Rory Burns’ side created history in 2024, becoming the first team since 1968 to win three successive County Championship titles
Once again, the Three Feathers needed to get off to a good start if they were complete the historic hat-trick of Championship’s.
With a great mix of experienced heads and budding young stars, skipper Rory Burns challenged his side to take on the task head-on from the first ball of the season, to attack their crown rather than defending it.
SPIN TWINS SHINE ON WET OPENING WEEKEND – LANCASHIRE V SURREY – APRIL 5-8 – MATCH DRAWN
Starting the season two years running in Manchester was always asking a lot of the weather. While rain barely interrupted 12 months earlier, this time it confined play to 80.3 overs, almost exclusively on the second day.
The first had been abandoned by 12.30pm, giving Surrey just three more to force a first victory at Old Trafford in 2004. A wet outfield meant the second could not start until 1.10pm, Rory Burns not surprisingly inserting the visitors given the pitch had been covered for two days and the forecast ahead meant an almost certain scramble for bonus points.
New boy Dan Lawrence’s early entry into the attack paid off when he took a fine low return catch to remove Keaton Jennings in the 12th over. Luke Wells paid for an airy pull to deep midwicket, the bowlers having to cope with a wind so blustery that it brought down a temporary sightscreen.
With help from neither the pitch nor the Kookaburra ball, Surrey had to concentrate on keeping things tight, Lawrence doing a sterling job. Cameron Steel’s entry to the attack presaged the big breakthrough, bowling George Balderson with his fifth ball of the season, Lawrence ending Josh Bohannon’s excellent 84. Lancashire’s position weakened even more when Matty Hurst padded up to the next delivery and now there was no escape for the hosts as they lost their final eight wickets for just 52. Kiwi Tom Bruce’s debut innings ended at the hands of Lawrence and Steel rushed through the rest as he claimed a career-best haul, both spinners helped by fine catching led by Ben Foakes.
Having picked both Australia’s master off-spinner Nathan Lyon and England left-armer Tom Hartley, Lancashire got them into the attack in the five overs remaining of the day. But having taken no batting bonus points, they would be unable to gain any bowling either.
Surrey returned to face 21 balls on day three, the high winds giving safety concerns for groundstaff removing the covers, play being abandoned at 4pm. And there never looked to be a chance of resumption on the fourth day, which was called off at 2.15pm, giving Surrey 11 points to their opponents’ eight.
OUR INTENSITY IS OUR IDENTITY – SURREY V SOMERSET – APRIL 12 – 15: MATCH DRAWN
Surrey claimed 14 points from this draw, a run chase in the final hour having petered out.
Somerset were sailing along serenely on the opening afternoon at 196-1 when Matt Renshaw was run out, attempting the single which would give Tom Lammonby his century. That sent the visitors into a meltdown of seven wickets for 20, the familiar obstacle of Lewis Gregory – aided by last man Shoaib Bashir – earning his side respectability. Cameron Steel maintained his fine form from Old Trafford in mopping up.
That total was put into perspective by Rory Burns and Dominic Sibley – scoring his first century since returning to the Kia Oval – putting on 167 for the first wicket, the early-season pitch and soft Kookaburra balls militating against speedy progress against accurate bowling. Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton scored more freely, a long containing spell from off-spinner Bashir keeping his side in the match while Kasey Aldridge cashed in towards the end.
Day four began with Somerset just 61 in front and with only four wickets left, Surrey finding themselves frustrated for a second time in the match by skipper Gregory. He was given invaluable assistance by first Aldridge and then Craig Overton, Steel’s career-best match haul finally polishing off the innings.
It left just 19 overs to make 209, Smith and Lawrence setting off at a great lick. The latter hit three sixes – one of them hitting a door on the Pavilion Shelf, a giant blow – in putting on 90 from 8.1 overs. They were separated by Gregory, Aldridge adding three more wickets to his collection with rather chilly hands being shaken when five overs were left to bowl.
DOMINANT DAN SCORES FIRST CENTURY IN DERBY WIN – KENT V SURREY – APRIL 19 – 22: SURREY WON BY AN INNINGS & 37 RUNS
Surrey’s first win of the season came after seeing off a battling Kent side and in arctic conditions. The teams observed a minute’s silence before the start for Derek Underwood and Raman Subba Row, who had died in the preceding four days.
