicket to 361-4.

Surrey, however, still stretched their lead at the top of Division One to 16 points, as a result of second-placed Hampshire's defeat at Essex in this round, and third-placed Lancashire's draw at Gloucestershire.

• County Championship Division One table

• Relive final day's play in Championship as it happened

Bell-Drummond batted for a total of almost nine hours in the game, resisting in Kent's second innings for 195 balls and 284 minutes after coming in when openerBen Compton was leg-before to Sam Curran in the final day's second over.

Play should have started at 11:50 following early morning rain, but just as the players reached the middle another shower meant a further five-minute delay.

The Surrey team remained on the field as the umpires ordered the pitch to be covered and liaised with Oval groundstaff, while Kent's openers Compton and Joe Denly marched off back into their dressing room.

With a minimum of 82 overs now scheduled, Denly - who resumed on 63 - was soon flashing Dan Worrall's pacy outswing away through the gully area for four.

But Compton, on 47 overnight, had only added a single to his score when Curran skidded one into the left-hander's pads through an attempted work to leg.

Denly, on 69, was then beaten by a full, in-slanting ball from Worrall that flicked the inside of his front pad before hammering into his back pad to make another upraised umpire's finger a formality.

At 128-2, Kent were suddenly under pressure, with the serene progress of Denly and Compton the evening before, when the openers had added 121 in 44 overs, seeming a distant memory.

Bell-Drummond, however, was joined by Jack Leaning in a stand of 107 either side of lunch that did much to guide Kent to safety.

The pair, who had also added 161 together in Kent's first innings, were largely untroubled although Bell-Drummond, on 54, did edge Curran just short of second slip - the ball flying away for one of the batsman's 14 fours.

Surrey tried seven bowlers in all, but although Leaning was bowled off stump for 43 by a perfect inswinger by Curran, soon after the second new ball was taken at 219-2, they could not dislodge Bell-Drummond.

Jordan Cox, on 27, fell for a trap set by Gus Atkinson when he pulled high to deep square leg but Surrey's last chance of forcing a victory probably came with Kent's overall deficit still 41 when Ollie Robinson, on 12, fended a short ball from Conor McKerr just short of Ben Geddes diving forward at a deepish short leg.

Geddes was then moved a couple of yards forward but no other opportunity came his way and, fittingly, the game ended soon after Bell-Drummond had completed his hundred, with Robinson finishing unbeaten on 39.

Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network.