Surrey title hopes fade

County Championship D1, Canterbury: Kent 535 beat Surrey 125 & 255 by an innings and 155 runs
Points: Kent 22, Surrey 3

Full scorecard

Surrey's chances of a fourth Championship title in five years were all but gone after Kent completed victory by an innings and 155 runs at Canterbury.

With five players on Test duty and Azhar Mahmood out with a hamstring injury, the defending champs lasted just 45 minutes on the final morning, despite some big-hitting.

There is cricket left and still a chance - but you have to say at the moment we are making it more and more difficult with each and every day we play Surrey coach Keith Meddlycott

Martin Saggers, Muttiah Muralitharan and Rob Ferley took a wicket each, Muralitharan finishing with 4-90.

Defeat was inevitable even before play began.

Ian Salisbury and James Ormond added 14 to the overnight 169-7 before the leg-spinner was lbw to Saggers for seven.

And even the influence of former West Indies all-rounder Franklyn Rose, a late-season overseas replacement, could not put too brave a face on it.

Batting at 10, Rose smashed 36 from 26 balls, with five fours and two sixes before he was last out, caught at cover.

He added 32 for the ninth wicket with Ormond, who was caught at slip for a brisk 32, and 40 with lastman Tim Murtagh.

It was just Surrey's second loss of the season, but comes immediately after the first, against Lancashire at Old Trafford.

Sussex, who began this round of matches a single point behind, may draw against Middlesex but have two matches remaining to Surrey's one.

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Kent: D P Fulton (Capt), A G R Loudon, M A Carberry, A Symonds, M J Walker, M A Ealham, G O Jones (Wkt), M J Saggers, A Khan, M Muralitharan, R S Ferley.

Surrey: J N Batty (Wkt), I J Ward, M R Ramprakash, N Shahid, A D Brown, R Clarke, A J Hollioake (Capt), T J Murtagh, I D K Salisbury, J Ormond, F A Rose.