Surrey move to the brink of Championship three-peat by thrashing Durham

Hazy and sun-kissed, just as the summer was supposed to be. A general feeling of better late than never prevailed as south London basked in 25 degrees of heat. And not just because of the delightfully warm weather.

Surrey defeated Durham by ten wickets thanks to two tucked to midwicket by captain Rory Burns on the final day of cricket at the Kia Oval. The championship of 2024 County Championship is within sight with one round remaining. Cutlery is now as certain as it should have been at the beginning of the week.

As of this writing, Somerset trails the defending champions by 28 points; to close the gap to 12 heading into the last match, Somerset must chase down 393 against Lancashire.

Thus, the pressure would be on Surrey to defeat Essex in Chelmsford the following week.

Three-peats are difficult, but if they are confirmed in the latter days of September or on Friday in the event that Somerset loses, the wait will be worthwhile.

On days one and two, Surrey did not back down from a challenge, but on day three, they were spared from going above and beyond. Durham arrived on 1 for 1, and six balls into the morning session, they had already lost two more wickets. After Callum Parkinson was dismissed with the opening delivery of the second innings, Daniel Hogg—the second nightwatcher—lost his off stump, giving Dan Worrall his 50th Division One wicket of the year. Two balls later, habitual opener Ben McKinney was out for a duck by the soon-to-be English Australian.

Sam Curran pocketed four of the remaining spots, matching Worrall’s four top five finishes. With three wickets taken, including the last wicket of Chemar Holder, the left-armer concluded with 4 for 23, giving Burns and Dom Sibley a good laugher as they easily reached a score of 25 by 3:33 p.m.

One player in the starting eleven who had not been scorched by the two losses to Somerset the previous week was the junior Curran. His international commitments meant that the day before England’s second Twenty20 international match against Australia, he witnessed an exciting red-ball final at Taunton from a live stream in Cardiff. He also watched the early Finals Day defeat at Birmingham from Sky’s commentary box.

The loss in the semifinals last Thursday increased the already existing resentment. Upon losing the 11am semi-final, all teams have the right to spend the rest of the day having fun, but Surrey chose to head back to London right away.

Nearly a week after Taunton, they were still in the changing room at six o’clock at night, Sam Curran included, applauding as Lancashire’s George Balderson substituted Tom Kohler-Cadmore, moving Somerset from 155 to 5, and bemoaning a string of dropped wickets. Hoots and hollers erupted in Manchester at 6:02 p.m. when Kasey Aldridge was removed off the final ball of the day. With four wickets left, Somerset needs to add 189 runs on Friday.

“I’d be lying if I said the guys wouldn’t be tuning into the scorecards or the streams,” said Curran. “Hopefully Lancs can get that victory and stay up as well.”

The advice to forget and move on came from Alec Stewart, Rory Burns, and Gareth Batty, the three wise men. Both the performance and the outcome support that. “I think that showed the strength and character of the group,” added Curran, “to come back to The Oval and win in three days.”

The fact that a player of Curran’s calibre can make such a significant impact in just his second County Championship game of the year speaks volumes about the calibre of the team. Similarly, on day two of his seventh appearance of the summer, Ryan Patel, a bit-part player, pulls off a face-saving century when Jamie Smith and Will Jacks are abroad representing England.

Curran remarked, “The group is a really close group.” “After such a successful T20 season, it was a really difficult week last week to lose at Taunton and on Finals Day. Although it’s annoying, this week’s actions—guys bouncing back and forgetting about it—show why we make such a strong team.”

Even though Durham was devastated by the loss, their splendour was already realised. Bonus points validated Division One status for one further season, albeit they never truly participated in the altercation. On Thursday night, they’ll stay in London to celebrate a hopeful return to the top flight since 2016.

After going duck in the first innings, Emilio Gay, one of their reinforcements, put up the strongest resistance with a clean 48. The Northamptonshire recruit, who is now on loan to replace the injured Scott Borthwick before returning to the team full-time at the end of the summer, drove well and made better misses. Durham was trailing 152 in their second innings at the end of that devastating opening over at 2 for 3.

Gay got the visitors to within 34 runs before being dismissed, trapped leg before wicket by Worrall coming around the wicket. Ultimately, that was divided between the Netherlands’ Colin Ackermann and Bas de Leede, who gave Durham the lead until Curran chopped off the tail with Tom Lawes’ assistance.

Cricket was usually the reason that tea was taken with such a meagre goal, especially when Burns and Sibley took only five overs to finish the formalities. Everyone at the ground celebrated the team’s eighth victory of the year, and the Surrey players returned the favour by walking the perimeter and clapping those who stayed, showing their appreciation for their support this summer.

Stewart, who was driving, made the decision to pause in front of the pavilion named after his father so that the players may enjoy their last moments under the summer sun. It did seem unfortunate that this was ending so quickly as he praised the folks who were cheering him on.

Stretch into a fourth day and perhaps the thrilling conclusion Surrey supporters have been waiting for happens. Of a great handing up a fourth Championship trophy and retiring from cricket after 11 years as director.