Don't be fooled by the close of play score. No time was lost to the weather on day one at Hove. In fact, so far this season, the elements have worked against the ECB's latest attempt to kill off the County Championship - dreaming up a fixture list that means almost half of the matches will be concluded by the first week of June. The reason was Arun Harinath's 62 off 290 balls, which spared Surrey a dreadful day, although it began pretty disastrously with Ramprakash and Afzaal back in the hutch in the twelfth over, joining Spriegel, who also went early on. Harinath's wicket was the last to fall on the opening day, which had just 16 deliveries left to run when the 23-year-old was caught at gully off an attempted pull.

After being inserted by Michael Yardy, Surrey lost Matthew Spriegel to a thin edge in the seventh over when Rana Naved got a ball to lift and hold its line. The visitors' first boundary of the day was 35 minutes in coming - Harinath rocking back and pulling Corey Collymore in the tenth over of the day.

But with Robin Martin-Jenkins accounting for Mark Ramprakash and Usman Afzaal - the former falling leg before to a uncharacteristically tentative forward push and the latter being bowled through the gate, off stump flattened - with his second and fifth deliveries, Surrey were in all sorts of trouble at 16-3 in the twelfth over.

Rory Hamilton-Brown back foot cover drove Martin-Jenkins for four in the 18th over and, moments later, despatched Naved to the boundary. The Surrey skipper had a life, on 11, when a caught behind chance, off a lifting ball from Martin-Jenkins, went to ground in the 20th over. The next delivery, which was also short, got exactly what it deserved.

Four overs later, Harinath cut Martin-Jenkins for four to make it 48-3. In the 27th over the left-hander was dropped at second slip off Luke Wright, though not before Hamilton-Brown had been put down at third slip by Michael Thornely, also off Wright

After Surrey had taken lunch on 67-3, Hamilton-Brown hit Martin-Jenkins straight down the ground for four before pulling the 34-year-old all-rounder to the rope at deep square leg, both boundaries coming in the 34th over. But three overs later Hamilton-Brown was walking back to the dressing room having been caught at first slip off an edged drive, soon to be joined by Steven Davies, who, off balance, pulled Monty Panesar straight to Yardy at mid-wicket to make it 81-5 in 38th over.

Gareth Batty cut Wright for four and, just before the tea interval, cover drove Panesar to the boundary to bring up the fifty partnership. At the break Harinath had 42 off 205 deliveries, while Batty had 22 off 73. But in the fifth over following the resumption the former Worcestershire man was caught behind, low and to the right of Andrew Hodd, off the bowling of Martin-Jenkins.

Chris Schofield cover drove Panesar, bowling from the Sea End, for four in the 70th over. Two overs later, Schofield hit two boundaries in three balls from the former England and Northants spinner before pulling Martin-Jenkins for four in the 75th.

Harinath then reached a painstaking fifty, with a four to long-on off Panesar. It had taken the 23-year-old 233 deliveries, which the consensus of opinion reckoned it to be the slowest championship half-century ever in terms of balls faced.

Harinath was in the fifties for 51 deliveries before he cut Martin-Jenkins through cover point for four to move to 62. In the 93rd over, Schofield pulled Wright for four off to go to 40 before cutting him for another boundary. But after a day with so little action the visitors will be relieved that they took time out of the game and wore down the Sussex attack.

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