An explosive 17-wicket second day at the Kia Oval ended, remarkably, with Liam Patterson-White and Lyndon James producing the highest partnership of an absorbing low-scoring match as Matt Fisher completed a maiden career ten-wicket match haul to keep Surrey alive against Nottinghamshire.
At 219 for eight in their second innings, Notts are 277 runs ahead of Surrey, and after Patterson-White fell for 58, the best individual score of the match so far, Brett Hutton (23 not out) and Josh Tongue, unbeaten on 14, took the visitors to the close of play.
Fisher did his best to keep the fight going with five for 57, removing James for an 84-ball 47 just before Patterson-White’s own brave knock ended, to complete another five-for in a Surrey shirt following his opening day five for 61 in Notts’ first innings 231.
Surrey had earlier slid from 101 for one to 173 all out in the top-of-the-table clash, a first innings deficit of 58, but Notts then were 89 for six second time around before batting conditions seemed to ease at last and Patterson-White and James put on 91 in 23 overs.
“Anytime you have one and two playing each other in a one-off fight, it’s going to get tough!”
Assistant Coach Jade Dernbach spoke with BBC London’s Mark Church at the end of Day 2 at the Kia Oval.
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James’ runs completed a fine day’s work for the all-rounder, who had earlier picked up three for 35 as the Notts seam quartet troubled Surrey, who are chasing a fourth successive Rothesay County Championship triumph.
Tongue also impressed with three for 43, as did Hutton (two for 31) and Dillon Pennington (two for 41) to earn Notts three bowling bonus points and deny Surrey a single batting point.
As a result, the two teams remain separated by just a single point – as they were before the game – as they continue the scrap for the 16 points available for a victory which may well decide who finishes the season as county champions after next week’s final round of matches.
Patterson-White faced 90 balls, pulling Tom Lawes for six and also hitting five fours, before Dan Worrall had him well held at second slip. Notts’ second innings had begun badly with Worrall angling one through Ben Slater’s defences to bowl the left-hander for four, while Haseeb Hameed was leg-before for 14 to Fisher’s sixth ball.
Joe Clarke and Freddie McCann also went lbw to Fisher, for one and 11 respectively in the bowler’s next two overs, and it was 53 for five when Jack Haynes inside-edged the rampant Fisher on to his leg stump to go for 16.
Kyle Verreynne made 18 to help James rally Notts a little in a useful stand of 36 but the South Africa keeper-batter was caught behind off Worrall in the second over of the final session.
But then Patterson-White emerged at No 8 to frustrate Surrey’s bowlers in alliance with James, with the day two action being watched by a crowd of almost 3,500 – taking the aggregate championship attendance at the Kia Oval this season to 80,484, a 21st Century record.
The first hour of the morning gave no hint of the carnage to come with Surrey captain Rory Burns and nightwatcher Lawes, resuming on 43 for one, taking their second wicket partnership to 59 with few alarms.
The 33rd over of Surrey’s innings, however, lit the touchpaper for the resulting fireworks with Lawes initially extra cover driving and then pulling James’ medium pace for two fours in three balls to suggest that bat was finally getting on top of ball.
It was only a mirage because Lawes, on 22, then stretched out to drive James and only succeeded in lifting a comfortable catch to cover. And his dismissal was the beginning of a startling collapse which saw Surrey lose nine wickets for just 72 runs in 20 overs either side of lunch.
Burns went for a gritty 97-ball 47 in the next over, leg-before to Hutton, and five overs later Ben Foakes edged James behind. Dan Lawrence departed for a three-ball duck, in the next over, beaten twice by Hutton’s outswingers before giving a catch to mid on off a leading edge from an inswinger.
And it became three wickets in three overs when Ollie Pope nibbled at one from James and gave McCann a waist-high catch at second slip.
Pope’s dismissal for 11 left Surrey reeling at 129 for six and, soon after lunch, it got worse for the champions when Ryan Patel was leg-before for four off Tongue.
Tom Curran’s 11 was curtailed by Pennington’s nip-backer and another successful lbw appeal and the end of the innings was nigh when Gus Atkinson nicked an unplayable leg-cutter from Tongue to Verreynne.
Fisher offered a few quality strokes but on 13 edged Tongue to second slip but by tea no fewer than five top order Notts wickets had also tumbled as the game moved on at breakneck pace.
