Surrey nearly pulled off a swashbuckling run chase in a thrilling end to the final day of their Vitality County Championship fixture against Somerset at The Kia Oval, which ultimately finished as a draw.
Chasing 209 in 19 overs, Dan Lawrence and Jamie Smith hit 32 off the seventh and eight overs to take their stand to 90 and set up the prospect of a first win of the season for the champions.
Smith twice hit Craig Overton back over his head into the pavilion and pulled a short ball from Migael Pretorius over mid-wicket for his third six, but trying to clear long-on off the first ball of the ninth over, he was well caught by Matt Renshaw running in from the boundary for 45 off 25 balls.
Ollie Pope slashed the second ball of the tenth from Kasey Aldridge over point for six but he was bowled later in the over, attempting a repeat, before three wickets in nine balls ended Surrey’s challenge.
Aldridge picked up two in the 12th over as Jamie Overton slogged one in the air and skipper Rory Burns was caught on the boundary for no score. Lewis Gregory then held a steepler to remove Dom Sibley off his own bowling.
Lawrence was unbeaten on 53 from 34 balls when the players shook hands with five overs left.
Earlier, Gregory batted for 66 overs for 80 in Somerset’s second-innings 351 in a show of determination and patience. The loss of 18 overs in the morning to rain and a Kookaburra ball, which offered little assistance, blunted the Surrey attack.
Gregory had come in on day three with his side five wickets down and only nine runs in front, but he got good support from Aldridge (42) and Craig Overton (52 not out) in his four-and-a-quarter hours at the crease.
Play didn’t start until 12.10pm and when Surrey took the new ball Somerset’s lead was only 100. Gregory did edge a delivery from Kemar Roach which dropped just short of the second slip but otherwise both he and Aldridge were untroubled until Roach made the breakthrough in the second over after lunch to end a seventh-wicket stand of 94.
Roach went slightly wide of the crease and Aldridge edged a ball which straightened a touch as he pushed forward.
The lead was 113 and, after 13 overs of seam with the new ball, Surrey switched to an all-spin attack but neither Steel nor Lawrence could break through. Overton survived an lbw appeal on 11 when he offered no shot to a ball from Lawrence which wouldn’t have missed leg stump by much. On 30, he pushed forward to Steel and the ball looped up off the top of his pad, but again umpire Richard Kettleborough turned down the appeal.
Back came the seamers and on 69 Gregory hooked Gus Atkinson’s short ball to deep square leg where Roach put down a difficult chance in the swirling wind.
Gregory, whose 50 held Somerset’s first innings together after they collapsed, and Overton extended their stand to 89. Gregory had just swatted a ball from Steel through mid-wicket to take the lead beyond 200 when his vigil ended somewhat tamely with a cut to point.
Pretorius’s ill-judged drive to extra cover and a quicker ball which pinned Shoaib Bashir gave Steel the final three wickets – his second five-for in as many matches – and match figures of 9 for 146.
Surrey took 14 points, Somerset 11.
"I'm just loving bowling, I've worked so, so hard over five years an especially the last 18 months."@themiddlestump spoke to Cam Steel after the leg-spinner took nine wickets in the match to help set up a thrilling end to the match.
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) April 15, 2024
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