Friday 12 September 2014 17:49, UK
Worcestershire secured their fifth promotion in 12 seasons on the back of a stunning all-round performance by Jack Shantry against Surrey at New Road.
Shantry, the 26-year-old Shropshire-born left-arm seamer and left-handed batsman, achieved the rare feat of 10 wickets and a century in a match as Worcestershire squirmed out of near-hopeless situations twice in 24 hours, to snatch a 27-run win against Surrey.
Only 37 runs ahead on losing their seventh wicket in the second innings, they recovered to set a target of 217, but at lunchtime on the final day they again faced defeat with Surrey only 95 short of victory with eight wickets standing.
The visitors rarely looked like finding trouble through the morning session and seemed to be cruising after a partnership of 110 by Zafar Ansari and former Worcestershire captain Vikram Solanki.
However, Shantry was ready with another spectacular intervention after taking 6-87 in Surrey's first innings and then scoring an unbeaten 101 in the batting performance of his career.
With Solanki gone for 58, playing on to Charlie Morris before lunch, Shantry had Steven Davies taken at second slip and then bowled Gary Wilson in the space of six balls.
England spinner Moeen Ali then got in on the act, finding some turn - and cruel bounce when Aneesh Kapil was bowled by a shooter - to take three wickets as Surrey crumbled to 164-7.
Jason Roy's dismissal was the big one, the newly-capped England Twenty20 batsman popping up a return catch, and the ball that got through to bowl Gareth Batty halted the one sign of aggression after four boundaries by the all-rounder.
A second innings return of 4-44 in 24 overs gave man of the match Shantry career-best match figures of 10-131.
Worcestershire nerves were almost shredded when Moeen dropped a return chance from Ansari - but Surrey's opener was left sprawling, and run out for 64 after batting for 284 minutes, when beaten by a direct hit from Alexei Kervezee at mid-on.
Suddenly the long-term Division Two leaders were able to celebrate and within minutes the champagne was flooding from the top tier balcony in the pavilion.
Having lost the last two matches, Worcestershire would have been in danger of missing out altogether with another defeat. Instead they can look forward to another crack at top flight cricket while Hampshire and possibly Essex dispute the other promotion place.
Meanwhile, Will Gidman marked his final home appearance for Gloucestershire with a century as their match with Leicestershire ended in a draw.
The all-rounder, who is joining Nottinghamshire next season, hit an unbeaten 104 as the hosts batted for the whole of the final day to score 306-9 in their second innings.
Charlie Shreck (3-44) briefly gave Leicestershire hopes of a first championship victory since 2012, but in the end both sides settled for 11 points from a match dominated by the bat.
