Surrey’s relentless five-pronged attack, superbly supported by England Test wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, overwhelmed Middlesex as the county champions secured a nine-wicket victory at the Kia Oval.
Foakes took six catches, a record in a class-leading round for Surrey against their London rivals, including two classy efforts, while Jordan Clark’s 4-25 led an irresistible collective performance with the ball that also included day four wickets for Sean Abbott, Kemar Roach and Gus Atkinson.
Dan Worrall, who took 5-48 in Middlesex’s 209 opener, was left without a wicket the second time around.
Only combative Ryan Higgins, who hit 42 from 71, and tailender Ethan Bamber, with a brilliant unbeaten 25, offered a fight with the bat as Middlesex went from their 128-3 night to 240.
That left Surrey needing just 70 for a third win in five County Championship games, with the 22 points retaining their position at the top of the Premier League and reminding everyone – if a reminder was needed – of their determination to defend last summer’s title triumph. taking back the crown.
Surrey captain Rory Burns was only able to add 14 to his opening 88 innings before taking off Tim Murtagh to slip, but Ryan Patel and Dom Sibley, not out 37 and 21 respectively, put in an unbroken 56 to facilitate Surrey to their first Championship victory against Middlesex since 2012.
Clark won the final day scalps of Luke Hollman, Middlesex captain Toby Roland-Jones and the all-rounder Higgins, while Abbott fired John Simpson and last man Murtagh to earn himself three for 31. Atkinson added the wicket by Pieter Malan to finish with 2-37.
It took just 21 balls for Surrey to make their first breakthrough on day four, Roach straightening one just enough around the wicket to southpaw Max Holden to graze the edge of his defensive bat en route to the keeper’s safety gloves Foaks. .
Holden, who had battled to keep Surrey’s five-point attack at bay on the third night, scored 43 after adding a single to his tally overnight.
Roach tormented Simpson, another southpaw, with his ability to curve the ball away from the stump line and beat it several times, but it was Abbott who claimed the Middlesex wicketkeeper’s scalp on the morning 11 .
And it was a brilliant dipping leg side catch from Foakes that ended Simpson’s resistance on the 23rd after he launched a rising ball aimed at him by Australian paceman Abbott from the wicket.
Higgins did his best to counterattack, twice driving Roach for four between pitcher and middle when the West Indies fast thrower overshot slightly, but an injured Malan – who arrived at number seven with Mark Stoneman as his runner – lasted just 10 balls for one before falling to an excellent tumbling catch on point by Patel off Atkinson.
That wicket came from Atkinson’s fourth ball, after he replaced Abbott at the Vauxhall End, and it continued the 25-year-old’s significant impact on the game after his first innings three for 18 and Stoneman’s dismissal the third afternoon.
Hollman was next to go, of four, giving Foakes diving his sixth catch of the innings when the southpaw hit a superb ball from Clark – again around the wicket.
Higgins, 28, was dropped over his head by Sibley on the first slip when he carried another sharp, lifted ball from the hostile Atkinson, but Clark then had Sibley catch Roland-Jones for six .
Bamber deployed fine offside shots as he hung out valiantly with Higgins, but it took just 2.4 overs for Surrey bowlers after the lunch interval to wrap up Middlesex’s innings.
Higgins topped Clark to Roach on the deep ropes from the wicket and Murtagh was launched for a duck as he swung away to swing hopefully over Abbott.
Report provided by the ECB Reporters Network.
