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Surrey thrash Gloucestershire at The Oval

Surrey's Zafar Ansari produced career-best bowling figures against Gloucestershire at The Oval
Image: Surrey's Zafar Ansari produced career-best bowling figures of 6-30 against Gloucestershire at The Oval

Young English bowlers Zafar Ansari and Tom Curran produced career-best figures as Surrey maintained their promotion push with a comprehensive defeat of Gloucestershire at The Oval.

Ansari, 23, claimed 6-30 with his left-arm spin in the second-innings after paceman Curran had picked up 7-20 in Gloucestershire’s first, with Surrey winning by an innings-and-180 runs.

The visitors were skittled for 113 and 155, with only Will Tavare (58) resisting for long as Surrey completed a 22-point victory inside three days, their fifth of the season.

Resuming the day on 102-7, in reply to the hosts' 448, the visitors' first innings lasted just 10.3 overs on Monday morning as Curran quickly added two more scalps – Craig Miles and Liam Norwell for ducks – to his five from Sunday to ensure the follow-on would be applied.

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Matt Dunn trapped Chris Dent early before Ansari got involved by having Michael Klinger caught at short-leg.

Their 52-2 at lunch was 122-6 by tea, Curran having Hamish Marshall caught behind before Ansari claimed Ian Cockbain (17) and Benny Howell (3) lbw – both players undone by trying to cut off the back foot.

In between, Tavare's fine knock was also ended by Ansari when he nicked off to slip after 132 balls.

After tea, Jack Taylor (1) was bounced out by James Burke, prompting Curran to return and end Geraint Jones' resistance on 24 with a simple return catch.

The end followed soon afterwards: Ansari picking up the last two wickets as he had Miles caught for 10 and last man Fuller lbw for a duck after missing an attempted sweep.

Ansari said: "Tom (Curran) and I took a lot of the wickets between us in this match but it was still very much a team performance and a great victory. I thought, for instance, that Matt Dunn bowled excellently and yet he only got one wicket in each of their innings."

A brilliant century from opener Ben Duckett helped Northamptonshire assume a strong position on the first day of their match against Division Two leaders Lancashire at Old Trafford.

Duckett, 20, struck 134 off 151 balls as the visitors recovered from the loss of Kyle Coetzer in just the second over of the morning to reach 388-6 at stumps.

Alex Wakely and Richard Levi chipped in with half-centuries while Northants will be confident of gaining maximum points on Tuesday with Adam Rossington unbeaten on 79.

The home side had started well after losing the toss, with Kyle Jarvis pinning Coetzer in front in the second over but then Duckett and Wakely combined to put Northants on top.

The pair compiled a second wicket partnership of 170, before Australian James Faulkner uprooted Wakely's leg stump with a superb yorker – as the skipper departed for a watchful 56.

Duckett finally fell in the 50th over of the day when he became spinner Kerrigan's 250th first-class wicket after the left armer trapped the century-maker lbw, an innings that included 19 fours and two sixes.

Just two balls later, Kerrigan was celebrating again when Rob Keogh (19) popped a catch up to skipper Steven Croft at short leg to give the home side some hope of a recovery as the afternoon progressed.

But all hopes of a Red Rose comeback were slowly extinguished by the fifth-wicket pair of Levi and Rossington who steadied any nerves in the hour before tea to take the visitors to 272-4.

With the end of the day in sight, the partnership had extended to 142 when Levi uncharacteristically chased a wide one from Faulkner and nicked behind to wicketkeeper Alex Davies for 57.

The Australian suddenly found himself on a hat-trick after Josh Cobb edged the next ball to Croft at second slip for a first-ball duck.

Rossington and former Lancashire all-rounder Steven Crook dealt with the remaining five overs without any major scares to leave the hosts with much to ponder going into the second day's play.

A happy Duckett said afterwards: "It's always good to get a hundred. I've been hitting the white ball all right but not the red ball until today.I got the chance to bat at the top of the order on a pretty nice wicket.

"It was a case of getting through the new ball and then trying to play as straight as possible and it paid off."

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