Sussex were dealt a harsh reality check by Surrey's batsmen after their bowling attack was made to look distinctly second rate at the Oval yesterday.

After James Kirtley, had removed openers Ian Ward and Mark Butcher with the new ball, the Sussex attack was taken apart by a Surrey team seemingly anxious to prove that the bookmakers who have made them 7-4 favourites to win their second Championship in three years do know a thing or too.

Ally Brown smashed his first century against Sussex off just 110 balls, Nadeem Shahid reached three figures for the first time since 1998 off one fewer delivery and Alec Stewart weighed in with 99.

Brown and Shahid were still there at the close, both unbeaten on 132, having put on 232 in 64 overs as Surrey closed on 461-4.

The ball swung for the first half of the day, when threatening clouds provided a suitably sombre backdrop for the two-minute silence observed before the start in memory of Ben Hollioake and Umer Rashid.

Both liked to play with a bit of style and they would have doubtless approved of the entertainment as Surrey's strokemakers took full toll of a short boundary on the Harleyford Road side and some distinctly ordinary bowling.

The exception was Kirtley, although even he got some stick after conceding just 27 runs in his first 13 overs. He trapped Ward leg before on the back foot as he played all around an inswinger in his fourth over and bowled Butcher via an inside edge in his next over to leave Surrey on 33-2.

The trouble is that one talented international invariably follows another in Surrey's line-up and Stewart and Mark Ramprakash set about trying to prove the watching chairman of selectors David Graveney had blundered in not awarding either of them central contracts.

Anything short or wide was despatched with ruthless efficiency, and the problem from a Sussex point of view was that too much of it was served up. Lewry and Robin Martin-Jenkins struggled with their line all day while Paul Hutchison probably tried too hard on his debut and ended up bowling too full a length, inviting Stewart and later Brown to pierce the gaps on the offside.

Hutchison took his first wickets for the county in his second spell, but they came at a considerable cost.

Ramprakash was strangled down the leg side for 56 after the third wicket pair had put on 143 in 40 overs but Stewart was at his imperious best. His 48th first-class century beckoned when he was caught behind driving loosely at a ball which straightened a little. He batted for under three hours, faced 139 balls and hit 18 of them for four.

At that stage Sussex must have hoped their suffering was over, but it was only just beginning.

Brown is no great stylist, but he has the eye of a hawk and hits the ball with murderous power. He raced to his half-century off just 45 balls, his next 50 took another 20 deliveries. Both milestones by clearing the ropes, off Kirtley and then Mark Davis over long on to reach his 28th first-class century.

Shahid soon caught the mood. Hutchison's second seven over spell went for 54 runs and long before tea Adams was forced to bring himself and then Michael Yardy into the attack.

The second hundred of the day from Shahid was no less impressive although Richard Montgomerie dropped him when he was on 56.

He upper-cut Kirtley for his 18th boundary in the first over with the new ball, taken from this season after 90 overs. It also took Surrey past 400 and Sussex face further torment today before Surrey's appetite for runs is satisfied.

The good thing is that the pitch is flat and once the new ball is negotiated Sussex should be able to score freely on it as well.

But already the side is facing a test of character and the response to their first day mauling may well set the tone for what happens in the rest of the season.

Summaries: Second Test (Trinidad) India 113-2 v West Indies. Frizzell County Championship - division one: Kent 340-2 (Key 160, Fulton 98) v Hampshire; Leicestershire 385 (Stevens 74, Wells 74, Bevan 66, P DeFreitas 51, Burns 51) v Lancashire 9-0. Division two: Middlesex 326-8 (Koenig 100, Strauss 70, Nash 55 no) v Durham; Derbyshire 217 (Kerr 58, Jones 6-45) v Glamorgan 163-8 (Dale 56, Cork 4-47); Worcestershire 302-7 (Smith 129, Leatherdale 55, Harvey 4-75) v Gloucestershire.