County Championship: Six-wicket hauls for Jack Leach and Ravichandran Ashwin as Surrey and Somerset draw

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Ravi Ashwin of Surrey.Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Two of Ravichandran Ashwin's Somerset victims were bowled, two caught and two trapped lbw

LV= County Championship Group Two, Kia Oval, London (day four):

Somerset 429 & 69: Ashwin 6-27, Moriarty 4-20

Surrey 240: Stoneman 67, Burns 50; Leach 6-43, Van der Merwe 4-54 & 106-4: Smith 46*; Van der Merwe 3-60

Surrey (11 pts) drew with Somerset (14 pts)

Spinners took all 16 wickets to fall on the final day at the Kia Oval as Surrey fought back to salvage a draw against Group Two winners Somerset.

Jack Leach completed a six-wicket haul as Surrey added just one run to their overnight 239-8 and were out for 240.

But Somerset were skittled for 69 in their second innings, Ravichandran Ashwin taking 6-27 to better Leach's 6-43, while Daniel Moriarty took 4-20.

Roelof van der Merwe then took 3-60 as Surrey shook hands on a draw at 106-4.

It was certainly not a day for the batsmen, and the lbw dismissals of Moriarty and Amar Virdi, both without troubling the scorers, set the tone as Surrey's first innings ended within 20 minutes of play starting.

Somerset, who had secured progress to Division One on Tuesday and a chance to claim a maiden County Championship title, struggled just as badly with the bat after deciding not to enforce the follow-on.

That was a decision they quickly regretted as only three batsmen reached double figures, with the 18 stand for the third wicket between James Hildreth (14) and Devon Conway (12) their largest partnership.

Ashwin and Moriarty dismissed them not long after lunch, the innings lasting little more than two hours, in stark contrast to Somerset's opening contribution of 429.

That set Surrey a nominal target of 259 to win but once Van der Merwe bowled Rory Burns for 12 and Leach had Mark Stoneman caught for eight, they abandoned any real aspirations of a chase.

Jamie Smith (46 not out) and Hashim Amla (28) batted patiently to earn a draw for Surrey, who finish fourth in the group and will play in Division Two in the Championship's second stage.