Surrey were confirmed as back-to-back LV= Insurance County Championship winners on Day 3 at The Ageas Bowl, with the game on field sliding towards an intriguing finale to the season.
The triumphant moment came at 12:24 and midway through a Will Jacks over after their only surviving competitor Essex had been bowled out for under 400 at Wantage Road – and could no longer secure the bonus points needed to overtake them.
Jacks pulled out of his run-up after the Surrey fans in the ground cheered and saluted the crowd before wider celebrations followed at lunch.
On the field, Surrey were set 185 for victory after they bowled Hampshire out for 172 – with Jacks toasting his maiden Surrey five-wicket haul. They lost six wickets on a difficult wicket and will require a tricky 73 on the final day.
Surrey were forced to be patient before securing successive championships while waiting for news from Northamptonshire versus Essex.
They had failed to score the bonus points themselves that would have made their lead at the top unassailable, so needed Essex to fall short of seven bonus points.
However, it became less and less likely that Tom Westley’s side could muster the runs and when Jamie Porter had been bowled by Tom Taylor up the M3, along the M25 and northbound up the M1, any lingering nerves were relinquished.
Jacks was midway through the 24th over of Hampshire’s second innings, with lunch on the horizon, when he pulled out his run up and clapped joyfully.
The rest of his team-mates remained professional to the task at hand, despite chants of “Champeones” from around them – with the lure of rounding off their successful campaign with a victory.
Before Essex’s first innings was ended, Surrey had made inroads with Dan Worrall securing his 48th wicket of the season – he’d end as Surrey’s joint-leading wicket-taker with Jordan Clark.
Worrall pinned Toby Albert lbw while stepping across his stumps before opening partner Fletcha Middleton was caught and bowled by Jacks.
Rain and lunch came and went, and Surrey’s title was confirmed, while James Vince and Nick Gubbins put on 64 runs.
In the process of reaching his eighth half-century of the season, he reached 1,000 first-class runs for the summer – the first Hampshire batter to achieve the feat since Sean Ervine in 2016.
But Jacks and Cam Steel took control of the innings with their spin. Both claimed personal bests in the Championship.
Gubbins ended his campaign with 969 runs when he was stumped down the leg side before Tom Prest was lbw going back to Jacks.
Vince pushed to first slip for 56, Ben Brown was leg before, Ian Holland reverse swept and James Fuller chopped on first ball – Hampshire the last three of those wickets for a single run.
Liam Dawson showed off his class with the bat for the final time this summer with 34 but was the last man out after Kyle Abbott had been lbw and he had swung to first slip.
Steel returned four for 40, as Jacks pilfered five for 87 – his only other five-wicket haul came on his England Test debut against Pakistan last year.
Jacks hadn’t bowled in the first innings having only been subbed in for Tom Lawes after returning from England duty. With Lawes taking a first-innings five-for it was a combined 10-fer for the pair.
Surrey needed 185 to avoid losing for just the second time this season, and lost Dom Sibley in the eighth over when Dawson – who had opened the bowling – was caught behind.
Jamie Smith was lbw to Abbott before Prest entered the attack and bowled Rory Burns with a beauty before Ben Foakes edged behind.
Jacks attempted to win it before close with an entertaining 14-ball biff-a-thon – which included two sixes – before skying to mid-off and Steel clubbed to mid-on.
Sai Sudharsan was solid in his 31 before bad light ended play eight overs early with 73 runs, or four wickets, still needed for a result.
“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t win every year”
Find someone who loves you as much as Kemar Roach loves @surreycricket #LVCountyChamp pic.twitter.com/coSdTuKc4l
— LV= Insurance County Championship (@CountyChamp) September 28, 2023
