Surrey v Warwickshire: Day 4 report

Final scores: (The Oval)

Surrey won by an innings and one run

Surrey 454

Warwickshire 91 & 362

Day four report

Surrey wrapped up an innings victory over Warwickshire inside 13 overs on the final day of their Specsavers County Championship clash at the Kia Oval despite a battling 151 from Jonathan Trott.

Chris Wright was bowled by Tom Curran for a duck after 55 minutes play to clinch an innings-and-one-run win for Surrey that launches their 2017 championship campaign in fine style and underlines their title aspirations.

Curran ended with four for 88 with Surrey taking 23 points from the win and, despite Trott's rearguard action, the result had never been in doubt once Mark Footitt had taken six wickets in 32 balls on the second day as Warwickshire were blown away for 91 in their first innings.

But Trott's 41st first-class hundred, and battling third day-support from the likes of Ian Bell and Keith Barker, held Surrey up and took the match into its final day.

It was perhaps fitting that Footitt ended Trott's epic knock, in the eighth over of the morning, with the former England batsman aiming a deliberate upper-cut at a short ball from the left-arm paceman and watching aghast as it ballooned into Dominic Sibley's hands at third man.

Trott had batted for six hours and 44 minutes, facing 291 balls and hitting 19 fours, with his final boundary taking him to the 19th 150 of his prolific career.

Jeetan Patel had already gone by the time Trott fell, leg-before to Tom Curran from the last ball of the day's fifth over.

Patel had taken three fours from Footitt, including a sparkling extra cover drive, to move from his overnight 11 to 29 but had narrowly survived another lbw shout from the probing Curran earlier in the same over.

Curran finished off the Warwickshire second innings by wrecking Wright's stumps to prevent Surrey from having to bat again.

Footitt's two for 104 gave him match figures of 8 for 118.

Day three report

A batting masterclass from Jonathan Trott, who scored the 41st first-class century of his career, led Warwickshire's resistance against Surrey at the Kia Oval.

Surrey were on course to wrap up victory inside three days when they took four middle-order wickets in 11 overs after lunch to reduce Warwickshire, who had followed on 363 runs behind, to 181 for six.

But Trott batted for over six hours to compile an unbeaten 141 as Warwickshire closed the third day on 322 for seven, still trailing by 41.

The 35-year-old reached his century in the first over after tea by which time Keith Barker, coming in at number eight but with six first-class hundreds to his name, was giving him valuable support.

Barker had a life just before tea when he was dropped by Rory Burns at slip on 13. Surrey had held their catches in this match and that miss proved expensive as he and Trott negotiated the new ball and then proceeded to give Warwickshire a period of superiority for the first time in the match.

They added 124 in 42 overs for the seventh wicket, with Barker contributing 57 before he missed a straight one from Gareth Batty.

A single off Batty had taken Trott to his second hundred of the season after he took 130 off the Oxford MCCU students last week. This was a much sterner test but the 35-year-old's composure and powers of concentration show no sign of receding.

It was hard to recall a false shot, never mind the semblance of a chance. His first 50 came off 115 balls and he had to regroup several times during the afternoon as wickets fell at the other end.

Surrey had made an excellent start by claiming openers Will Porterfield (19) and Alex Mellor (14) within five overs. Porterfield was pinned in front by Sam Curran off the 11th ball of the day and Mellor caught at slip poking tamely outside off stump at Jade Dernbach.

It was no surprise that Trott and skipper Ian Bell, Warwickshire's most experienced and reliable batsmen, then held Surrey at bay on a pitch which remained fairly true, although by the end the odd delivery was keeping low and Batty was getting some turn.

In contrast to his partner, Bell was prepared to go on the attack at every opportunity and he soon launched into some trademark cover drives, including two in successive balls off Sam Curran which sped to the fence.

But having hit 10 fours in his 64 from 94 balls, and added 103 with Trott for the third wicket, he fell to a superb diving catch at second slip by Scott Borthwick when left-armer Mark Footitt, whose six wickets on the second day had help skittle Warwickshire for 91, angled the ball across him.

With the breakthrough made, Surrey's seamers stepped up. Tom Curran removed Tim Ambrose for his second duck of the match and Rikki Clarke for six during an excellent spell while Sam Hain was leg before to the impressive Dernbach.

At 181 for six and still trailing by 182 runs Warwickshire were staring at an innings defeat but Trott showed no intention of being dislodged.

Day two report

Mark Footitt put the skids under Warwickshire to give Surrey total control of their Specsavers County Championship Division One season opener.

The pace bowler took six wickets for 14 runs in a nine-over spell of relentless hostility either side of tea to shatter the visitors' first innings - they were bowled out for 91 in reply to the hosts' 454.

Forced to follow on at the Kia Oval, Warwickshire reached 29 without loss in their second innings by stumps, a deficit of 334.

Footitt's fiery initial burst of three for nought in nine balls, just before the interval, sent Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and Sam Hain on their way for ducks.

