BY MARCUS HOOK
Surrey’s first win of the season was completed in emphatic style, with Jordan Clark and Dan Worrall sharing six wickets as Somerset were bowled out at The Oval for 119, having conceded a first-innings deficit of 84.
The defending champions knocked off their target of 36 in only 32 balls to move up from seventh to second in Division One, just behind early leaders Notts.
At one stage, Somerset lost six wickets for 13 runs in eight overs and were 38-7 with Clark, who also took 5-68 in the first innings, and Worrall proving too good.
“It was nice to do it in three days. I didn’t have that on my bingo card when I woke up this morning, but it’s good to get the first win of the season, and to do it at the Oval,” said Clark.
“We put in a really good bowling performance as a unit and a 40, 60, 80-run lead, which we had, can be massive at The Oval.
“Occasionally, you can lose and find rhythm but it sort of clicked for me after that first three-over spell on day one. It’s still quite early in the season, so, hopefully, I can really hit my straps in the next few weeks.”
The clatter of wickets either side of lunch on Sunday was something of a surprise given that the opening couple of days had largely belonged to the batters, particularly Rory Burns, who made 76 for the hosts.
“It just happens like that sometimes,” said Clark. “At The Oval, if you’re there or thereabouts it can happen quickly. It was a really good surface to bowl on, but there were also runs to be had, as we showed by making 367. If we’re slightly critical of ourselves, perhaps we could have gone even bigger.”
The South Londoners’ attack were abetted by some stunning catches going to hand – none more so than Ben Foakes’ catch behind the stumps to see the back of Miguel Pretorius (whose 54 forced Surrey to bat again), and Dan Lawrence’s effort at backward square leg to dismiss James Rew for a duck.
“Foakesy was absolutely outstanding,” said Clark. “In fact, today was the only time I’ve heard him say: ‘That was a really good catch’. Normally, it’s just like breakfast and something we’ve come to expect. But, today, he was very happy with that one off James Taylor.
“I haven’t seen anyone like Foakesy, to be honest.
“To shift his body one way, expecting it to go down the leg-side, and then go the other way. To be able to manoeuvre his body that way is outstanding.
“But there were a few good catches – Dan Lawrence’s, which saved him having to run to the boundary to fetch the ball, and Dan Worrall’s caught and bowled to get Tom Banton. Hats off to the old boy, getting down that low with his bad heel. Overall, it was a great team performance.”
Surrey head coach Gareth Barry added: “For large parts we were exceptional.
“When you stick a team in (after winning the toss) and keep them to under 300 it’s a good day.
“Jordan Clark was outstanding, although, bizarrely, he struggled to start with. But he’s been a fine performer for a very long time and his numbers, if you take out Ben Stokes, show why he is one of the best all-rounders in the country.”
Alas Surrey Women have not started the new season as they would have hoped, suffering at the hands of Somerset – who needed 37 off the last three overs at Beckenham – and Hampshire, who won by 50 runs at Southampton.
“It’s been a disappointing start -you don’t want to be 0 from two,” said Surrey and England all-rounder Alice Capsey, who has opened her 2025 account with scores of 26 and 57.
“We’ve done some good things, so there are some good signs. It is about taking the learnings.
“There have been a lot of good patches for us, but then patches where we just haven’t been good enough.
“Over the last year or so the girls have really prided themselves on learning from defeats and taking each game as it comes.
“It’s frustrating that I’ve got in, but we haven’t got across the line. It is nice to have got a fifty, but, at the end of the day, it is about winning games of cricket.”
PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD
