Notts beat Surrey to become title favourites

Kia Oval, Division One, is the venue for the Rothesay County Championship.

Nottinghamshire 231 &amp, 256: Patterson-White 58, Fisher 6-73

Surrey 173 &amp, 294: Lawrence 50, Tongue 5-100

Surrey defeated Notts (20 runs) by 20 runs to win the match (3 runs).

Nottinghamshire defeated Surrey 20-run in a thrilling 20-run victory over Surrey at The Oval, which was Josh Tongue’s best-ever championship victory since 2010.

After a final day of consistently fluctuating fortunes and full of incident, Tongue took the final three wickets to send his side over the line despite a defiant 33 from Tom Lawes. Surrey, who had needed 315 in the fourth innings of a fantastic contest, were bowled out for 294.

Lawes managed a few boundaries before trying to beat a spread field once more by securing Ben Slater on the deep extra cover rope to start the joyful Notts celebrations.

Dan Lawrence scored 50 runs and appeared in a brave 51-run stand with Tom Curran that put Notts back on top as the required runs were slashed to 75, but the visitors held their nerves.

When Curran hit his fourth ball for a 33-ball 33, the slow left-arrmer Liam Patterson-White brought on for what eventually became the game’s sole over of spin, Dillon Pennington removed Lawrence from the stage to Tongue.

The powerful England Test fast bowler let go of Lawes and Gus Atkinson’s admirable eighth wicket stand when they were both caught at first slip for 11 wickets.

Then, four balls later, Matt Fisher was forced to chop down into his own stumps to go for a duck due to sheer pace. Lawes and Worrall fought back until Tongue delivered the coup de grace, but 34 more runs were required.

With just one round of matches left, Notts moved 14 points clear of Surrey at the top of Division One with their win. It was a great advertisement for County Championship cricket.

When they host Warwickshire at Trent Bridge next week, Notts will need a maximum of 11 points, with some even lower scores, to defend the title. Surrey is still striving for a fourth successive championship, but it relys heavily on Warwickshire to send them a favor by visiting Hampshire.

When Surrey resumed with a 66-0 victory, Notts appeared to be the favorites, chasing a far-off victory target in a match dominated by two top-notch pace attacks.

After the openers were lost early, Surrey had 41 chances, and Ollie Pope, who had already beaten them by 122 runs, lost their fifth wicket six overs after lunch.

Surrey became the first to lose by six balls, but the Lawrence-Curran stand resulted in a 240-5 victory.

The match was still tantalisingly poised at lunch despite Surrey’s 97 runs scored in the morning session, for the loss of four wickets, despite it’s apparent that Ben Foakes and Pope’s dismissals had caused Notts’ favor once more.

Rory Burns, who was bowling from around the wicket from the fourth over for 45, was palpably leg-before he missed it when he attempted to whip a straight ball from Tongue, who was 41 overnight.

Dom Sibley had just seven runs to go with an 18-run day before getting tangled up with Brett Hutton’s ball, which he had clearly intended to return to him, and was edged to second slip.

Pope had already endured a difficult start to his innings by that point. He lucky not to edge the widish outswinger from Hutton when he threw his bat at him on two, and Tongue flashed a vicious delivery that bounced and pushed him past his defenses.

Pope scored a consolation on four by nicking Tongue for a sluggish boundary, but soon England’s vice-captain was also eying some high marks, including a stunning on-driven four off Tongue and an extra cover drive against Hutton, which raised Surrey’s 100.

After being beaten on 26 by a corker from James, Pope then had to dive full length into the crease at the bowler’s end to avoid being run out by Haseeb Hameed’s direct hit from midway.

However, Notts was waiting as Tongue had Foakes (18) well-held as he was pushed forward by Patterson-White at first slip before James, who had a fine catch diving to his right by Freddie McCann at the following over, captured Pope’s prized scalp.

Ryan Patel attempted to pull James wide mid-wicket but was badly dropped by keeper Kyle Verreyne off Tongue on one. He was unsuccessful and miscued horribly to mid-range in the middle of the match.

Surrey finished the game 193-5, but Curran joined them in launching their thrilling counter-attack. Tongue, who was attempting to find another breakthrough, did well on several occasions but ended up being costly.

With 17 being plucked from the 54th over of the innings as a result of Curran’s two legside fours and Lawrence’s additional, Pennington also felt the force of the Surrey sixth wicket pair’s strokeplay before completing the over with a flowing drive for three to extra cover.

Their fifty-year partnership ended with Curran’s brilliant comeo when he yorked himself, giving Patterson-White the lead, and Verreyne finished the stumping.

After Lawrence’s next over, Pennington shuffled across his stumps leg-before, and at 246-7, Notts again appeared to have the upper hand. They did, but only justly.