Spinners spearhead Surrey's title charge

Hampshire 190 & 326 Surrey 576 Surrey win by an innings and 60 runs

There were two dogs (belonging to Adam Hollioake) and a man to watch Surrey complete the annihilation of Hampshire yesterday morning, and if any of the trio had blinked they would have missed it.

It took the First Division leaders just 24 minutes to achieve something they had failed to do in 15 overs the previous day, get rid of the stubborn Dimitri Mascarenhas and James Hamblin.

Unsurprisingly, given that the dry Oval pitch had been the object of some concern because of undue turn from the first day, it was spin that settled the issue, Ian Salisbury picking up the two batsmen, Mascarenhas falling last just half a dozen runs away from a deserved hundred.

It brought to 18 the total of Hampshire wickets that had fallen to spin and in all 22 wickets went to the twirlers and tweakers. Saqlain Mushtaq emerged with match figures of 11 for 180 – his 10th 10-wicket haul for Surrey in his sixth season with the county, and his 13th in his career. There were also half a dozen victims for leg spinner Ian Salisbury over the two innings.

The maximum points that Surrey picked up after some superlative cricket stretched their lead at the top of the table and brought them ever closer to the County Championship, though they will probably be relieved that Lord's did not take any punitive action, such as deducting points after one of the umpires had telephoned for a pitch inspector to look in on Friday. The pitch was given the thumbs-up that same evening after Surrey's batsmen had shown it was possible to score big and quickly on it. They now face a crunch match away at Warwickshire, who have a game in hand over the leaders.

After the victory Hollioake said: "If we win when we go up to Edgbaston then I think you could write our name on the Trophy." But he is taking nothing for granted, as well he should not. Another notable absentee yesterday was The Fat Lady, although on present form she should soon be singing Surrey's song, but it was Warwickshire who inflicted Surrey's first defeat of the season in south London early last month.

And Hollioake explained: "It is going to be hard up there [at Edgbaston] Warwickshire are a good side. But we are playing bloody good cricket and it would be a monumental falling apart for us not to win that match." In fact, as long as they do not lose their three remaining games (Warwickshire, Hampshire away, then Leicestershire at home) they should clinch the title anyway.