Hampshire spinners Felix Organ and Liam Dawson bowled the hosts to their biggest ever County Championship victory and Surrey’s biggest-ever innings defeat as the back-to-back champions were beaten inside three days at Southampton.
Off-spinner Organ claimed his third career five-for, while England all-rounder Dawson took 4-45 as Hampshire bowled out Surrey second time around for 203 to win by an innings and 278 runs.
Surrey have only ever had two heavier defeats in first-class cricket – first in 1866 against England, a match in which WG Grace scored a double century, then in 1948 against Don Bradman’s touring Australians – both by an innings and 296 runs.
Hampshire’s first home win of 2024, which opens up the Division One title race as they move to within 30 points of the leaders, was only Surrey’s fourth defeat since the start of 2022. And two of those came after they had already won the title.
The hosts finally declared 481 runs ahead on 608-6, their third-highest Championship score at the ground. that was after Ben Brown, 99 overnight, carted the first ball of the day to the boundary to reach his 24th first-class hundred on his way to a career-best 165 not out.
Surrey were given a minimum of 172 overs to avoid an innings defeat but, after getting to the 17th over unscathed, wickets fell regularly.
Rory Burns edged left-armer Keith Barker to first slip then Dom Sibley finally fell for 20 off 86 balls when an inside edge onto his pad ballooned to silly mid-off.
Organ produced a wicked off-spinner to pin back Ollie Pope’s middle stump before Jamie Smith became his next victim as a change-up delivery slid into middle and off.
Dan Lawrence took a different approach, hitting nine fours to reach 42 before he chopped Organ onto his stumps.
Having spent the best part of two days laying on the physio’s table with back spasms, England wicket-keeper Ben Foakes then came in to face 107 balls for his unbeaten 19.
But wickets continued to clatter, as Dawson now took the limelight. He had Cam Steel brilliantly caught at first slip by Vince after a deflection off Ben Brown’s gloves before Jordan Clark was yorked.
Organ got his five-for when Sean Abbott chipped to mid on, before Dawson closed out Hampshire’s second straight win in a row by bowling Gus Atkinson around his legs and eventually bagging Dan Worrall off a skier for 48 – Surrey’s highest score of the match.