| LV= County Championship Division One, Spitfire Ground, Canterbury (day four) |
| Kent 301 & 344: Muyeye 79, Qadri 72, Bell-Drummond 59; Clark 5-79 |
| Surrey 145 & 501-5: Sibley 140*, Foakes 124, Smith 114 |
| Surrey (19 pts) beat Kent (5 pts) by five wickets |
| Match scorecard |
Surrey completed the second largest run chase in County Championship history by knocking off 501 to leave Kent shellshocked.
After resuming on 263-3 overnight, England pair Dom Sibley and Ben Foakes extended their fine partnership to 207 to take the game away from the hosts.
Foakes fell for 124 but Sibley’s unbeaten 140 off 415 balls guided the Division One leaders to victory by five wickets as they salvaged their undefeated record against all the odds.
“To chase that many and to win the game, the boys are buzzing and it’s great to stay at the top of the table,” Sibley told BBC Radio London.
“Even when we were set 501 it didn’t feel like it was out of our possibilities as a side – all the conversations were extremely positive yesterday and overnight.”
Surrey’s chase was just one run shy of the all-time Championship record held by Middlesex, who scored 502-6 in the fourth innings to beat Nottinghamshire in 1925.
But it was a record pursuit since the Championship was split into two divisions in 2000, surpassing the 479-6 amassed by Somerset to beat Yorkshire in 2009.
It also comfortably bettered Surrey’s club-record chase, the 410-8 they tallied to beat, coincidentally, Kent in 2002 – and sits eighth in the list of largest chases in first-class cricket history worldwide.
On a day of records, Sibley set some, admittedly slightly less glorious, ones of his own – his patient effort the slowest first-class Championship century ever by both balls faced and time spent at the crease.
Jamie Smith’s quickfire 114 off 77 balls on Tuesday – sharing a 139 partnership with Sibley – had set the platform for the opener to do what he does best and grind the bowling attack into submission.
“It was just about occupying the crease, spending time getting through the new ball – I wasn’t in any rush and I didn’t need to be,” Sibley added.
“Obviously it helps when Smithy comes and plays an innings like that, it was one of the best knocks I’ve ever seen from the other end, the striking and the shot-making was unbelievable.
“I had the best view in the house and I feel very privileged to have watched it – he’s a very special player, top class and he’s playing a different game at times.
“I was just trying to play that anchor role for the knock and the two lads beside me were unbelievable so credit to them.”
