COUNTY champions Surrey were skittled for 67 - their lowest Championship total at the Kia Oval for 56 years, as Jamie Porter and Sam Cook bowled Essex into a position of first-day dominance with four wickets apiece.

By stumps, on a pitch that eased significantly in the second half of the day, the 2017 title-winners were already 130 runs in front with Murali Vijay and Tom Westley putting on 146 in 43 overs for the second wicket to take Essex to 197 for two in reply.

Indian Test opener Vijay scored 80 from 127 balls, with ten fours, before edging Jade Dernbach to the keeper while Westley remained 93 not out.

The former England batsman has faced 201 balls, hitting 15 fours.

Vijay and Westley did both enjoy some moments of luck against Surrey’s seam attack but they also played strokes of quality in a potentially match-defining stand after coming together when Morne Morkel bowled Nick Browne for two in the fifth over of Essex’s first innings.

Earlier, Surrey had crumbled to 57 for seven by lunch and their lower order managed just ten more runs in two overs after the interval as Porter (four for 26) and Cook (four for 27) finished the demolition job in some style.

Only Ollie Pope, last out for 26 from 53 balls, and opener Rory Burns, who made 19 before falling in the 16th over, provided any real resistance for Surrey as Porter, Cook and fellow seamer Matt Quinn ran amok on a well-grassed surface.

But Pope needed some moments of good fortune, too, being dropped on nine at square leg by a diving Ryan ten Doeschate when he miss-hit a pull at Porter and also escaping when he inside-edged a wicked delivery from the same bowler on 11 and saw keeper Adam Wheater fail to cling on as he dived away to his left.

Mark Stoneman edged Porter to Wheater behind the stumps in the fifth over, to go for two, and the same bowler nipped one into Jason Roy’s pads in his next over.

Surrey captain Burns battled hard for 52 balls before being brilliantly held by Simon Harmer diving forward at second slip off Quinn.

Ben Foakes was leg-before to Quinn’s next ball, leaving Surrey 41 for four, and although Will Jacks survived the hat-trick ball he was soon bowled for 0, driving loosely at an inswinger from Cook.

Cook then shaped one back into left-hander Ryan Patel’s pads to dismiss him for five.

A miserable opening session for Surrey was completed when Rikki Clarke departed for 0, beaten by another Porter off-cutter.

Porter was well supported by both Quinn, whose single spell brought him figures of 6-2-10-2, and Cook.

Porter also removed Morkel for one in the first over after lunch, caught at the wicket, while Cook bowled Dernbach for four through a heave to leg and then had Pope caught at mid-wicket.