Sangakkara rises to the occasion yet again

Lankan great scores back-to-back centuries at the Lord’s

Not content with scoring one century at Lord’s in a match where his portrait was unveiled in the Pavilion, Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara added another for Surrey against County champions Middlesex on Sunday.

The veteran left-hander’s 114 had been the cornerstone of the visitors’ first-innings 313.

Sangakkara topped that on Sunday with an unbeaten 116 in a total of 191 for four that saw Surrey erase their London rivals’ lead on the third day of this First Division County Championship clash.

Surrey ended the third day of four 96 runs in front after Middlesex made 411 built on Dawid Malan’s 115 and 112 from captain James Franklin, the former New Zealand all-rounder.

Sangakkara was not the only experienced left-hander in the runs on Sunday.

West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul made 106 out of Lancashire’s 264 for six at stumps in their Roses clash against Yorkshire at Old Trafford after a maiden first-class century from paceman Jack Brooks had helped take the visitors to a total of 448 for eight declared.

Resistance

Essex went to the top of the table by routing Hampshire inside three days at Chelmsford to win by an innings and 97 runs.

Jamie Porter took seven wickets in the match, including a career-best five for 24 in the first innings.

Hampshire, who started the day on 92 for seven, were bowled out for 115 and offered little more resistance in slumping to 148 all out second time around in reply after Essex had made 360 featuring 124 from former England Test captain Alastair Cook.

Australia’s George Bailey, the Hampshire captain, briefly kept Essex at bay with 32.

Meanwhile, former England batsman Jonathan Trott compiled 175 out of Warwickshire’s 413 to leave the visitors on top against Somerset at Taunton.

At the close Somerset were 94 for four, with ex-England batsman Marcus Trescothick unbeaten on 41 and having surpassed 25,000 first-class runs in the process.

In the Second Division, a player with one of the most evocative surnames in English cricket was in the runs for Worcestershire.

Brett D’Oliveira, the third generation of his family to play for the Midlands county after grandfather Basil, the former England batsman, and father Damian, made 150 and shared an opening stand of 243 with Daryl Mitchell (120) as Worcestershire posted 323 for three in reply to Derbyshire’s 275.