County Championship: Somerset make 429 to take command against Surrey
- Published
Ben Green scored 43 on his first County Championship appearance of the season for Somerset
LV= County Championship Group Two, Kia Oval, London (day two): |
Somerset 429: Hildreth 107, Goldsworthy 48, Green 43; Clark 3-75, Virdi 3-86 |
Surrey 24-0: Burns 18* |
Surrey (2 pts) trail Somerset (3 pts) by 405 runs |
Somerset moved closer to a place in Division One and a chance of the County Championship title as their lower order kept Surrey on the back foot.
Resuming on 280-6 overnight, Somerset amassed 429 thanks to Ben Green (43), Roelof van der Merwe (41), Marchant de Lange (29) and Jack Leach (28no).
Spinner Amar Virdi (3-86) removed Green and Van Der Merwe but it was another day of toil for the hosts' bowlers.
Surrey reached 24-0 in reply before rain saw play end at 16:40 BST.
Skipper Rory Burns will resume day three unbeaten on 18, alongside Mark Stoneman, after the England opener hit four boundaries in a speedy start to the Surrey innings before the downpours began.
With Gloucestershire and Hampshire, the sides second and third respectively in Group Two, facing each other in this final round of fixtures, leaders Somerset's progression to the top-flight stage is almost assured after their fine batting performance at the Kia Oval.
The top two in each group will go through to Division One and one of those six sides will be crowned county champions after four more fixtures.
Given a platform by captain James Hildreth's 107 on Sunday, Somerset pushed on in the morning session as Van Der Merwe and Green, in his first Championship game this summer, put on 61 for the seventh wicket.
Both were caught after being deceived by spinner Virdi, but their efforts freed up De Lange as he hit a rapid 29 in 27 balls, including two sixes, as Somerset piled on the runs.
Surrey's struggles were compounded by a calf injury that restricted seamer Jamie Overton to just four overs, although they believe he will be fit enough to bat.
Somerset head coach Jason Kerr:
"We're in a strong position and we have to ensure our mindset is that we are trying to win the game over the next two days.
"A draw would be good enough for us to qualify for Division One, but whatever happens in the rest of this game, it's imperative we remain focused on trying to win because that will also prepare us for the divisional phase later in the season.
"It's a wicket where we will have to be patient with the ball but with 429 on the board we're happy at this stage. I thought Ben Green, having come into the side in a very different role, batted brilliantly today to help us to get beyond 400."