Despite Durham’s valiant efforts to reach 262 all out at the Kia Oval, Surrey emerged victorious on the first day of play in their quest for a third consecutive Vitality County Championship triumph. Despite Colin Ackermann‘s impressive unbeaten score of 78, he was left stranded when Dan Worrall took two fast wickets with the second new ball and finished with scores of 4 for 39.
Before the end of the 12-over batting session, Surrey stormed to 52 without loss in the late afternoon sun. Rory Burns, who had been hitting sixes and seven fours in a 46-ball 40 not out, had completed 1000 Championship runs for the season.
The 2022 and 2023 county champions, Surrey, were still in control of their own destiny going into the penultimate round of Division One play, eight points ahead of second-place Somerset, who had defeated them at Taunton the previous week.
And, having chosen to bowl first, they had reduced Durham to 134 for 5 by mid-afternoon, and it appeared that Surrey would easily dismiss their opponents for a respectable first-inning score.
But Ackermann and Bas de Leede then put on a blistering fifty-run partnership for the fifth wicket to blunt a six-pronged Surrey pace attack, of which only Conor McKerr (who was brought in at the 49th over and cost 33 for his four overs) was ineffective. After hitting six fours in his 36 balls, De Leede attempted a straightforward catch to wide mid-on after slicing a pull at a short ball from Tom Curran.
Ben Foakes caught Sam Curran removing Callum Parkinson for 1 shortly after tea, which caused Durham to become uneasy once more on 216 for 7. However, Ackermann carried on his fine form, hitting the younger Curran brother for a magnificent four straight drives. Daniel Hogg, a 19-year-old pacer playing in his fourth first-class match, supported him by helping him add 30 more runs for the eighth wicket.
After Hogg finished his six-run innings with a pull at Tom Lawes that found its way straight into the hands of Tom Curran at deep square leg, James Minto, a 16-year-old left-arm fast bowler, hit two fours off Clark in his first-class debut before Worrall bowled him for eight.
Two balls later, Ackermann hit 10 fours in his 125-ball performance, while Chemar Holder was leg-before-before to a Dan Worrall near-yorker.
Ben McKinney and Alex Lees had earlier given Durham’s innings a strong start, but the former was bowled shouldering arms to a Sam Curran no-ball when he was on 23 and the score was 44.
In Worrall’s second period, Surrey’s captain decided to move to the Pavilion End in order to take advantage of a light cross breeze, and both openers fell. McKinney was bowled for 23 on 60 after he pushed out from his body and edged to Foakes. Meanwhile, fellow left-hander Lees, who was captaining Durham in Scott Borthwick’s injured absence, was bowled for 36 by Worrall, who bowled him with such brilliance that it dived back into him late.
Tom Curran ended a difficult 12-ball stay on his Durham debut for a player who had joined on loan ahead of a permanent move from Northamptonshire this winter, by having Emilio Gay leg-before for a duck in between two wickets.
David Bedingham put on 51 with Ollie Robinson either side of lunch after being dropped by a diving Dom Sibley on 14 when he miscued a hook at Lawes towards point. Sibley had raced from second slip to try to get to the dropping ball. However, Surrey’s seamers would not let them get away, even though Bedingham hit consecutive fours off Lawes, through extra cover and wide of mid-on.
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Before Ackermann effectively marshalled the lower order, Jordan Clark pinned Robinson leg-before-for-17. Lawes then exacted revenge on Bedingham by producing a flawless away-swinger that had him trapped behind by a falling Foakes.
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