Alviro Petersen was the toast of Wales after an unbeaten 178 off 289 balls helped Glamorgan to a mammoth 352 for four on the opening day of their LV County Championship clash with Surrey at the Oval.

The Glamorgan skipper's first hundred for the visitors was complemented by Michael Powell's 99 from 178 deliveries in a 225-run third-wicket stand in 57 overs, a new Glamorgan record against Surrey.

After winning the toss and electing to bat on a well-grassed pitch the visitors raced to fifty inside 11 overs and at lunch had reached 111 for two.

The Welshmen were fortunate to see off the new ball for the loss of just one wicket - that of Gareth Rees, who was trapped on the crease by Jade Dernbach in the fifth over.

In the first hour, limited foot movement coupled with a policy of presenting the bat to anything remotely loose also prompted a number of appeals for catches behind the wicket - and even one at second slip - but umpire Steve O'Shaugnessy's hands remained firmly behind his back.

At one stage Will Bragg cut Dernbach over backward point for six and the opening session would have belonged exclusively to the visitors had Bragg not fallen to Zander de Bruyn shortly before lunch.

Despite needing treatment to his back, Petersen was still there at the break, on 48. The Glamorgan captain duly moved to his fifty, off 84 balls, in the fourth over after lunch.

Petersen nearly perished on 67 when Chris Jordan, running in from deep fine leg, could only get a hand to a top-edged hook off Dernbach. But for much of Petersen and Powell's third-wicket alliance, the ball scarcely beat the outside edge.

Gareth Batty's first over brought a sweep from Petersen that sailed over the square leg boundary for six, though not before the South African had driven Tim Linley majestically straight down the ground for four.

In the 55th over, Petersen went to three figures, from 163 deliveries, when a single to long-on off Batty had four overthrows added to it. His century featured 10 fours, a six, that five and a bizarre seven when a push for three to long-on was returned wildly to the third man boundary by Dernbach.

Powell took an immediate liking to Chris Schofield, pulling his first ball for four and repeating the dose from his fifth and again from the first delivery of Schofield's next over, taking Powell to a 102-ball half-century just before tea.

In the 78th over, Petersen cover drove Batty to bring up his 150, in 227 deliveries, and take his side past the 300-mark.

Five overs later, Powell was within touching distance of a hundred when a bottom edge trickled agonisingly onto his stumps. Shortly before the close Ben Wright was caught at second slip for a 23-ball duck, giving Dernbach a second scalp to celebrate on the day he was awarded his Surrey cap.