Rain took all but 11 deliveries off the first two sessions, Dan Worrall announcing his return from injury by reducing Kent to 8-2. The hosts recovered as Daniel Bell-Drummond led a fine stand with Jack Leaning before being trapped in front near the close by Tom Lawes.
Leaning followed from the third ball of the second day, Surrey making steady progress through the Kent order while managing not to catch pneumonia.
Dominic Sibley’s marathon century a year earlier in a mighty run chase was not forgotten as he set out with skipper Rory Burns, their second century stand of the season leaving the visitors in a powerful position of 185-1 by the close, Burns the only loss. They kicked on powerfully the next morning, Sibley clipping Jas Singh through square-leg to reach his century while Dan Lawrence made the most of his promotion up the order to record a maiden century for his new county.
A low return catch to Matt Parkinson finally ended Sibley’s stay and the rest of the order sought quick runs to build on their strong position, knowing that rain was threatened on the final day.
Burns declared at tea, leg-spinner Parkinson’s perseverance rewarded by his five wickets, Kent having to rejig their order because of Ben Compton’s sore neck. Worrall removed Zak Crawley for the second time in the match – providing Ben Foakes with his 300th first-class victim for Surrey – and sent Bell-Drummond’s middle pole flying, Kent 120-5 overnight and knowing probably only rain could save them.
It didn’t. Although the dogged Compton departed in the fifth over, it was Surrey’s only success before lunch but Evison once again proved an obstacle and Parkinson proved remarkably effective in frustrating his opponents.
Evison departed just after the break, though, and the rest followed reasonably quickly as Cam Steel took his wicket tally to 20 in three games, only last man Arafat Bhuiyan holding things up before the points were safely garnered.
A maiden Surrey century for Dan Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/UR1gDHSev8
— Vitality County Championship (@CountyChamp) April 21, 2024
BOWLING ATTACK TOO MUCH FOR HAMPSHIRE – SURREY V HAMPSHIRE – APRIL 26 – 29: SURREY WON BY AN INNINGS & 11 RUNS
Scrapping hard for supremacy on the opening day paid dividends as Surrey racked up another heavy home win over Hampshire.
James Vince’s men arrived at the Kia Oval with two defeats by an innings plus one by nine wickets since 2021 and by lunch on day four were heading back down the M3 after yet another mauling.
Having been sent in, they were in dire trouble at 64-6 on a pitch offering pace and movement, Nick Gubbins and James Fuller holding things up with a fighting alliance before Surrey’s seam attack finished them off.
Yet the home batting found life equally tricky, Kyle Abbott castling in-form Dom Sibley in the second over and Surrey in trouble at 44-4. Skipper Rory Burns had shown signs of returning to his best in the previous two matches and now used all his experience and craft, offering his colleagues a lesson in how to counter the moving ball and finding an invaluable partner in Ryan Patel, who matched defiance with attack in stroking eight fours before being defeated by a ball which sneaked through near the end.
Nightwatchman Kemar Roach frustrated Hampshire for more than an hour on day two, his partnership with Burns taking Surrey into the lead. That was still insubstantial when Jordan Clark arrived but while Burns moved steadily to his 25th first-class century – and first since July 2022 – the all-rounder took command. His captain’s invaluable innings was finally terminated after seven hours but Clark – hitting 12 fours and a six – took just 102 balls, earning an unexpected third batting point.
Hampshire were already in trouble again by the end of day two at 31-2, a deficit of 92, but overnight downpours and more rain into the afternoon tested the groundstaff to the full. Their superb efforts meant 32 overs were possible and Surrey used them to snap up another three wickets. Ben Brown provided the main resistance before skying Cameron Steel into the legside for Patel take a well-judged catch in the deep.
Worrall’s command of swing and seam had already stood out but Ollie Pope at second slip was making up for a rare failure against Hampshire at The Oval and edging towards a record.
Having taken two catches in the first innings, he claimed six more to equal Tony Lock’s record from 1957 (against Warwickshire at The Oval), a spectacular tumbling effort to his right to snap up Brad Wheal completing Worrall’s five-wicket haul and nailing victory.
