Rory Burns posted 107 as Surrey, asked to bat first, reached 261 for six on the opening day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match against Northamptonshire at the Kia Oval. Surrey captain Burns, dropped as England’s Test opener following poor returns during the heavy Ashes series defeat in Australia last winter, had also made only 119 runs from six previous championship innings this season. But here he held Surrey’s first innings together impressively after Luke Procter had removed Hashim Amla and Will Jacks in successive balls soon after lunch.