Surrey colsed the 3rd day against kent on 4-1 needing a further 121 runs for victory after dismissing the visitors for 99 in their second innings. Kumar Sangakkara made 110 as surrey were all out for 311 and Sam Curran (3-19) and Gareth Batty (4-12) them bowled visitors out in the final session of the day.
Surrey started the day on their overnight 144-1 with Sangakkara (34*) and Arun Harinath (76*) at the crease. But to his first delivery of the day Harinath departed when he edged Darren Stevens to Matt Coles at first slip who took a good low catch.
Sangakkara played patiently against the swinging ball as Zafar Ansari settled at the crease by finding the boundary on a couple of occasions. Stevens reduced Surrey to 171-3 when he dismissed Ansari in identical fashion to Harinath for 10 as the ball continued to swing.
Sangakkara moved his fifty from his 73rd delivery and Jason Roy got off the mark in lovely fashion punching Matt Hunn straight down the ground for four. The Surrey pair were made to work hard for their runs but they moved Surrey past 200 and picked up a first batting point.
Roy moved to 17 but he was then caught behind off Calum Haggett to leave Surrey 204-4. Dominic Sibley joined Sangakkara as the bowlers kept the batsmen honest and the ball continued to swing. Just before the lunch break Coles trapped Sibley LBW for 11 as Surrey went to the interval with Sangakkara 79* and Ben Foakes 5*.
Foakes immediately fell after the interval when he was trapped LBW by Stevens for 5 to leave Surrey 250-6. Sangakkara continued to play extremely well and James Burke played a crisp shot to the midwicket boundary but Stevens claimed his fourth wicket of the day when he had Burke caught behind for 6.
Sangakkara took himself into the 90’s but lost Gareth Batty at the other end for 4 when he was caught by James Tredwell at slip off the bowling of Hunn. Sangakkara moved to his 53rd First Class century from his 175th delivery when he pulled Hunn to the fine leg boundary…it has been a master class from Sangakkara and in the process he went past 18,000 First Class runs.
Surrey found themselves 288-9 when Hunn brought Sangakkara’s effort to an end on 110 when he bowled him which meant Tom and Sam Curran found themselves together in the middle. And Sam on his debut struck three boundaries off Coles to take Surrey past 300 to register a third batting point.
Tom Curran was the final batsman to go when he was caught by Joe Denly off Hunn for 4 as Surrey were all out for 311 meaning Kent had a lead of 25 runs. And Sam Curran then gave Surrey the perfect start with the ball when he trapped Daniel Bell-Drummond LBW for 5 with a big inswinger.
And Sam Curran reduced Kent to 10-2 when he had Adam Ball caught by Sibley at midwicket without scoring with an excellent short delivery. And the 17 year took his third wicket in a fantastic opening spell when he caught Denly off his own bowling for 10.
With wickets falling Sam Northeast got is head down and did the majority if the run scoring but the Surrey bowlers continued to make life extremely difficult. Ansari was introduced to the attack and he dismissed Northeast for 33 with a lovely piece of bowling that found the Kent captain’s outside edge and Roy took the catch at slip.
Ansari reduced Kent to 56-5 when he caught Sam Billings off his own bowling for 1 and the visitors were in deep trouble. Ben Harmison and Stevens joined forces and added 30 until Harmison was caught behind off Batty for 24 to leave the visitors six wickets down with a lead of 111.
Batty left Kent wobbling at 90-7 when he had Haggett caught behind for 3 and Foakes then produced a terrific piece of work to stump Stevens off Batty for 14. And Kent found themselves 99-9 when Tom Curran bowled James Tredwell for 2 and it was left to Batty to finish the innings when he had Coles caught behind sweeping for 2.
Kent led by 124 runs but gave themselves a boost when Tredwell bowled Ansari with the final ball of the day as Surrey went to stumps on 4-1.
A pulsating day of cricket and Surrey will arrive tomorrow confident of finding the further 121 runs needed for victory but knowing they may have to work hard to get them on the final day.
