Lawrence's sixth ton of season buries Somerset title hopes as Surrey dominate at Taunton

Surrey seize control as Somerset's title dream slips away

Surrey seized control of the final Rothesay County Championship Division One match of the season with a commanding 327-4 on day one against Somerset at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton - leaving the hosts' flickering hopes of a first-ever Championship title all but snuffed out in front of nearly 3,000 expectant supporters.

Dan Lawrence was the architect of Surrey's dominance, finishing unbeaten on 105 off 136 balls, with nine fours and four sixes. The innings marked his sixth County Championship century of the season and maintained a remarkable personal record.

"The innings maintained his record of going on to three figures every time he has made fifty in red ball cricket this summer," the match report noted, underlining just how consistently Lawrence has converted his starts into big scores this year.

A good toss to win for Surrey

The match began in bright sunshine and it soon looked a good toss to win as the pitch offered scant assistance to the Somerset seamers. In the hope of boosting their chances of maximum batting points to keep title hopes alive, the hosts brought the boundary ropes in on both sides of the wicket - only for Surrey to capitalise on the favourable batting conditions.

As early as the eighth over, Somerset skipper Lewis Gregory turned to spin, introducing Jack Leach from the River End. Rory Burns had no intention of letting the experienced left-armer settle, slog-sweeping him for six in only his second over. When Craig Overton began his second spell from the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion End, Burns cleared the ropes again with a pull shot.

But having reached 31 off 44 balls, Burns misjudged a sweep off Leach and top-edged a catch to Tom Abell at short fine-leg. The stand with Dom Sibley had put 47 on the board. Ryan Patel contributed 16 before being caught at slip pushing forward defensively to off-spinner Archie Vaughan, with the total on 78.

Sibley anchors, Pope falls short of fifty

Sibley batted comfortably through the morning session to be unbeaten on 35 at lunch, which was taken at 86-2. Ollie Pope began the afternoon session by lofting Vaughan over long-on for six, while Sibley played the anchor role, reaching a typically solid half-century off 138 balls, with eight fours.

A Sibley boundary to fine leg brought up a fifty stand, and it came as a surprise when, with the total on 131, Pope fell leg before on the back foot for 59, playing across a straight ball from Gregory, wicketkeeper James Rew having just moved up to stand at the stumps.

On 59, Sibley survived a confident lbw shout from Leach, but soon another useful partnership developed as Lawrence played with characteristic aggression, smacking Leach over wide long-on for six. With tea approaching, Sibley was lured into a trap, glancing a ball directed at leg stump by Migael Pretorius - who had been awarded his Somerset county cap before play commenced - straight to the perfectly positioned Abell at leg-slip. It was 174-4 and nine more runs were added before the interval, with Lawrence gliding to 34.

Lawrence and Foakes run riot after tea

The final session saw Lawrence produce arguably the shot of the day with a glorious straight-driven four off Pretorius. His sixth boundary, a flowing off-drive off Vaughan, took him to an 86-ball half-century. Ben Foakes was looking equally at ease as the pair brought up a century stand off 156 balls.

Foakes moved fluently to the third fifty of the innings off 93 balls as the scoring rate accelerated, Lawrence slog-sweeping Leach for a big six over mid-wicket and then a straighter one in the same over. It was looking all too easy for Surrey as stumps approached, Lawrence going to a typically easy-on-the-eye hundred with his fourth six, smashed over wide long-on off Leach in the final over. The unbroken stand with Foakes was worth 153.

Scorecard at a glance

Surrey 327-4: Lawrence 105*, Sibley 72, Foakes 64*; Gregory 1-56
Somerset: Yet to bat
Points: Surrey 2pts, Somerset 1pt

Somerset, who won the toss and were forced to bowl, now face a near-impossible task to keep their title ambitions alive with only this final fixture remaining.