Rory Burns double-century cements Surrey dominance

Lancashire 204 and 4 for 0 trail Surrey 444 for 9 dec (Burns 227, Foakes 82) by 236 runs

Rory Burns led from the front with a magnificent career-best 227 as Surrey reached a second day 444 for nine declared to take total control of their Vitality County Championship match against Lancashire at the Kia Oval.

Surrey captain Burns was well supported by Ben Foakes, who hit a fine 82, as the Division One leaders and defending champions built a potentially match-winning halfway lead of 240 after bowling Lancashire out for 204 on day one. In five balls’ batting before bad light ruled out the last scheduled 7.1 overs of the day, Lancashire reached four without loss in their second innings.

Burns and Foakes put on 197 for the fourth wicket, with England’s erstwhile Test wicketkeeper eventually out to the second new ball – bowled through a weary-looking flip towards mid-on by George Balderson’s medium pace.

Former England opener Burns’ 26th first-class hundred was his second of the season and his highest score, surpassing the unbeaten 219 against Hampshire at the Oval in 2017. He batted for seven and a half hours, facing 348 balls and hitting a six and 29 fours.

Dom Sibley, Will Jacks and Sam Curran all missed out in warm sunshine, with batting markedly more comfortable than on the opening day, while India white-ball international Sai Sudharsan also made only 6 after coming in at 377 for 5 and at least seeing Burns through to his double-century before edging Tom Aspinwall to second slip.

But Jordan Clark made 25 not out, helping Burns to add a useful 50 for the seventh wicket before Surrey’s captain skied Balderson and keeper Matty Hurst sprinted thirty yards to take a good tumbling catch. Both Tom Lawes and Conor McKerr then came and went for nought, bowled and leg-before respectively to left arm spinner Tom Hartley, sparking Surrey’s declaration.

It was, overall, a chastening experience for a young Lancashire team containing seven homegrown players and with an average age of 25, as Surrey moved remorselessly into a position from which to force a seventh Championship win of the season and boost their chances of three titles in a row.

Surrey resumed on 83 without loss and, to Lancashire’s credit, they were initially checked as Sibley fell early for 39, shouldering arms to depart leg-before to a probing Will Williams after adding just two runs to his overnight score.

And they were 97 for 2 when Ryan Patel, after one resounding pull off Balderson, nibbled at one from the same bowler to edge behind on four.

Jacks, in at No. 4 for his first Championship innings of the summer, was soon driving Balderson high and handsomely over long-off for six, but he was later fortunate to see another mishit lofted drive just make it over the head of a deep extra cover fielder on the short boundary for another maximum.

On 31, however, Jacks drove Aspinwall’s first ball of the day straight into the hands of short extra cover to leave Surrey 149 for 3.

But Burns and Foakes saw their side not just through to lunch but well beyond. Between lunch and tea they added 136 in 32 overs of steady accumulation and, towards the end of the session, a burst of legside hitting by the left-handed Burns to the short boundary on the old gasholders’ side.

Burns greeted the reintroduction of Luke Wells’ leg spin by slog-sweeping him for a succession of fours and one six that brought up Surrey’s 300.

And, after tea, they put on another 39 to blunt the second new ball before Foakes fell, after hitting 11 fours from 158 balls, Curran got off the mark by flashing Aspinwall through first slip’s hands but then soon departed for eight when he miscued a pull at Aspinwall to mid-on.