MARK Ramprakash has seen just about everything there is to see in 23 years as a first-class cricketer.

But Queen's Park may have witnessed a first in the long career of the 40-year-old Surrey batsman – confused out by the scoreboard operator.

With 98 runs showing against his name as he stroked a gorgeous drive through the covers to the boundary shortly after tea yesterday, Ramprakash's Surrey team-mates cheered from the pavilion and generous applause rang out around the Chesterfield ground.

Ramprakash appeared a little reluctant, it has to be said, to bask in the glow of a 112th first-class century but eventually raised his bat and shook hands with his partner.

Perhaps when you have scored as many hundreds as he has, you instinctively know how many runs you have and his apparent hesitation was explained moments later when the scoreboard clicked over to 99 and stayed there.

The board should have showed 95 before Ramprakash hit that four. He had been credited with three that were scored by Stewart Walters.

Two overs later, he played an inside edge on to his stumps off Tim Groenewald and was out for 99 for the fourth time in his career.

Did the moment of confusion disturb his concentration? It did not seem wise to ask the man himself as he dragged his feet across the outfield but he had batted so imperiously well up to that point that it seemed there was no other way Derbyshire were going to get him out.

How Derbyshire needed that slice of luck as they spent a long day in the field on their return to LV County Championship action for the first time in three weeks.

Surrey set off at a startling pace after winning the toss but both their openers were out before they could truly cause damage – Rory Hamilton-Brown caught at first slip off Steffan Jones for 24 and Arun Harinath lbw to Groenewald for 16 to make it 48-2 in the 11th over.

Derbyshire did not make a great start with the ball, with Tom Lungley looking particularly out of sorts, but they could be pleased with the sudden turn-around. The feeling did not last.

Ramprakash began to settle in for a long one and former Pakistan captain Younus Khan looked ominously good until he was caught behind off Jones for 45 to the fifth ball after lunch.

The rest of the afternoon belonged to Ramprakash and Usman Afzaal as they put on 141 in 39 overs for the fourth wicket. Afzaal was the more skittish of the two and somtimes rode his luck but he made a good 73 before being caught at second slip off Groenewald, who was certainly the pick of the Derbyshire bowling on his way to 5-75.

Ramprakash was simply ruthless, his attention apparently set on the inevitability of his hundred. He allowed himself one flamboyant moment – a straight six off Robin Peterson to bring up his 50 – but otherwise it was an object lesson in how to grind out a big score. He is a master of a dying art.

The end came for him to the 197th ball he faced and he hit nine fours as well as that one six but Derbyshire rallied after the Ramprakash dismissal. From 285-4, Surrey were a less commanding 364-9 at the close of the first day and a simple scoreboard error may have played a big part in this contest.