Surrey demolish Yorkshire as leaders Notts suffer first defeat

Times

23-05-2025

Before his reintroduction this month, Jason Roy had not played a red-ball match for Surrey for five years. Though part of the furniture at the Oval since his teens, he has experienced an outsider's view of Surrey's relentless red-ball excellence. In the past fortnight he has been a part of it.
Speaking after Monday's innings and 28-run trouncing of Yorkshire, which pushes Surrey to within three points of early championship pace-setters Nottinghamshire, who were beaten by Durham by seven wickets in an exciting finale at Chester-le-Street, Roy said his county's standards of preparation and creation of a winning culture had sky-rocketed during his absence from the red-ball game.
England's explosive former white-ball opener, with 12 one-day international hundreds and 180 limited-overs matches across both formats, has played in Surrey's past two championship games after a previous red-ball appearance for his county back in the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020. That, moreover, was Roy's only four-day outing since earning his five Test caps in the Ashes summer of 2019.
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'I've been incredibly impressed with the set-up here now for red-ball cricket, and how far the club has gone in five years,' Roy, 34, said. 'It is especially the rehab and conditioning work that goes on behind the scenes, the improved facilities and the work of the whole support staff — led by Gareth Batty and Rory Burns as head coach and captain.
'But it's also the environment here. We've seen in the past fortnight how our two new overseas players, Nathan Smith and Kurtis Patterson, have fitted in so quickly and seamlessly. And it's the way we train now for red-ball matches. The focus is always there, and absolutely no one takes playing for this great club for granted. Every individual is trying to get their game to the next level, and the environment really encourages that.'
Outgunned Yorkshire were finished off clinically on Monday morning, dismissed for 229 after resuming on 185 for six. Jordan Clark's four for 45 gave him seven wickets in the match, with Tom Lawes picking up three for 47 and six overall. Jonny Bairstow added just 13 to his overnight 64 before being bowled by a Ryan Patel off-cutter — occasional seamer Patel's first wicket of the season.
'Surrey's squad have so many moving parts, with players either away with England or at the IPL or other franchises,' Anthony McGrath, Yorkshire's head coach, said. 'But they never let up and all their players — look at Patel with that wicket — keep contributing. That's why they are so successful.'
Durham, meanwhile, successfully chased down a fourth-innings target of 91 in 18 overs with ten balls to spare and Colin Ackermann biffing 53 not out, after earlier bowling out Nottinghamshire for 347 in a memorable, high-scoring contest.
Old Trafford (final day of four): Lancashire (13pts) drew with Derbyshire (11pts)
The idea of left-arm spinners bowling over the wicket to right-handed batsmen is now regarded as a valuable option in red-ball cricket, particularly when fielding sides are struggling to make a breakthrough. This was not always the case.
Nearly half a century ago, Mike Brearley had to convince a deeply reluctant Derek Underwood of the tactic's possibilities, although Underwood was as delighted as ever when Greg Chappell made room to cut a ball slanted slightly across him and was bowled in the 1977 Old Trafford Test.
Memories of that triumph were recalled on the same ground on Monday when the left-arm spinner Tom Hartley took two vital wickets as Lancashire pressed for their first Championship victory of the season.
That venture ended in disappointment when Anuj Dal and Jack Morley blocked out the final 11 overs, three of them bowled by James Anderson, to secure a deserved draw for their side.
The result leaves Lancashire still winless after six games, while Derbyshire remain in second place in the Division Two table, 30 points behind the leaders Leicestershire. In other words, the season is unfolding just as nobody at all predicted.
But the day could have been even more disappointing for Lancashire. Set to score 329 in a minimum of 88 overs, Derbyshire were going well on 128 for two in the 37th when Wayne Madsen was caught down the leg side off Tom Bailey for 19.
Then Hartley struck, bowling Brooke Guest round his legs for two and four overs later having Harry Came caught at short leg by George Bell for 63.
Those wickets effectively scuppered the visitors' chances of winning the game but the next two wickets came when Josh Bohannon's occasional off spin accounted for Martin Andersson and Zak Chappell in successive overs.
Ben Aitchison was leg before to Bailey for nought and Lancashire took the new ball with eight overs left in the game. But Anderson could not make the breakthrough in his last three overs and finished with figures of 16-8-25-2.
The former England bowler had struck first in his fourth over when he dismissed Caleb Jewell for the second time in the match, the Australian playing too soon at a slower ball and chipping a catch to Tom Bailey at mid-on.
And after lunch Anderson returned to have David Lloyd lbw for 30, the ball tailing late into pads in familiar fashion.