Surrey finish home season with thumping victory over Durham

Surrey stay undefeated at the Kia Oval after finishing their home campaign by cruising to a ten-win over Durham in their penultimate Vitality County Championship fixture of 2024.

Durham, who began the third day trailing by 152, never recovered after losing two wickets in the first over to Dan Worrall, who claimed his 50th and 51st scalps of the season when he removed Dan Hogg and Ben McKinney with the fourth and sixth balls of the day.

Worrall and Sam Curran, in only his second Championship appearance of the season, each took four wickets as Durham were dismissed for 177 in their second innings with only Emilio Gay (48) offering prolonged resistance.

That left Surrey needing just 25 to complete their eighth win of the campaign and skipper Rory Burns and Dom Sibley knocked off the target in five overs. It was their sixth victory at the Kia Oval this season with only Somerset, who drew in April, denying them a clean sweep on home turf.

Surrey picked up 23 points which took them onto 221. If Somerset beat Lancashire that will give them 209 going into the final round of matches with Surrey facing Essex at Chelmsford and Somerset hosting Hampshire.

If Somerset fail to win at Old Trafford Surrey will become the first team since Yorkshire in the 1960s to win three titles in a row and a fourth under Burns in six years.

The tempo was set in the first over when Worrall made a double breakthrough. Durham's second nightwatch Dan Hogg lost his leg stump playing all around a ball of fullish length and Ben McKinney was beaten by a fine delivery which nipped back sharply to pin him in front.

Durham had lost three wickets in first half hour when Jordan Clark bowled Alex Lees through the gate and when he was replaced at the Vauxhall End by Curran it didn't take long for the left-armer to make further inroads as he swung the ball late consistently, and at decent pace.

David Bedingham had taken three boundaries in an over off Clark but got only half-forward to Curran's sixth ball and was palpably lbw while Ollie Robinson was also beaten by late inswing and lost his off stump to leave Durham's innings in disarray at 74 for 6.

Gay, making his Durham debut ahead of his permanent move from Northamptonshire this winter, shaped up well and added 46 with Bas de Leede either side of lunch to give Durham hope.

But they had no answer to Worrall and Curran. The Australian returned at the pavilion end and nipped one back into Gay's pads and now has 52 wickets for the season, three fewer than Essex's Jamie Porter.

Another Curran inswinger accounted for de Leede while Tom Lawes produced a fine delivery which held its line and James Minto edged to keeper Foakes.

Curran finished things off with another booming inswinger that was way too good for No11 Chemar Holder. Curran finished with 4 for 23 while Worrall's 4 for 34 gave him match figures of 8 for 73.