County Championship review: Surrey beat Yorkshire

Monday

Sam Curran was the star of the show as Surrey's young-gun bowlers made short work of Yorkshire to inflict an innings defeat and surge up to second in the Specsavers County Championship Division One table.

Curran (four for 47) took over from his fellow teenager Amar Virdi on the final morning at The Oval, the left-arm swing bowler finishing with a career-best 10 for 101 match haul in the innings-and-17-run win.

Yorkshire, following on, were well-beaten with more than two sessions to spare as their last five wickets could add only 26 runs on the resumption en route to 168 all out.

Elsewhere, James Vince's remarkable double-century for Hampshire was one of two heartening performances from Test hopefuls as Durham fast bowler Mark Wood also proved his well-being before England announce their squad on Tuesday to face Pakistan.

After table-topping Nottinghamshire's shock defeat at home to Lancashire over the weekend, Vince's unbeaten 201 helped to stop Somerset charging ahead in a hard-earned draw at Taunton.

The hosts, without England spinner Jack Leach after he broke his left thumb in the nets, managed to end Vince's third-wicket stand of 194 with South African great Hashim Amla (107).

But Vince took a timely opportunity to demonstrate he can dig in better than most as well as dominate. He batted for more than eight-and-a-half hours in a 437-ball rearguard.

He was joined in an unbroken partnership of 176 by back-to-form Rilee Rossouw (65no) to emphatically close out the stalemate on 432 for four declared.

There was a trickier route to a similar outcome in Derbyshire and Durham's high-scoring Division Two encounter - despite Wood's figures of six for 46.

On a potentially awkward last day for the hosts, starting 92 behind with all second-innings wickets intact, Wood made them sweat but could not quite break the resistance which eked out 279 for nine as Durham ran out of time - still 186 runs behind.

Gloucestershire also earned a tough draw against Middlesex, having followed on 245 runs behind at Lord's.

Their hero was James Bracey with an unbeaten 125 from 271 balls in a second-innings 326 for four declared, as Dawid Malan's men were comfortably kept at bay.

Sunday

Lancashire overwhelmed Nottinghamshire by an innings and 67 runs to seal their first victory of the Specsavers County Championship season.

It took little over an hour on the third morning of the Division One match at Trent Bridge to secure the win, Graham Onions taking six for 55 as Notts crumbled to 138 all out.

England Test captain Joe Root was out twice in a day at the Kia Oval, dismissed both times by 19-year-olds as Sam Curran and Amar Virdi underlined their huge potential to sweep Surrey towards victory against Yorkshire.

Curran took six for 54 in Yorkshire's first innings, when even Jonny Bairstow's 95 off 94 balls could not prevent them from following on having made 229 in reply to Surrey's 414.

Root's bid to repair the second innings from 10 for two was cut short when off-spinner Virdi drew him forward with a beautiful delivery that drifted away and then turned back through the gate.

Virdi's three for 52 left Yorkshire 142 for five, still trailing by 43, as Surrey aim to complete their first win against Yorkshire at the Oval since September 2001.

Five wickets each for Peter Siddle and Simon Harmer enabled champions Essex to beat Worcestershire by 32 runs.

Siddle signed off his short spell in the County Championship in style with five for 37, including an initial burst of 9-1-14-3, and Harmer worked his way through the middle and lower order with five for 43 as Worcestershire, chasing 215, were bowled out for 182 and suffered a fourth defeat in five matches.

Hashim Amla and James Vince gave Hampshire a fighting chance of saving their match with Somerset at 178 for two.

Things looked bleak for the visitors when the home side extended their first innings to 506 all out, James Hildreth making 184 and Dom Bess 92. Gareth Berg claimed five for 130.

That gave Somerset a lead of 275 and they pressed home the advantage by reducing Hampshire to 39 for two in their second innings before Amla and Vince launched a stubborn third-wicket stand.

Warwickshire cemented their place at the top of Division Two by beating Northamptonshire by six wickets.

The leaders wrapped up a third successive win on day three but the result was far from assured when chasing 179 on a pitch offering variable bounce. Will Rhodes' maiden first-class hundred made sure.

Leicestershire held off an extraordinary fightback by Glamorgan's Marchant de Lange to earn a dramatic three-run win.

Glamorgan, chasing 251, crashed to 107 for seven but number nine De Lange blasted 90 off 45 balls, with eight sixes, before hoisting a Ben Raine full toss to Callum Parkinson on the boundary as he sought the winning runs. Raine took four for 44.

New Zealand international Matt Henry starred with both bat and ball as Kent beat Sussex by 58 runs.

The 26-year-old top-scored with a belligerent 55 in Kent's second innings and then claimed six for 53 and 10 in the match, helping to dismiss neighbours Sussex for 211 and clinch a third successive Division Two win with a day to spare.

Stuart Poynter and Michael Richardson helped Durham to a first-innings lead of 92 on day three against Derbyshire.

Poynter made his maiden championship century and Richardson scored his first in nearly four years as the pair shared Durham's record sixth-wicket stand of 278.

Gloucestershire face an uphill battle to stave off defeat after following on against Middlesex at Lord's.

Visiting captain Chris Dent top-scored with 66 but it was not enough to prevent his side being bowled out for 210. They trail by 179 after reaching 66 for two second time around.

Saturday

Keaton Jennings' century helped put Lancashire on course for their first County Championship win of the season against Division One leaders Nottinghamshire.

Jennings hit 21 fours on his way to 126 at Trent Bridge for his second-successive hundred as Lancashire posted 338 before reducing Notts to 106 for five in their second innings.

Notts, bowled out for 133 first time around, lost their first three wickets for one run in their second innings before reaching 106 for five at the close, still 99 runs behind.

