County Championship: Wickets tumble in match between Surrey and Worcestershire

A fifth-wicket stand of 148 between Dan Lawrence and Ollie Pope, a superb new-ball spell by Dan Worrall and Kemar Roach’s late double strike put Surrey in control against Worcestershire at the Kia Oval.

Worcestershire finished on 112-7, still 101 runs in arrears, after Worrall’s 3-17 from eight overs, Roach’s pair and scalps for Sean Abbott and Jordan Clark to back up Lawrence’s 84 and Pope’s 63.

Surrey were soon 15-4 as Joe Leach took 3-24 in seven overs but Lawrence then joined Pope to pull the innings around before Worcestershire’s top order was cut down by Worrall and company.

He first had Gareth Roderick caught at fourth slip for 15 before bowling Jake Libby for one. Kashif Ali edged Worrall to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes and Adam Hose departed for four to the same bowler.

Worcestershire were 53-5 when Clark had Rob Jones lbw for 14, but Matthew Waite helped Brett D’Oliveira put on 58 in a fighting sixth-wicket stand.

Roach won two lbw decisions to end Waite’s 42-ball 35 and also send back Nathan Smith without scoring before bad light stopped play at 18:26 BST.

Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Jamie Smith and Foakes were the early Surrey casualties, with Nathan Smith trapping Burns lbw for eight, Sibley edging Leach behind and Jamie Smith being bowled for a fourth-ball duck.

Foakes edged to second slip on one, but Lawrence and Pope turned the tide. Lawrence hit Yadvinder Singh for six, while Pope bedded in confidently at the other end.

They rallied Surrey to 110-4 by lunch but their 33-over alliance was broken by Smith, who had Pope caught behind. Lawrence then departed when he edged Waite behind.

Abbott top-edged a pull at Waite and the same bowler trapped Gus Atkinson lbw for a fourth-ball duck. Roach fell for four, edging Ben Gibbon behind, and Worrall was run out at the bowler’s end for nought.