CIARAN MCCARTHY AT SCARBOROUGH: Jamie Overton, Ben Foakes and Aaron Hardie all combined as the LV= Insurance County Championship strengthened their grip on the lead in Division One
Coming into today, anything other than a draw looked unlikely - Yorkshire were only two wickets down in the third innings of the game. However, Surrey managed to skittle the hosts in the second session, largely thanks to 6 for 61 from Jamie Overton, and then raced to a thrilling climax with the bat.
It was an absolute LV= Insurance County Championship classic - 383 runs and 14 wickets on an action-packed final day, which saw Surrey take the spoils with just three balls remaining.
Surrey threw the ball to their two most potent assets in the morning, Dan Worrall and Overton, in the hope of rattling through a couple early on. The former clad in a sleeveless knit jumper; while he possesses a British passport, he’s an Aussie at heart. Overton needed no extra garments with which to keep warm, bringing the heat himself when he struck George Hill on the boot for his first victim of the day.
Yorkshire wickets fell incrementally, Surrey’s plans coming to fruition, as each of their seamers - barring Conor McKerr - got at least one. Yorkshire never looked like they wanted to score to freely, in the knowledge that any result other than a draw would like go the way of the Brown Caps.
It was that lack of positivity that did for a number of their batters, though; Yorkshire pads acted as ball magnets, as Wharton, Will Fraine and William Luxton were each trapped LBW to Tom Lawes, Worrall and Aaron Hardie respectively.
Will Jacks was only offered a couple of overs today but took what may well have been the decisive wicket in the tie. He extracted good turn and bounce and wrapped Jonny Tattersall on the pads to send him packing for just 14 - a massive wicket following his unbeaten century in Yorkshire’s first innings.
Jamie Overton set up Surrey for victory (Harry Trump/Getty Images)
Overton returned to the attack in the afternoon session with three wickets to his name, and like Jesus, his second coming was inspirational. The seamer had Jordan Thompson - whose approach was a little aggressive considering the game situation - flashing at a wide one, which he got a thick edge on, caught at second slip by Jacks. In his next over, Overton had Steve Patterson, forcing him to play at one by attacking the stumps at good pace, and offered Jacks another catch.
Surrey in the ascendancy, then, but while they applied continued pressure, Matthew Waite soaked it up; effectively Yorkshire’s last resort, given Shannon Gabriel’s batting prowess - a first-class average of 5.17.
The final-wicket partnership was actually a handy one for Yorkshire. Waite navigated it well, welcoming Overton and Worrall’s hostile stuff in his stride, as in the space of two overs from the pair - the 64th and 65th - he hit 21 runs on his own.
Yorkshire's No.7 made his maiden first-class half-century in 73 balls and looked to be attempting to coach Gabriel through in the middle after his golden duck yesterday, desperate to stretch the lead as much as possible. Whether or not the West Indian heeded any of his advice is another question, as although he stroked a nice boundary from Overton, he was ultimately dismissed caught behind off his bowling.
Gabriel's dismissal set up a grandstand finish, with Surrey needing to chase down 226 runs in 44 overs to take home the spoils: not a mammoth task by any means.
"With 86 still needed and 18 overs still to play, the game could have gone anywhere, all three results still feasible"
There was no thought of a draw in Surrey minds, Rory Burns and Ryan Patel both being aggressive from the off, knocking eight from the first over. Burns fell for 20 from 21 in the seventh, advancing down the track to Bess, who flighted and turned one past him - by that point, they were on 33.
Patel’s rash shot, leaning back to pull Patterson and skying one to Bess in the infield, saw Overton stride to the crease: the win clearly still the only thought on Surrey minds as they promoted the pinch hitter to kick things on.
He set the tone of his innings by launching Bess over mid-on for a huge six, managing to score a quick 28 before Thompson delved into his bag of tricks and expertly executed a slower ball to trap him in front.
Yorkshire rallied further as Jacks suffered a similar fate, scoring a handy 27 before Gabriel - who had earlier been off the field due to injury - arrowed one into his pad with a sharp delivery. With 86 still needed and 18 overs still to play, the game could have gone anywhere, all three results still feasible, and Gabriel swung the pendulum towards Yorkshire when he dislodged Jamie Smith’s off stump with a ripper. Game well and truly on.
Ben Foakes played a key role in the chase (Sarah Ansell/Getty Images)
Surrey’s chances of a win rested on Ben Foakes and Aaron Hardie - while there are still capable batters below them, losing a seventh wicket might have prompted a decision to be made about pumping the brakes.
Both were measured in their approaches, Hardie - who struck at almost a run a ball for his 46 in Surrey's first innings - took 36 balls to reach his first boundary, wary of the situation at hand. He took a backseat to Foakes for much of the innings - the wicketkeeper knocked 42 from 41 balls, including three fours and two sixes, invaluable runs at a time when his side needed them.
It was Hardie who put the nail in Yorkshire’s coffin, though, as he was given the strike with three balls remaining in the final over. He polished things off on the very next ball, a short-arm jab off Patterson over the leg side evaded the long-on fielder, to put to bed an absolute cracker.
Yorkshire coach Ottis Gibson detailed the heartbreak of the loss. "You never really find much to be proud about in defeat," he said.
"I’m proud of the way they fought but at the same time it’s another game lost."
"I think every game we’ve played this year in four day cricket has gone to the last hour, so it says that we’re not folding, we’re fighting all the way, over time we will find a way to win."
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