Lancashire pair Graham Onions and James Anderson shared the wickets in an outstanding spell of new-ball bowling.

Surrey batsman Ollie Pope hit a career-best 158 not out before rain ruined the second day of their match against Yorkshire at the Kia Oval.

The 20-year-old's third Championship century, in only his 10th first-class game, helped Surrey make 414 after they had resumed on 366 for seven, before they reduced Yorkshire to 40 for three.

England captain Joe Root ended the day unbeaten on 14 with Yorkshire trailing by 374.

England hopeful James Hildreth hit his 43rd first class century to put Somerset in a strong position against Hampshire at Taunton.

The 33-year-old was unbeaten on 125 when bad light ended play, as his side posted 324 for seven in reply to Hampshire's first-innings total of 231, a lead of 93. Craig Overton contributed 80.

Hildreth played with customary freedom to record his 41st hundred for Somerset, made off 138 deliveries, with 13 boundaries.

Joe Clarke also delivered a perfectly-timed message to the England selectors with another superb century for Worcestershire in their match against Essex at New Road.

Clarke followed up his 157 against Surrey last week with his 11th first class hundred in only his 52nd match, which helped Worcestershire post 238 in reply to Essex's first-innings score of 177.

Essex reached 143 for four in their second innings to lead by 82 runs.

Division Two leaders Warwickshire's game against Northamptonshire at Edgbaston is hanging in the balance.

Both sides are eyeing up victory, with Northants reaching 160 for seven in their second innings before bad light ended the second day 14 overs early to see the visitors lead by 151 with three wickets remaining.

Leicestershire turned their Division Two match against Glamorgan on its head at the Fischer County Ground.

Opener Paul Horton hit an aggressive 50, his third half-century of the season, before rain caused an early end with Leicestershire leading by 132 - on 119 for two - with eight second-innings wickets in hand.

It was a remarkable turnaround as the visitors had begun the day on 82 without loss before being bowled out for 178 in reply to Leicestershire's first-innings score of 191.

At Lord's, Middlesex reached 455 for eight against Gloucestershire before rain arrived 10 minutes before lunch and prevented any further play.

Middlesex resumed on 356 for six, but only 26 overs were possible and they missed out on a fifth batting point.

Durham's Mark Wood provided England with some encouragement in the match against Derbyshire at Derby.

The fast bowler generated pace and movement and claimed the wicket of Wayne Madsen, but Derbyshire still finished on top.

Matt Critchley (64) and Daryn Smit (45 not out) lifted the home side's first-innings score to 427 as Durham trail by 312 after closing on 115 for two.

In Canterbury, Kent, third in the table, lead second-placed Sussex by 159 after reaching 125 for four in their second innings in another rain-affected match.

Friday

Test hopeful Nick Gubbins fell just one run short of a second successive century in a new round of Specsavers County Championship matches.

On a day when Ollie Pope hit the only hundred in nine fixtures, for Surrey against Yorkshire at The Oval, Middlesex opener Gubbins consolidated his fine form after a hamstring injury delayed his start to the season.

The uncapped left-hander hit 18 fours from 138 balls before going caught behind to Gloucestershire seamer Dan Worrall in a total of 356 for six in the Division Two match at Lord's - a timely innings as new national selector Ed Smith prepares to announces his first Test squad next Tuesday.

Middlesex were also well-served by twin contributions of 76 from Dawid Malan and England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan, returning to first-class cricket for the first time in almost three years.

Across the Thames, there was no reassurance for Mark Stoneman - current incumbent ahead of Gubbins as Alastair Cook's England opening partner.

After he fell cheaply, Pope (131no) took over on the way to 366 for seven.

The 20-year-old hit his third first-class century in only his 10th match, sharing a seventh-wicket stand of 129 with veteran Rikki Clarke (71) to defy Yorkshire - being led by England captain Joe Root in the absence of poorly Gary Ballance.

Division One leaders Nottinghamshire had a tough time at Trent Bridge, where Lancashire's Graham Onions took the first three wickets in a total of 133 all out.

The Red Rose were already in front on 157 for four by the close, Alex Davies leading the way with 50 off just 40 balls and his fellow opener and England aspirant Keaton Jennings finishing unbeaten on a painstaking 52.

Essex continued their early-season struggles when young seamers Josh Tongue (four for 45) and Ed Barnard shared seven wickets as promoted Worcestershire bowled the champions out for 177 at New Road.

The hosts then replied with 47 for none.

On a rain-shortened day at Taunton, Somerset captain Tom Abell again enhanced his growing reputation as an all-rounder with figures of three for 18 in Hampshire's 198 for eight.

Back down in Division Two, Northamptonshire were indebted to Steven Crook's counter-attacking 92 from number eight as they recovered from 52 for six to 256 all out against table-toppers Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

Crook and New Zealander Doug Bracewell (81) doubled the total in a century stand for the eighth wicket, despite teenage seamer Henry Brookes' career-best four for 54.

Warwickshire then reached 100 for four, with Ian Bell unbeaten on 55.

Wayne Madsen (80no) top-scored in Derbyshire's promising 301 for four at home to Durham.

At Grace Road, Neil Dexter (87) bailed out Leicestershire as they battled back from 67 for six to 191 all out against Glamorgan - who nonetheless closed in control on 82 for none.

South African all-rounder David Wiese (four for 54) was in credit as Sussex bowled Kent out for 215 in a hectic start to the derby at Canterbury - despite a hard-working 60 from his compatriot Heino Kuhn.

The visitors then struggled to 69 for four at stumps as the prolific Matt Henry took three for 24.

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