LONDON, Thursday - Surrey won their first county championship title since Adam Hollioake captained them to success in 2002 as they beat Worcestershire by three wickets on Thursday.
Their victory had been set up by their star performer this season, South African bowling great Morne Morkel, who took 5-24 in Worcestershire’s second innings on Wednesday -- the fourth time he has taken five wickets in the eight matches he has played in the campaign.
Openers Mark Stoneman and captain Rory Burns gave Surrey a solid start in their chase of 272 and the crown with an opening stand of 111 but Worcestershire -- who are in danger of relegation -- fought hard to take seven wickets.
However, it was appropriately Rikki Clarke -- the only player who bridged the gap between the two title successes -- who at 36 steadied the ship but left it to Morkel to score the winning runs, prompting joyous scenes of jubilation.
The championship rewarded five years of hard labour for Surrey’s director of cricket Alec Stewart.
“Things were struggling. I can’t hide behind that,” said the former Surrey and England captain.
“I said ‘if I’m going to come back, let me try and do it my way and if it doesn’t work kick me out -- but if it does work then you can pat me on the back, even though it will be the players who have done it’.
“I said ‘give us a couple of years to get things to where they potentially could be to then move forward’ and that’s what has happened,” added the 55-year-old.
For Surrey it was their ninth successive county championship victory, equalling a run they had back in 1999 under Hollioake who guided them to three titles in four years.
Even more cheering for England supporters was that seven of the 11 in the side were home-grown products, whilst Surrey fans will be delighted Morkel has two years remaining on his contract.
The celebrations may well not be over for Burns either as he is touted for a place on the England tour of Sri Lanka having struck four centuries and six half-centuries in passing 1,000 first-class runs for the fifth straight season.
Yorkshire took the last three Lancashire wickets early on the final morning to seal a potentially crucial 95-run victory at Headingley. The result means Yorkshire leapfrog their Roses rivals, who drop into the relegation zone with one game to play.
Resuming on 109-7, needing another 121 to win, Jack Brooks (4-47) uprooted Keshav Maharaj’s leg stump for 18.
Brooks then bowled Graham Onions, before Ben Coad completed a five-wicket haul to leave the visitors 134 all out.
Centuries from debutant Murali Vijay and Tom Westley guided Essex to an eight-wicket win over Nottinghamshire.
The defending champions chased 282 at Trent Bridge to all but guarantee their Division One status for next season. India opener Vijay added to his first-innings half-century with a ton off 173 balls while Westley reached his first century this season off 193 deliveries.
The pair put on 204 for the second wicket to seal Essex’s fifth win of the season, moving them up to third place.
English county scores on Thursday:
COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP
FIRST DIVISION
l At Headingley: Yorkshire 209 (T Kohler-Cadmore 105 no; G Onions 4-76) and 272 (G Ballance 85, T Kohler-Cadmore 63; T Bailey 4-69) v Lancashire 252 (A Davies 87; J Brooks 5-66) and 134 (B Coad 5-24, J Brooks 4-47)
Yorkshire beat Lancashire by 95 runs
l At New Road: Worcestershire 336 (R Whiteley 91, T Fell 69, E Barnard 63; T Curran 4-61) and 203 (T Fell 89; M Morkel 5-24) v Surrey 268 (R Burns 122) and 274-7 (R Burns 66, M Stoneman 59)
Surrey beat Worcestershire by 3 wkts
l At Trent Bridge: Nottinghamshire 177 (J Porter 4-50) and 337 (K Brathwaite 68, B Slater 54, S Mullaney 53; S Harmer 6-87) v Essex 233 (M Vijay 56; S Mullaney 4-68) and 282-2 (T Westley 110 no, M Vijay 100)
Essex beat Nottinghamshire by 8 wkts
SECOND DIVISION
l At Cardiff: Glamorgan 137 (C Cooke 60; C Miles 4-42, D Payne 4-25) and 251 (T van der Gugten 60 no, D Lloyd 54; M Taylor 5-81, C Miles 4-48) v Gloucestershire 354 (J Taylor 112, B Charlesworth 72; T van der Gugten 4-66) and 35-1
Gloucestershire beat Glamorgan by 9 wkts
l At Northampton: Northamptonshire 255 (Saif Zaib 57, B Curran 51; A Hughes 4-57) and 199 (R Vasconcelos 62; G Viljoen 4-51) v Derbyshire 222 (A Hughes 75; B Hutton 5-59) and 234-9 (W Madsen 62, H Hosein 54 no) Derbyshire beat Northamptonshire by 1 wkt. – AFP
Add new comment