Another good-sized crowd, basking in the south London sun, lapped it up as Footitt roared in from the Vauxhall End to leave Warwickshire reeling at 39 for four at tea and, shortly afterwards, 42 for seven.

Warwickshire had been 30 without loss, but then Sam Curran saw Alex Mellor caught at third slip for 18 and Footitt - brought on as first change after a five-over new ball spell from Tom Curran - took over.

In his second over, a dramatic 15th of the innings, the former Derbyshire left-armer had Trott leg before wicket shuffling across his stumps.

Three balls later he angled a delivery across Bell to square him up on the back foot and have Warwickshire's other high-profile former England batsman caught at second slip.

Hain, pushing weakly at another rapid delivery, was also held by Scott Borthwick at second slip and, resuming after the break for tea, Footitt saw opener Will Porterfield edge behind for 18, before Rikki Clarke and Keith Barker fell for ducks - the fourth and fifth Warwickshire batsmen to succumb to him without scoring.

Clarke was lbw soon after to Footitt and Barker castled a delivery that seemed to shoot through a little low - one ball after fending off a vicious lifter.

Jade Dernbach, brought on for the 26th over, removed Tim Ambrose for six with his third ball -courtesy of another smart catch low down at second slip by Borthwick.

When Sam Curran relieved Footitt the younger left-arm paceman almost immediately struck again to have Jeetan Patel taken at second slip for eight - a fourth catch for Borthwick.

A last wicket partnership of 30 between Chris Wright and Oliver Hannon-Dalby spared Warwickshire the embarrassment of being dismissed for their lowest championship total for almost four decades - but it was all over when Hannon-Dalby mishit Tom Curran to square leg to go for two.

That dismissal left Wright, only the third Warwickshire batsman to reach double figures, unbeaten on 28 from 30 balls.

Wicket-to-wicket, Footitt's wrecking-ball burst was six for three in 32 balls. It is the fourth championship match in succession, going back to late last August, that the 31-year-old has taken five or more wickets in an innings.

Close to England Test selection at times in the past two years, especially when he was included in the squad for the 2015-16 tour to South Africa, Footitt may spearhead a Surrey title tilt this summer - if he stays fit.

Earlier, Kumar Sangakkara's carefully-constructed 71 pushed Surrey on from their overnight 327 for three to 378 for four - before they lost their last seven wickets for 76 runs in 27 overs.

Fellow seamer Wright was the chief beneficiary as he finished with figures of five for 113, while off-spinner Patel also picked up two wickets. Ben Foakes briefly flourished with the bat with 34.

Day one report

Mark Stoneman marked his Surrey Specsavers County Championship debut with a masterly 165 as his new county took control against Warwickshire at the Kia Oval.

The 29-year-old compiled a chanceless 17th first-class century as he became the first Englishman to score a hundred on Championship debut for Surrey since Mark Ramprakash in 2001.

Rory Burns (71) and Kumar Sangakkara (47 not out) also made solid contributions which mocked Warwickshire captain Ian Bell's decision to field first as Surrey closed day one on 327 for three.

Stoneman was initially circumspect against the new ball but an off-driven four in the eighth over off Chris Wright seemed to flick the switch and for the next five hours the left-hander didn't offer a chance as he paid his first dividend following his winter move from Durham.

The majority of his 24 boundaries were punched through the covers but he also attacked off-spinner Jeetan Patel, who had been brought into the attack in the 20th over, by cutting him off the back foot with superb timing and then lofting him back down the ground for six.

Stoneman brought up his century by guiding Oliver Hannon-Dalby to the third man boundary midway through the afternoon session by which time Surrey were in command.

He was finally dismissed three overs after Warwickshire took the new ball when wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose snapped up the edge as he tried to drive on the up at Wright, having faced 267 balls.

Stoneman launched Surrey's season with a stand of 154, 136 of which were made before lunch, with Burns.

Bell employed six bowlers in the first session but only Keith Barker and Patel offered him any sort of control. The Surrey pair both reached fifty in the same over, Burns getting there with a pulled six off Hannon-Dalby.

Warwickshire's bowlers fought back with two wickets in the afternoon session, but any assistance in a pitch which had a tinge of green at the start had burned off under a warm sun and it had become an exercise in containment for their bowlers.

Burns had looked good for a hundred of his own until Barker drew him forward and he edged behind after hitting 11 fours and a six, then Stoneman added 76 in 22 overs with Surrey's other winter recruit from Durham, Scott Borthwick, for the second wicket.

Borthwick followed a ball from Hannon-Dalby and was taken at slip after scoring 23 in 90 minutes but Sangakkara, who lodged 1,039 Championship runs last season in only 12 games, was soon in his stride with some eye-catching off-side strokes.

Stoneman's dismissal ended a third-wicket partnership of 84 with the Sri Lankan, who was three short of his half-century at stumps, with Dom Sibley unbeaten on seven.