| Specsavers County Championship Division One, Edgbaston (day two): |
| Warwickshire 293: Norwell 64; Dunn 3-65, Morkel 3-87 & 26-0 |
| Surrey 188: Foakes 57*, Burns 40, Borthwick 40; Patel 4-53 |
| Warwickshire (5 pts) lead Surrey (3 pts)by 131 runs with all 10 wickets intact |
| Scorecard |
Warwickshire captain Jeetan Patel bowled unchanged to take 4-53 and set up the chance of victory for the bottom club against reigning champions Surrey.
After resuming on 275-8, looking for a third batting point, the Bears could only reach 293, losing Liam Norwell for 64 and Henry Brookes for 41, both removed by Morne Morkel (3-87).
But they then bowled out Surrey for 188, inspired by Patel’s 31-over spell.
Batting again, the Bears closed on 26-0 to build a lead of 131.
Will Rhodes and Dom Sibley negotiated the final 12 overs of the day, to boost hopes of winning after starting the season with three defeats following promotion back to Division One.
Despite Bears home debutant Norwell hitting Morkel’s third ball of the day for six, the South African got his revenge in his next over when he bowled the winter signing from Gloucestershire.
That proved the end of the fun following the previous evening’s spectacular boundary blitz, as fellow tailender Brookes followed. But Surrey’s batsmen soon showed that batting was far from easy at Edgbaston as only four of them made double figures.
After 40 apiece for Rory Burns and Scott Borthwick, Patel struck three times in the same over from the City End before another of the visitors’ England contingent Ben Foakes came in at five to make 57 not out.
From 92-6, Foakes and Bears old boy Rikki Clarke dished out a bit of heavy treatment of their own to the bowlers as they put on 58. But that was ended by a brilliant run-out from cover point by former Surrey man Sibley to run out Clarke,
Morkel then followed quickly, a fourth victim for Patel. And, although Gareth Batty helped Foakes put on a further 37 for the ninth wicket, Brookes got rid of both the ex-Worcestershire and England spinner and then last man Matt Dunn successive balls to end the innings.
