Simon King looked calm on the surface, but the glee he felt after making his Surrey debut against Kent in the Twenty20 Cup last Sunday was all too evident.

What made the 21-year-old off-break bowler's day all the more special was the fact that he was surrounded by his friends in a youthful Surrey side.

He said: "I enjoyed every minute of it. It's a great format of the game to be involved in. I've grown up playing with Matthew Spriegel, Laurie Evans and Chris Murtagh, so to make my debut with them was fantastic and I was happy with the way I bowled, although it's disappointing to have lost the game."

Already out of the competition, Surrey fell 16 runs short of their target after Kent had posted 184-7 at Beckenham.

The difference between the sides proved to be the batting. After winning the toss, the hosts racked up 184-7 thanks mainly to Martin van Jaarsveld's 64 and 47 from wicketkeeper Geraint Jones.

King was given the task of containing the pair and soon settled to his task having seen a nervous opening delivery dispatched for four. He said: "I found out I was playing the day before midway through my game for Reigate Priory against Malden Wanderers, so I didn't have too much time to think about it."

Asked if he had any pre-match nerves the night before his big game, King joked that there had been a bit of tossing and turning as he worried where he might be deposited for six, but he need not have worried. Kent's top batsmen failed to clear the ropes off his bowling.

He said: "The skipper just said: 'Kingy you're having a bowl. Set the field and get on with it', so I didn't have too much time to think about it.

"I was unlucky not to have Jones out a couple of times, but I didn't really think about who was at the other end. I was concentrating on doing my job and where I was going to bowl."

The pace of the shortest format of the game obviously suits King, who admits to being a "firey cricketer". He said: "I'd love to play more of that format. You see it on television and you want to be involved in it. The speed of the game surprised me. I looked up and saw that 15 overs were gone and I wondered where they had gone, but you want to be hitting boundaries and diving around."

King's potential was first spotted at Warlingham. The Church Lane side have struggled since he, and his brother Daryl, moved to Premier Division Reigate Priory, but the former John Fisher school boy says his old team-mates continue to be very supportive.

His development has been aided by some expert coaching from former England spinner Ashley Giles and Surrey 2nd XI coach Ian Salisbury.

King said: "It's the first year I've had a spin bowler as a coach. We had Geoff Arnold before, but it's great to have Ian Salisbury in my corner as he's brilliant, particularly in getting the boys geed up."

Having already impressed for Surrey's 2nd XI, King's performance at Beckenham (three overs for 28 runs without a wicket) showed sufficient promise for him to be handed his County Championship debut at Lord's two days later in preference to the more experienced Chris Schofield.

He again bowled with a maturity beyond his years finishing with 3-61 as Middlesex reached 385 in their first innings.