[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Day Four

Morning: On a scorching hot Bank Holiday Monday, Surrey's nineteen-year-old off-spinner Amar Virdi wasted no time in going to work on the Pears tail, mopping up the last four wickets for just 57 runs to dismiss Worcestershire for 526 - the county's highest-ever total at The Oval - as Ed Barnard again excelled with a well-made 66.

Afternoon: Both Surrey openers went early in the session; Mark Stoneman (who had a match to forget) falling LBW to Charlie Morris, while the previously impressive Rory Burns provided a second first-class wicket for debutant Ben Twohig by sweeping to deep square leg where Ed Barnard took a magnificent catch. But there were no real demons in the pitch, and the removal of Ryan Patel by Morris in the last over before tea was the final wicket to fall.

Match DRAWN

The Verdict: After April's dreadful baptism of fire, this match - arguably the first of the true summer - has provided Worcestershire with a little hope that it might not all be one-way traffic in 2018. It was a typical Oval pitch in the best possible conditions, but nevertheless, the Pears recorded their best innings total since scoring 569 against Derbyshire at New Road in May 2010, and were disciplined enough with the ball to keep Surrey on a leash while grabbing wickets at crucial moments. Left-arm orthodox spinner Ben Twohig may have been outshone by Surrey's Amar Virdi, but his debut was encouraging nevertheless, and with the likes of Tom Fell and Joe Clarke getting some confidence and form back, there's plenty to build on for the team as a whole next weekend against Essex.