WORCESTERSHIRE LEFT IN SURREY'S WAKE by Marcus Hook
Worcestershire 304 & 165 v Surrey 576. Surrey win by an innings and 107 runs.

At New Road yesterday, despite various brief interruptions for rain, Surrey cruised to their eighth championship success of the summer. Their nearest challengers for the Division Two title, Worcestershire, were on the receiving end. It was also the Brown Caps' third victory of the season to be achieved inside three days and their third by innings. Not since the 2000 campaign have they won as many matches in a single campaign batting just once.

Surrey's victory, which sees them go 34 points clear at the top of the table, was set-up by their highest ever total against the Black Pears; beating the 544 they made on the same ground in 1904, when the Belgian-born John Raphael compensated for the early loss of Hayward and Leveson-Gower made an unbeaten 60 batting at number eleven.

On this occasion the Worcestershire attack had been made to suffer on day two; which was just as well, for the heavy cloud cover saw the advantage shift back in favour of the bowlers. As a consequence, the visitors only managed to add eighty runs to their overnight score before being bowled out for 576.

James Benning was caught on the mid-wicket boundary off Roger Sillence shortly after ending up on his posterior evading a bouncer from Zaheer Khan. The very next ball saw Alistair Brown nibbling at a short-pitched delivery and it was not long before Khan pushed one across Azhar Mahmood to have the Pakistan all-rounder caught behind.

Ian Salisbury trod on his stumps when a lifting ball ricocheted off his helmet for what everyone initially thought were leg-byes. Anil Kumble, driving, gave a sharp chance to Gareth Batty in the slips, but Rikki Clarke batted wonderfully, driving straight as well as through the on-side. With Mohammad Akram being adjudged lbw trying to work Matt Mason to leg, Clarke finished, unbowed, with 40 off 37 balls.

Two more wickets fell in the handful of overs available before lunch. Stephen Moore, beaten for pace, had the top of his off stump clipped by Akram, and in the second over of the innings Phil Jaques, lazily attempting to flick the ball through mid-wicket, hoisted a catch to Clarke.

After the break Azhar got one to leave Ben Smith off the pitch. He then had Steven Davies, cutting with little or no foot movement, caught behind and Daryl Mitchell squared up to make it 80 for five.

Vikram Solanki batted for three hours to record a 110-ball 56. Gareth Batty also provided some resistence, but when Solanki was caught at slip off Salisbury, Worcestershire succumbed tamely.

Sillence played inside a leg-break and was bowled. Khan's attempted slog sweep ended up at cover point. Mason was undone by one that Kumble got to skid on as well as keep low before Malik was similarly bamboozled.

GO TO:

BACK TO: