Leaders Surrey thump Worcestershire by 281 runs
Vitality County Championship Division One, The Kia Oval (day three)
Surrey 213 & 427: Clark 98, Lawrence 87; Singh 4-103
Worcestershire 128: Worrall 6-22 & 231: Gibbon 75; Worrall 4-35
Surrey (19 pts) beat Worcs (3 pts) by 281 runs
Surrey’s quest for a hat-trick of County Championship titles gained further momentum with a 281-run demolition of Worcestershire inside three days.
Dan Worrall added 4-35 to his first-innings 6-22 and late hitting from Ben Gibbon and Nathan Smith merely delayed the inevitable as Worcestershire, set an unrealistic 513 to win, were bowled out for 231. Gibbon hit a career-best 75 from 63 balls and Smith 60.
It is Surrey’s fourth successive victory and, having begun the game already 21 points clear, their 19-point haul could stretch their lead.
Surrey’s second-innings 427 left Worcestershire, 85 runs in arrears on first innings, with an impossible task and their top order were no match for Worrall and company.
Gareth Roderick nibbled a leg-side catch to keeper Ben Foakes off Worrall for one and Kashif Ali (12) glanced Kemar Roach to Dan Lawrence at leg slip.
Soon Worcestershire were 34-4 as Worrall had Jake Libby (13) and Adam Hose (one) caught behind.
Gus Atkinson bowled Brett D’Oliveira for 13 and Matthew Waite edged Sean Abbott behind to leave his side 69-6.
Worrall trapped Rob Jones leg-before for 14 and Roach also returned to have Joe Leach caught behind for six.
New Zealand international Smith offered defiance with some lovely strokes in Gibbon he found a willing partner in a ninth-wicket stand of 71.
But after hitting Lawrence for two sixes, Smith launched him high to Roach at long-on.
Gibbon took three sixes from Lawrence’s third over, completing his maiden first-class fifty, before hooking Abbott over deep mid-wicket for another.
Yadvinder Singh joined in the fun as an unbeaten 14 helped Gibbon post another 58 for the last wicket before Gibbon holed out off Lawrence.
Surrey earlier spent 75 minutes adding 85 to their overnight 342-5, with Lawrence and Clark – resuming on 86 and 69 respectively – failing to complete their hundreds after adding 117 together in 22 overs for the sixth wicket.
Clark fell for 98, lbw to Waite, after Lawrence went in the morning’s second over having added just a single.
Abbott hit two sixes and helped Clark add a quickfire 42 before his merry 38 off 31 ended when he was bowled by Singh – who ended up with 4-103 on his first-class debut when he also bowled Worrall for two.
Report by ECB Reporters' Network.
