James Taylor and Harry Gardner claimed a four-for each on the third day to hand Surrey a 122-run lead in the Second XI Championship final against Worcestershire at Loughborough before Adam Thomas and Ollie Sykes pressed on the Three Feathers’ advantage.
Surrey eventually closed a fast-moving day in a very strong position on 123/2, ahead by 245 runs, following a cracking 102-run partnership between Thomas and Sykes.
Having lost the whole of day two to rain, Surrey got the start they would have been after on the third morning, as Taylor, with a little help from the birthday boy behind the stumps, Josh Blake, had EJ Pollock (4) caught behind on the fifth ball of the day.
Despite losing an early wicket, Isaac Mohammed, alongside his captain HJ Cullen, did not let the Surrey seamers settle, taking the attack to the bowlers from the very get-go.
In a fashion similar to how Surrey’s Sykes and Tim Lloyd batted on the first day, the Worcestershire pair added 108 runs in no time before Taylor once again combined with Blake to remove the Pears captain for 58.
Shortly after, the golden arm of off-spinner Gardner, given an over just before lunch, did the business as he cleaned up left-handed JX du Plooy for 13 at the cusp of the interval, to leave Worcestershire 142/3, trailing by 295 runs at that point.
It was Gardner again who struck again post lunch as Mohammed holed out to deep mid wicket for a well-compiled, run-a-ball 65. Surrey put the Pears properly under the pump as Gardner kept delivering the goods, bowling SJ Essenhigh for 24 to claim his third wicket.
With the scoreboard reading 186/5, the Pears were in danger of conceding a hefty lead, still behind by 251 runs, but TI Hinley and AP Higgins gritted out a 51-run stand that was broken by Gardner, who had Higgins caught at mid-off for 31, attempting to lift the off-spinner over the infield.
Worcestershire’s lower order continued to show some fight as Hinely, alongside F Singh (13) and HC Darley (27), added another 59 important runs before Yousef Majid beat him in the flight and had him stumped for a fine 62. Before that, Taylor removed Singh from the other end as skipper Sykes pouched a neat, diving catch at wide slip.
Darley did enough to take the Pears past 300 before Majid bowled him behind his legs, while Taylor cleaned up SJ Greer to pick up his fourth wicket of the innings, as Worcestershire finished on 315 and Surrey claimed a 122-run lead.
After a quick start from Surrey’s openers in the second innings, taking 14 runs from the first 11 balls, Blake (8) fell lbw to an excellent outswinger from left-arm seamer RL Bailey.
An early dismissal, however, didn’t stop Surrey in their tracks as Thomas and Sykes, who carried on from where he left off, batted with a positive intent.
Going at a run-a-ball, the pair raced to a century stand, taking Surrey’s lead to 238 when Singh got Sykes caught at long on for 40, just before stumps.
Thomas, who struck 10 fours in his fluent knock and is unbeaten on 58, and Tim Lloyd, on four, will resume the Three Feathers’ innings on the final day.
