Burns leads way again as Surrey show title form
Captain top-scores in defeat of Yorkshire Leaders ease to fifth win in seven matches
At Scarborough
Surrey (267 & 229-3) beat Yorkshire (342 & 152) by 7 wkts
By any standards, Surrey are showing title-winning form, and their fifth win out of seven was safely bagged before lunch yesterday.
If it was not quite as emphatic as their previous three, all secured by an innings, the seven-wicket win over Yorkshire was pleasing enough and fitted a pattern of recent success, with four consecutive away victories all secured on outgrounds.
Much cricket remains to be played, but the odds on Surrey taking their first title since 2002 are shortening by the day with 22 points separating them from second-placed Nottinghamshire, who have played one game more.
There was an omen here too, because the past five teams to have won the first match of the two played at North Marine Road each season have gone on to win the Specsavers County Championship: Durham in 2013, Yorkshire in 2014 and 2015, Middlesex in 2016 and Essex last summer.
Captain Rory Burns top-scored with 97 as they chased a target of 228 with comfort, having started the day on 89 without loss.
Burns, who hit 15 fours in 146 balls, shared 99 for the first wicket with Mark Stoneman (32) and 47 for the second with Scott Borthwick, before falling three short of a third Championship century this season.
Burns is leading from the front in every sense and now has 722 Championship runs at an average of 65.63, including two hundreds and three fifties, and has overtaken team-mate Ollie Pope.
Burns said: “To get the win having been behind at the halfway stage is very pleasing. We’re just happy with how we’re going about our cricket. Hopefully, we continue to do the business.”
This was a match that swung back and forth, but decisively on day three when Yorkshire, who led by 75, were bowled out for 152 in their second innings.
Burns started day four unbeaten on 55 and continued to drive well and play confidently through midwicket, before upper-cutting a short and wide Tim Bresnan delivery to deep backward point as the score slipped to 146 for two after 43 overs. When Burns exited 40 minutes before lunch, Surrey needed 82 more, and the leaders advanced calmly to claim a further 21 points.
Borthwick, who shared 74 with third-wicket partner Ryan Patel, contributed 62 off 112 balls. He reached 50 in the second over after lunch, but was bowled by Jack Leaning’s part-time spin with eight needed. Patel finished 24 not out.
The White Rose county have now lost three of their seven matches and are realistically looking down rather than up.
Yorkshire started well with the ball in the opening hour of the day but they needed more than the wicket of Stoneman, lbw to Ben Coad without adding to his overnight total.
For Stoneman, his 32 was a season-best Championship score, which ranks as an achievement of sorts.
Surrey face Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in their next match late in July.