County Championship: Somerset beat Surrey to boost title hopes
Spinners Archie Vaughan and Jack Leach sparked a dramatic late Surrey collapse as Somerset boosted hopes of a first ever County Championship title with a thrilling 111-run win over the Division One leaders at Taunton.
Chasing 221 to win on a turning pitch, Surrey were bowled out for 111 with less than five minutes left in the game, with 18-year-old Vaughan claiming 5-38 and match figures of 11-140, while Leach finished with 5-37.
Only Dom Sibley (56) and Ben Foakes (20) offered prolonged resistance, but their fourth-wicket stand of 49 in 29 overs looked to have secured a draw before seven wickets fell for 14 runs at the end.
Somerset had extended their second-innings score from an overnight 194-9 to 224 all out, thanks to injured Tom Banton’s 46 and Craig Overton’s unbeaten on 49 after an unlikely stand of 71 gave their side genuine hope of victory.
They claimed 21 points from the game to Surrey’s five and closed the gap at the top of the table to just eight points with two matches to play.
Early rain hit with eight overs lost but Overton and Banton brought up a half-century partnership off 61 balls.
The memorable 65-ball innings ended when Shakib Al Hasan found a way through Banton’s defence and bowled him, leaving Overton one short of a deserved half-century.
Surrey were left with a tricky 13 overs to bat before lunch, but Rory Burns and Sibley negotiated it safely.
The ball began to turn sharply and Vaughan struck a double blow in the 22nd over, having Burns caught behind for 15 and then bowling Ryan Patel for a third-ball duck.
Ben Geddes’ luck ran out in Leach’s next over when he was pinned him in front and at 46-3, Surrey were in a deepening hole.
Sibley and Foakes abandoned any attacking intent and met the nagging accuracy of Somerset’s spinners with a spell of solid defence.
Both were quick to make for the pavilion when rain started falling again at 14:45 BST with the score at 63-3.
A swept single off Vaughan took Sibley to a 165-ball half-century that perfectly suited the situation. But then Foakes edged Leach to Lewis Gregory at first slip and when Sibley’s defiance ended in similar fashion in the left-armer’s next over, panic set in for the visitors.
Gregory claimed a third slip catch to send back Shakib for a duck and give Vaughan his ninth wicket of the match. It became 10 when Tom Curran (5) aimed to cut the 18-year-old and got an inside edge onto his stumps.
Cameron Steel was trapped in front by Vaughan for another duck and Surrey were eight down with a minimum of nine overs remaining.
Jordan Clark and Kemar Roach ran down the overs with an obdurate partnership before the former was bowled by Vaughan for a 47-ball duck.
Last man Dan Worrall came out to be surrounded by close fielders and lasted just two balls before Leach dismissed him lbw to spark wild Somerset celebrations.
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