Surrey consolidate top spot after Jamie Overton's 'day-hawk' gambit

It took Surrey 19.4 final-day overs to complete a six-wicket victory against Essex at the Kia Oval that keeps them on top of the LV= Insurance County Championship Division One table with a sixth win from ten matches.

Resuming their second innings on 85 for 2, still requiring 76 more runs, Surrey lost just opener Ryan Patel and allrounder Jamie Overton before clinching a 22-point triumph when they reached 162 for 4.

Patel, on 22 overnight, took his highly valuable but largely defensive and near four-hour knock to 38 before playing back to offspinner Simon Harmer and edging a ball that turned and bounced to keeper Adam Rossington.

Overton, promoted up the order on Patel's dismissal in the day's 16th over, soon responded by swinging Matt Critchley's legbreaks over mid wicket for six. He launched him for another huge six over wide midwicket before being caught at long-off off the same bowler for 21 off 14 balls, trying to end the match with one more blow.

Nightwatcher Tom Lawes, who on 1 was dropped at third slip off Shane Snater in the fifth over of the morning, played some excellent strokes of his own to finish 32 not out from 54 balls.

Lawes, the 19-year old allrounder making just his fifth first-class appearance, clipped Snater through midwicket for four and then skipped down the pitch to drive Harmer straight for six to show his capability with bat in hand.

Ollie Pope, who replaced Overton, reverse-swept the first ball he faced, from Harmer, for four to complete Surrey's victory after 80 minutes' play on the final day.

Surrey, who began this round of games 15 points ahead of second-placed Hampshire, now face 2021 champions Warwickshire at the Oval next week and - with only four games left for them to play in this summer's competition - look in good shape to repeat their own 2018 Championship triumph.

"That's a very pleasing win, especially in the way we chased down 161," Rory Burns, their said, captain. "It could have been a slightly awkward morning today, but to get over the line in the way we did was outstanding.

"All the faster bowlers were brilliant for us in this match. Dan Worrall, of course, takes the plaudits for his 11 wickets but the way they all bowled as a unit was great for me to see.

"Will Jacks was obviously the other big performance for us, and for him to read the game situation as well as he did in our first innings is a real feather in his cap. It was interesting that both the first innings in this match followed a similar course, with Will's 150 turning it around for us in the same way that Adam Rossington's 100 did for Essex."

Essex take five points from the game. "It is obviously disappointing to lose, but we competed well with them for a lot of this game," Tom Westley, their captain, said. "There were two particular moments where we lost the contest - the first was Will Jacks getting to 150 not out and getting them into a first-innings lead and then that period yesterday when we lost six second-innings wickets for 37 runs.

"It would be nice if we had a return fixture against Surrey at Chelmsford, but the schedule for this season means we only get to play them once which is a shame."