County Championship: Surrey beat Gloucestershire by an innings and 47 runs
- Published
Amar Virdi took seven wickets in the match for Surrey
LV= County Championship Group Two, Kia Oval, London (day four): |
Surrey 473: Amla 173, Clarke 65, Patel 62, Overton 50; Higgins 4-69 |
Gloucestershire 158: Hammond 77; Moriarty 6-60 & 268: Tattersall 86*, Hammond 45, Virdi 4-96 |
Surrey (22 pts) beat Gloucestershire (2 pts) by an innings and 47 runs |
Surrey ended Gloucestershire's unbeaten start to the summer with an innings-and-47-run victory at The Kia Oval.
The visitors resumed day four on 124-5 in their second innings, still 191 runs behind after being asked to follow on.
Daniel Moriarty removed key man Miles Hammond (45) early, before Tom Smith fell for one in the next over.
Jonny Tattersall offered some resistance with 86 not out but Amar Virdi took 4-96 to help complete Surrey's second win of the season.
Tattersall, on loan from Yorkshire, put on 56 for the last wicket with Dan Worrall (24) but was left stranded 14 short of his second first-class century when Worrall was bowled by Moriarty.
The win keeps them in contention for a top-two place in Group Two, behind leaders Gloucestershire and second-placed Somerset.
The platform for Surrey's victory was laid by Hashim Amla's brilliant 173 on days one and two, while Moriarty then ran through the Gloucestershire order with career-best figures of 6-60 on day three.
Surrey off-spinner Amar Virdi:
"It was a fantastic performance by the whole team and a key win for us because it was against the side top of the group. It gives us great momentum going into the start of the T20 Blast and then into our final two championship group games later on.
"It was a big toss for us to win at the start but then Hashim Amla led the way brilliantly by batting time on that pitch and also with his captaincy.
"It was great for me to bowl again in partnership with Dan Moriarty. As bowlers, we complement each other."
Gloucestershire captain Chris Dent:
"We showed a bit of fight. The guys who batted out there did a really good job b ut Surrey played the better cricket over the four days.
"We are still top of the group and there is a lot for us to play for. We have to learn and improve, and put those lessons into practice if we have another match on this type of pitch later in the season.
"For now we have to make sure we turn up with our heads held high on Thursday, when we start our next match against Leicestershire."