Championship Report: Warwickshire v Surrey

Day Four

Jeetan Patel spun Warwickshire to their first Specsavers County Championship win of the season as Surrey were defeated by 130 runs at Edgbaston.

Chasing 272 for victory on a turning pitch, Surrey were bowled out for 141 with Patel taking a career-best eight for 36 to complete match-figures of 62-32-89-12.

In the morning session, Surrey spinner Gareth Batty had harvested a career-best of his own, eight for 64 including a hat-trick, before the home side declared on 166 for nine.

But talismanic home captain Patel then unpicked injury-hit Surrey’s second innings with bowling of sustained accuracy and control to secure the sixth haul of ten-or-more wickets in a match of his career.

The hard-earned victory over the reigning champions gives Warwickshire’s season much-needed impetus after three defeats. Surrey’s title-defence, meanwhile, now badly requires impetus of its own, having started three draws and a defeat.

After resuming on the final morning on 76 for two, Warwickshire batted aggressively to make up for the loss of two sessions to rain the previous day. Batty profited to post a career-best at the age of 41.

Will Rhodes (54, 125 balls, four fours) and Sam Hain (41, 82 balls, four fours) were among six batsmen to send up catches off the former England spinner whose hat-trick arrived when Tim Ambrose, Patel and Henry Brookes were caught off successive balls.

The hat-trick triggered the declaration and when Surrey began their chase, Patel opened the bowling and quickly removed Mark Stoneman lbw before lunch. The indefatigable Kiwi then turned the screw in an afternoon session during which Surrey moved from 39 for one to 103 for seven.

Patel produced the perfect delivery – pitch middle, hit off – to bowl Scott Borthwick. Ben Foakes swept to short fine leg before Rory Burns (38, 64 balls, six fours) perished lbw to a Brookes inswinger.

Patel then inflicted decisive further damage with three wickets in 13 balls when he clipped Dean Elgar’s off-stump and pinned Will Jacks and Ryan Patel lbw.

Surrey were 103 for seven at tea and Rikki Clarke and Morne Morkel gave nothing away, the latter defying for 52 minutes for a single before propping half-forward to Patel and becoming the 15th lbw victim of the match.

Warwickshire’s captain moved into career-best territory when Batty’s firm leg-side flick rebounded off one short leg into the hands of the other. On his former home ground, Clarke completed an 89-ball half-century but the last twist to Patel’s perfect day was his decision, with ten overs left, to take himself off and bring back Brookes who immediately bowled Matt Dunn to seal victory.

Day Three

Warwickshire were frustrated by the weather as they sought to press for their first Specsavers County Championship victory of the season, against Surrey at Edgbaston.

The third day’s play was restricted to just 22 overs after rain arrived just before lunch and never relented.

Warwickshire took their overnight score of 26 without loss to 76 for two, moving 181 ahead overall, but were then denied a chance to build a commanding lead which would give them plenty of time to try to bowl Surrey out a second time.

Bears captain Jeetan Patel will now face an interesting decision on the final day. With the pitch offering some turn, Warwickshire could still put Surrey under pressure but, with less time at their disposal, might have to give the champions’ dangerous batting line-up a target which offers a sniff of victory.

Warwickshire could be forgiven for feeling a sense of irony as the drizzle fell. Their first three championship matches, all of which they have lost, were barely touched by the weather with only 70 minutes lost across all three. Now Patel’s side has delivered much its best cricket so far this season but the rain has intervened in potentially decisive fashion.

In the brief session of play that was possible before lunch, both wickets fell to spinner Gareth Batty, meaning his next wicket will be his 666th in first-class cricket. Batty trapped former Surrey opener Dominic Sibley lbw with his first ball of the day and then won another lbw verdict to dismiss Rob Yates, although the young batsman appeared hard done by, having been well down the track.

Will Rhodes (34 not out, 100 balls, two fours) and Sam Hain added 26 before the weather closed in.

* Warwickshire have awarded 17-year-old batsman/off-spinner Dan Mousley his first professional contract following a run of impressive performances in the Second XI and Under 19s.

Mousley, who attended Bablake School, Coventry, and has recently joined Birmingham & District Premier League club Berkswell from Kenilworth Wardens, has been part of Warwickshire’s Performance Pathway since the age of eight. He has been awarded his first contract for the 2019 summer.

Day Two

A marathon spell from captain Jeetan Patel put Warwickshire on top against Surrey on an engrossing second day of their Specsavers County Championship tussle at Edgbaston.

