Jamie Smith played a brilliant innings of 98 not out for Surrey, but Warwickshire’s Craig Miles took three wickets late on day two of the Vitality County Championship match, slowing down Surrey’s progress.
Warwickshire’s Ed Barnard reached his century, scoring the four runs he needed before getting out for 108 at the Kia Oval, contributing to Warwickshire’s total of 343 runs. Surrey’s top batsmen, Rory Burns (40), Dom Sibley (64), and Ollie Pope (44), helped them reach 169 for three.
Jamie Smith and Ben Foakes, both contenders for the England Test wicketkeeper spot, built a partnership of 139 runs. However, Miles took three wickets in three overs, leaving Surrey at 327 for six.
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Foakes scored 52 runs before getting out to a delivery that stayed low. Lawrence was out leg before wicket for three, and Roach edged one to slip off Miles, who seemed to twist his ankle while celebrating his five-wicket haul.
Surrey’s chances of taking a big lead in the first innings depend largely on Jamie Smith. He played a fantastic innings, hitting 14 fours and two sixes in a rapid 111-ball knock, finishing the day just two runs short of a well-deserved century.
In another match, Jason Holder and Matthew Waite both scored unbeaten centuries for Worcestershire against Kent at Canterbury. Holder made 123 not out, while Waite scored exactly 100. Worcestershire declared their first innings at 618 for seven, with Adam Hose contributing 90 runs.
Kent struggled early, losing two wickets with just 15 runs on the board, but they managed to rally and ended the day at 112 for two, with Daniel Bell-Drummond and Jack Leaning not out on 54 and 43 respectively.
Haseeb Hameed scored his maiden century as Nottinghamshire captain and his first century in Championship cricket since September 2022 against Lancashire at Trent Bridge. Hameed remained unbeaten on 137 runs, but he was dropped on 104 by left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, who went wicketless in 18 overs in his final county match before joining the England squad for the T20 World Cup.
Saqib Mahmood, bowling competitively for the first time in a year due to a stress fracture in his back, dismissed Nottinghamshire’s opener Ben Slater as they ended the day at 279 for seven in response to Lancashire’s 331.
In Division Two, Glamorgan’s Kiran Carlson and Colin Ingram both scored centuries, helping Glamorgan recover from 41 for four to reach 411 for nine at stumps against Sussex at Cardiff.
