CURRAN IS ALL-ROUND HERO IN AN OVAL ROMP

SAM CURRAN had quite a night as Surrey hammered Hampshire Hawks by 72 runs.

Curran (above) hit 69 in a brilliant second-wicket partnership of 131 with Will Jacks, who made 64, as Surrey set the Kia Oval alight.

Both players hit five sixes in their innings and Curran had one more four – five to four – before Sunil Narine weighed in with 52 as Surrey piled up a formidable 228-4.

Curran then returned the fifth-best bowling figures in Surrey’s T20 history.

Hampshire lost Nick Gubbins to the second ball of their innings.

Ben Mcdermott and Tom Prest took the Hawks to 55-1 before Curran dismissed three players in the same over.

Prest was first to go for 23 before Mcdermott went for 29 and then Aneurin Donald departed for a duck.

Curran finished with 5-30 as the visitors were all out for 156.

Leicestershire Foxes ended Birmingham Bears’ 100 percent start to the Vitality Blast season with a five-run victory at Edgbaston.

The Foxes mustered only a moderate 152-9 but bowled and fielded excellently to restrict the Bears to 147-9.

After the Foxes chose to bat, Scott Steel struck a cleanly-hit T20-best 72 but only Ben Mike (34) offered him much support.

Spin pair Jake Lintott (4-27) and Danny Briggs (2-25) did most of the damage, while Alex Davies became the first Bears wicketkeeper to snare five victims in a T20 innings.

Davies replied with 43 from 34 balls but the Foxes, led by Rehan Ahmed (3-36), seized the points to reignite their stuttering campaign.

Michael Hogan and Michael Neser led the way with three wickets each as Glamorgan had little trouble beating

Essex Eagles by six wickets.

Essex finished on 113-9 and Sam Northeast hit 44 as Glamorgan reached 114-4 with 3.1 overs to spare.