County Championship: Jordan Cox leads Kent fightback against Surrey

Jordan Cox's hundred was his first in the County Championship since 12 June last year

A stellar century by Jordan Cox rescued Kent on day one of their County Championship match with Surrey at Canterbury.

The hosts recovered from 41-5 to 301 all out, after losing five top-order wickets for seven runs in the space of 31 balls.

Cox led the fightback with 133, exactly 100 of which came after he was dropped by Ben Foakes.

He was also part of two crucial partnerships, putting on 121 for the sixth wicket with Joey Evison (58), then exactly 100 for the ninth with Wes Agar (51).

Surrey's Sean Abbott took 4-52, but the visitors were 18-2 at stumps, trailing by 283 after Agar claimed two late wickets.

The big news before the start of play was Kent's decision to omit Sam Billings after what was described as "mutual discussions around form".

The hosts won the toss, chose to bat in front of a festival-week crowd and eased through 11 overs, only to lose four wickets for a single run in 13 balls.

Both openers fell to slip catches off Abbott in the 12th, Ben Compton for nine, edging the first delivery to Will Jacks at third and Tawanda Muyeye for 21, nudging the final ball to Dom Sibley at first.

The next three batters made ducks. Daniel Bell-Drummond fell lbw to Jordan Clark and - at the start of the 14th - Abbott bowled Joe Denly with a ball that nipped back.

Cox survived the hat-trick ball but, when Clark had stand-in skipper Jack Leaning caught behind soon afterwards, the home crowd was getting restless.

Evison at least prevented further damage before lunch, at which point Kent were 80-5, but it nearly got worse for Kent when Cox edged Abbott, only for England wicketkeeper Foakes to drop a simple chance.

Evison completed his half-century by hooking the same bowler to the boundary and looked well set until he edged Dan Moriarty behind.

Foakes then took a smart catch off Gus Atkinson to get rid of Hamid Qadri for five, flinging himself to the leg side, before Atkinson sent Matt Quinn's leg stump flying for 10.

But Kent were on 211-8 at tea, with Agar showing signs he could have been higher up the order.

The runs started to flow in the evening session. Cox reached three figures with an elegant reverse-swept four off Moriarty and although Jacks nearly had him caught on the boundary when he was on 123, Sibley had to step over the rope before completing the catch.

The new ball eventually did for Cox, who hit Abbott to Clark at mid on but the bowler was denied a five-wicket haul when Arshdeep Singh skied the next ball and Burns could not cling on.

That drop was less costly as Worrall had Agar caught by Sibley at first slip in the next over, but it left Surrey with 11 to navigate before stumps.

Singh's first three overs in county cricket were all maidens but it was Agar who made the breakthrough, drawing Burns into a hook that was caught by Quinn at short fine leg for 15.

Nightwatchman Atkinson then fell in almost identical fashion to the final ball of the day.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.