The Oval (day three of four): Surrey (22 points) triumphed over Somerset (4) by eight wickets

A dramatic hour of play either side of lunch on Sunday reaffirmed that the reigning champions Surrey are back in form, while Somerset’s aspirations for a historic title in their 150th anniversary appear increasingly distant even before the month of April concludes (Mark Baldwin reports).

This defeat was harsh for Lewis Gregory’s side, who have now gone four matches without a win; this setback felt particularly crushing after their failure to dismiss Worcestershire in their season opener at Taunton.

Somerset faces mounting challenges, including the loss of opener Sean Dickson for six weeks due to a broken finger sustained early on Friday. Additionally, there is uncertainty regarding the fitness of Craig Overton, the spearhead of their bowling attack, who missed this match due to a back spasm.

As head coach Jason Kerr conceded, regrouping after such a disheartening loss will be a tough task. “It’s difficult to articulate what occurred today; it was still a good batting pitch,” Kerr remarked. “I can’t explain it, but we must have no excuses for that performance.

“To be a successful team, you cannot afford to experience collapses like that. I know our players are putting in hard work and that we have talented individuals; however, what we displayed today was far from acceptable. The fact is, in scenarios like the one we faced when beginning our second innings, it is essential to demonstrate significantly more character.”

Surrey, on the other hand, achieved a significant feat by capturing six crucial Somerset second-innings wickets for just 13 runs in eight overs, swiftly reducing them to a staggering 38 for seven, before bowling them out for a mere 119 runs. This marks Surrey’s first win of the season, with nearly four sessions of the match remaining. After a sluggish start, they find themselves in second place, only ten points behind the current Division One leaders, Nottinghamshire.

Jordan Clark, who followed up his impressive first-innings performance with five wickets for 68 runs by quickly toppling Somerset’s order in the afternoon session, stated: “We are very pleased with our performance. It was an outstanding team effort, and we bowled well as a unit, complemented by some excellent catches.”

Leicestershire climbs to the top of the table

Bristol (day three of four): Leicestershire (20 points) secured a two-wicket victory over Gloucestershire (4)

Leicestershire last played in Division One of the County Championship back in 2003. However, following an unbeaten April, they currently sit atop Division Two and show promising potential for promotion (Geoffrey Dean reports). Their second win this season, already surpassing last year’s total, was achieved through exceptional bowling, where they took eight wickets before lunch to dismiss Gloucestershire for a low score.

Chasing a target of 143 on a pitch conducive to seam movement and carry proved challenging after Leicestershire lost two wickets in the first over. At 42 for five, following an impressive spell from Dom Goodman, who took four wickets in seven overs, the match was in a precarious state. Nonetheless, Ben Cox, battling through a painful rib injury, helped steer his team toward victory with a well-calibrated 47, supported by Ben Green, who struck the winning runs to cap off a remarkable individual performance.

Gloucestershire, trailing by ten runs in the first innings, appeared to be in a strong position at 98 for three, with one wicket being a nightwatchman. However, in just 24 balls, they collapsed to 105 for seven. The decisive blows came from Logan van Beek, a 34-year-old New Zealand-born bowler, and Green, who is on loan from Somerset for the initial seven Championship fixtures this season.

Green, following a stellar first innings with five wickets, added two more crucial wickets yesterday. He produced exceptional deliveries to have Miles Hammond caught at second slip and Cameron Green caught behind on an inside edge. Van Beek employed an off-cutter to dismiss Cameron Bancroft and had James Bracey caught at mid-on.

Jacob Bethell finally receives IPL opportunity

English all-rounder Jacob Bethell made his long-awaited IPL debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore, opening the batting and scoring 12 runs in a six-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals.

This 21-year-old, who shone during his Test debut in New Zealand over the winter, is likely to miss England’s opening match against Zimbabwe later this month due to IPL commitments.

Previously limited to carrying drinks, Bethell got his chance on Sunday, partnering with Virat Kohli at the crease and hitting a six off just his fourth ball before being dismissed off Axar Patel’s bowling.