Dominic Sibley and Sam Curran scored excellent centuries as champions Surrey made Durham rue their decision to field first on day one at the Kia Oval.
Sibley’s batted all day for his unbeaten 169, his third century of the campaign, while Curran’s 108 from 117 balls was his first Championship ton of the season.
The duo added 170 for the third wicket as the hosts piled up 407-3.
Prior to their mammoth stand, Rory Burns lit up the morning’s play with a half century full of trademark shots and laced with 12 fours and Dan Lawrence (58*) too passed 50 at better than a run a ball before stumps were drawn.
Durham were without the services of Ben Raine from early afternoon and there was a nasty moment for England quick Matthew Potts, who collided with the advertising boards in stopping a boundary shortly before lunch.
He didn’t appear at the start of the afternoon session but returned to bowl later, seemingly without issue.
Shorn of the services of Brydon Carse, Mark Wood and Codi Yusuf, Durham nevertheless followed the accepted practice of bowling first at the Oval even with the Kookaburra ball in play.
Burns soon caused them to question the wisdom of that decision, producing his full repertoire of strokes. Durham aided this process, guilty of bowling either short and wide to feed the cut shot or drifting onto the pads whereupon the former England opener would drive them through mid-on and mid-wicket.
There was the odd cover-drive too, all of which meant Burns was not required to exert himself with too much running on a hot day. His 12th four raised his 50, at which point he’d scored only three aside from his boundaries.
A loose stroke brought his downfall shortly before lunch and when Ryan Patel went cheaply soon after the resumption there seemed a tiny window of opportunity for the visitors. However, Raine (1-32) left the field in the wake of taking the wicket and Curran and Sibley soon slammed that window shut again.
Curran bristled aggression from the start, taking a particular liking to the spin of George Drissell, clouting his first ball, a full toss back, over the bowler’s head and later muscling him over the ropes for six.
Against seam he was ruthless given any width, his first 50 coming in only 48 balls. Only a tight spell from Will Rhodes dragged him back below a run a ball, but his sparkling hundred containing a six and 14 fours was completed soon after tea before Drissell gained a measure of recompense by having him caught in the deep.
Sibley, who edged short of wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson on four in the second over of the day, was content to play second fiddle, though he did unfurl three boundaries in one Jimmy Neesham over, the former New Zealand Test bowler pressed into service with a red ball for the first time in three years.
A lovely pull shot was among eight fours in his first 50 and while there were only two more en route to 100, reached in 238 balls, he was a man transformed thereafter.
Two short-pitched balls were expertly guided to the fence at third, while a punch through mid-wicket, his 19th four in all, took him past 150.
A ramp shot and a drive on the up came out in the death throes of the day as he dominated a stand of 131 with Lawrence, who in turn scored his 1,000th run for Surrey as the 400 was raised shortly before the close.
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