Surrey go clear at top with win over Warwickshire | Kent hold off Worcs

Surrey took just 39 minutes on the fourth morning to complete an impressive nine-wicket victory over Warwickshire at the Kia Oval and go 21 points clear at the top of Vitality County Championship Division One.

Surrey began the final day needing 58 more runs to win, after resuming on 31-0 chasing a modest fourth-innings target of 89 for a third successive win and a maximum 24 points.

Dom Sibley finished unbeaten on 46 alongside Ollie Pope (13no) after Surrey captain Rory Burns (30) hit Jacob Bethell to deep mid-on soon after skipping down the pitch and lofting the same bowler straight for six.

Felix Organ (18no) and James Vince (35no) put on 53 to take Hampshire out of a mini-collapse to complete a draw with Durham which had been inescapable since Friday.

Fast bowler Matthew Potts (2-19) reminded England of his skill by removing Hampshire’s openers Ali Orr (four) and Fletcha Middleton (five).

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However, Durham’s bowling attack were unable to get through Organ and Vince’s defences as bad light and rain saw the match drawn at 3.40pm.

A maiden first-class century from wicketkeeper Matthew Hurst (104) salvaged some pride for Lancashire but could not stop Nottinghamshire completing a nine-wicket win at Trent Bridge.

Nottinghamshire had begun the day scenting an innings victory, holding a 72-run advantage with Lancashire six down, but 20-year-old Hurst defied them with an impressive ton that included 10 fours and four sixes.

Lancashire were dismissed for 252, leaving the home side needing just 81 to win, so the result was never in serious doubt.

Kent survived some occasional alarms to bat out a draw with Worcestershire on the final day of their clash at Canterbury.

Captains Daniel Bell-Drummond and Brett D’Oliveira shook hands just after 5pm, with Kent on 146-4 in their second innings, still 65 runs behind Worcestershire’s mammoth first-innings score of 618-7 declared.

Ben Gibbon (2-38) earned two scalps but the visitors used nine different bowlers during Kent’s second innings and failed to break down some stiff middle-order resistance, spearheaded by Harry Finch (48no) and Bell-Drummond (41).

In Division Two, pace bowler Marchant de Lange (3-58) led the charge to set up Gloucestershire’s first Championship victory since September 2022 on the final day of their clash against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

Northamptonshire resumed on 144-2, needing 414 more runs to win or to bat out the whole day to secure a draw. For a while that looked a possibility as India international Karun Nair (61) and George Bartlett (42) shared a fluent stand of 83 in 24 overs.

But the second new ball proved decisive and Josh Shaw (2-56) and De Lange did the damage as Northamptonshire ultimately fell to a heavy 256-run defeat.

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