Surrey lose ground in title race as weather bails out Warwickshire

Heavy afternoon rain had the final say at the Kia Oval as title favourites Surrey were forced to accept a draw against Warwickshire that cuts their lead over Nottinghamshire at the top of the Rothesay County Championship to a single point.

Surrey set Warwickshire 390 to win in 76 overs after declaring their second innings on 391 for 8, with Dom Sibley completing his fourth Championship hundred of the season despite batting with a runner due to a groin injury.

But Warwickshire had few alarms in initially reaching 60 for 1 from 23 overs before the players were driven from the field at 2.24pm. Play did resume again at 3.50pm, with a potential 36 overs remaining, but hands were shaken 16 overs later with Warwickshire on 105 for 1.

Tom Lawes pinned Warwickshire captain Alex Davies leg-before for 31 just before the rains came but, in the end, just too many overs - 114 in all following the loss of almost 75 on day three - were taken out of the game by the weather for a positive result to be possible.

It sets up a titanic contest between Surrey and Nottinghamshire next week in their only meeting this season, and on a ground where Surrey have lost only one Championship fixture since April 2022 and the start of their three title-winning summers.

Rob Yates remained 34 not out and Will Young, who had top-scored for Warwickshire with 72 in their first innings, was unbeaten on 31.

With eight points for the draw, both sides take 11 points from this fixture and that means Surrey, chasing a fourth successive Championship title, have lost ground against Notts - who earlier in the day beat Worcestershire at New Road.

Surrey, resuming on 276 for 2, added 115 more runs from 18.5 overs with Sibley - who had retired hurt on 64 before the start of a truncated third day - re-emerging at the fall of the sixth wicket, with his captain Rory Burns acting as his runner, to go to an heroic 103 not out. Sibley even hit successive sixes, flipped and hooked off Olly Hannon-Dalby, for the first time in his first-class career to help to speed Surrey to their declaration.

The final day began with Ben Foakes and Dan Lawrence, unbeaten on 41 and 29 respectively overnight, hitting out with abandon in the opening overs. Foakes slammed the second ball of the morning wide of mid-on for four and Lawrence hoisted Michael Booth over long on for six before flipping to fine leg for another boundary.

However, after Foakes had hooked Nathan Gilchrist for four to reach his half-century, he fell next ball for 52 attempting another big hit to deep square leg to prompt a clatter of five wickets for 24 runs in eight overs as Warwickshire successfully took the second new ball.

Lawrence holed out to deep midwicket for 43 off Booth, who then had both Jordan Clark leg-before for 8 - following a pulled six - and Gus Atkinson brilliantly held on the boundary ropes by Ethan Bamber.

Another great catch, this time low to his right by a sprawling Young at backward point, saw the end of Ryan Patel for 10 off Gilchrist but Sibley then strode out to join Lawes in a rollicking stand of 52 for the eighth wicket. Lawes' useful 19 ended with a spliced catch to cover but there was just enough time for Sibley to go to three figures, with a dabbed reverse seep for two off Yates' off spin, before Burns' declaration.