Rayner makes history in Middlesex victory
Middlesex 294 & 235-9 dec beat Surrey 145 & 238 by 146 runs
Ollie Rayner became the first Middlesex bowler since Fred Titmus to take 15 wickets in a match as he produced another devastating spell of bowling to wrap up a win inside three days at The Oval.
The off-spinner, who claimed a career-best 8-46 in Surrey’s first innings, took another seven on Thursday to record the seventh best match figures in the county’s 150-year history.
Fittingly, he took the final wicket of Jade Dernbach as Middlesex bounced back from two successive defeats in style and heaped more misery on struggling Surrey.
Earlier, Middlesex had had some fun with the bat, adding a quickfire 102 to their overnight score before declaring, fearing rain might wipe out most of Friday’s final day.
In the end, they were able to secure victory in the closing minutes of Thursday thanks to Rayner’s remarkable haul, the best since England legend Titmus’s 15 wickets against Somerset at Bath in 1955.
Middlesex started the day with a healthy lead of 282 and, with the poor weather forecast in mind, they blasted 102 in just under 20 overs to make Surrey’s task all the harder.
Dawid Malan made exactly 50 while Joe Denly and Rayner hit five fours apiece before Middlesex declared, setting Surrey a target of 385.
They had chalked off 37 of those by lunch without losing a wicket – but Ravi Patel struck in the fifth over of the afternoon, removing Arun Harinath.
The economical Rayner went wicketless in his first 10 overs but was finally in business again as he trapped Rory Burns lbw and later removed Vikram Solanki cheaply to complete his first-ever 10 wicket haul in a match.
Amla and Steven Davies then closed ranks with a patient stand of 86 in 36 overs, ended when the England wicket-keeper edged Corey Collymore to slip – where the ever-present Rayner took the patch.
South African lynchpin Amla had been Surrey’s rock, making 84 from 192 balls and guiding them to 207-5 late in the day.
However, just when play on Friday was looking inevitable, Rayner struck to take the crucial wicket of Amla – and Surrey virtually folded as a result.
It took Middlesex less than eight overs to complete the win, with Rayner removing Stuart Meaker and Gareth Batty in the space of four balls.
Number 11 Dernbach hit out with two sixes and a four in a final act of defiance, ended by Rayner – a wicket that sealed both victory and the 27-year-old’s place in the Middlesex hall of fame.
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