Patel bowled unchanged from just before lunch to just before 6pm for figures of 31-14-53-4 which restricted the champions to 188 all out in reply to the home side’s 293.

On a pitch on which fluent batting has proved difficult, a lead of 105 is significant and in 12 overs before the close Warwickshire enhanced that lead with a further 26 without loss. But Rory Burns’ side, though depleted by injuries, knows that quick wickets on the third morning would put them right back in this match.

It is ‘Advantage Warwickshire’ but both teams are still very much targeting their first championship win of the season in a game which has been a superb advert for championship cricket.

It has delivering two days of fascinating fluctuation. After Warwickshire recovered from 186 for eight to total 293, Surrey reached 73 for one then lost five wickets for 19 runs in 13 overs before partially recovering themselves to 188. The script for the rest of this tangled tale is impossible to predict.

After resuming on the second morning on 275 for eight, Warwickshire added only 18. Liam Norwell struck Morne Morkel’s third ball of the day for six but the South African quickly took revenge when he bowled the former Gloucestershire player for 64 (53 balls, 11 fours, one six).

Morkel also castled Hannon-Dalby to leave Henry Brookes unbeaten on 41 (65 balls, three fours, two sixes) and finish with three for 87, though Matthew Dunn produced the best bowling of the innings on his way to three for 65.

In reply, Surrey soon lost Mark Stoneman, off-stump clipped by Norwell, but Rory Burns’ fluent 40 (67 balls, seven fours) set a solid platform until he flayed Olly Hannon-Dalby straight to backward point.

Accurate bowling, led by Patel, then built pressure which triggered a collapse. Scott Borthwick (40, 117 balls, six fours) fell lbw to Norwell before Patel took three wickets in an over as Dean Elgar lifted to extra cover and Ryan Patel and Will Jacks edged to second and first slip respectively.

Ben Foakes (57 not out, 88 balls, seven fours) and Rikki Clarke added 58 in 19 overs before the former called for a sharp single and was dismayed to see his partner beaten by Dominic Sibley’s direct hit from cover.

Foakes found another stubborn partner in Gareth Batty who helped add 37 before Brookes returned to trap Batty and Dunn lbw with successive balls.

Day One

A violent half-century from number ten Liam Norwell lifted Warwickshire to 275 for eight against Surrey on a fluctuating opening day of their Specsavers County Championship clash at Edgbaston.

Eager to put pressure on a fragile Bears batting unit, the champions chose to bowl first on a slow but decent batting pitch.

That decision looked questionable when Warwickshire were 58 without loss and then 165 for three, but was vindicated by a superb post-tea spell from Matt Dunn.

Playing his first championship game for over a year, Dunn delivered a burst of three for four in 20 balls as the home side lost five wickets for 21 runs.

The 27-year-old’s work crowned a solid collective effort by a Surrey bowling unit forced into two changes by injuries to Sam Curran (hamstring) and Conor McKerr (heel). In came Dunn (19-7-53-3) and Ryan Patel (11-2-24-2) and the pair joined forces in the final session to send the Bears into deep trouble at 186 for eight.

But the home side’s freefall was halted by a spectacular counter-attack from ninth-wicket pair Norwell (58 not out, 48 balls, 11 fours) and Henry Brookes (35 not out, 55 balls, three fours, two sixes). They added an unbroken 89 in 16 overs to leave an engrossing day pretty much even.

Warwickshire began solidly as openers Dominic Sibley (17, 68 balls) and Will Rhodes (39, 80 balls) added 58 but they fell just before lunch, both lbw to veteran spinner Gareth Batty.

The first hour of the afternoon session brought an engrossing duel between South Africa paceman Morne Morkel, playing his 472nd senior match, and Bears academy product Rob Yates, playing his fourth.

Yates acquitted himself well but his striking of two fours in a Morkel over sparked a superb next over from the fast-bowler. Two rapid bouncers forced the batsman back and then an equally brisk fuller-length delivery pinned him lbw in his crease.

Sam Hain (47, 114 balls, seven fours) and Adam Hose (38, 83 balls balls, five fours) retrenched to added 72 in 24 overs either side of tea but then came the clatter. Hain missed an attempt to turn Dunn to leg and was lbw. After Patel hit Liam Banks’ off-stump, Dunn produced a superb ball to bowl Hose and won the fifth lbw decision of the innings to remove Tim Ambrose.

Former Warwickshire favourite Rikki Clarke’s brilliant slip catch accounted for Jeetan Patel off his namesake but Norwell, on his home debut, launched a fightback which included four fours from Morkel’s first over with the new ball.