Gareth Batty took a hat-trick to send Surrey back into the top flight
Friday 4 September 2015 19:42, UK
Surrey will be back in Division One of the LV= County Championship next season after clinching promotion in sensational fashion, skipper Gareth Batty taking a hat-trick to wrap up victory over Derbyshire at the Kia Oval.
Derbyshire needed to bat out the final day in order to escape with a draw but were dismissed in mid-afternoon for 149 as their captain Wayne Madsen finished unbeaten on 76.
Off-spinner Batty took 6-51 and sealed the win by removing Tony Palladino, Mark Footitt and Ben Cotton with successive deliveries.
The visitors began their second innings 247 behind, after Surrey had piled up 560 on Thursday, and made a terrible start, losing two wickets before they had scored a run.
Billy Godleman was caught behind off Sam Curran for a three-ball duck and Tom Curran then trapped Billy Slater in front.
And it was 9-3 when Chesney Hughes (5) was run out after some quick thinking from Tom Curran at mid-on.
Surrey then encountered their only lengthy hold-up as Madsen and Wes Durston (57) put together a battling stand of 86 for the fourth wicket.
But Batty split the pair up after lunch when he removed Durston lbw and then had Harvey Hosein caught at short leg for a duck three balls later.
The Surrey skipper also had Tom Milnes (3) held off bat and pad, before finishing the match in style as Palladino was caught behind and Footitt and Cotton were bowled for golden ducks.
Batty said: "That's my first hat-trick in first-class cricket. Of course it's a nice thing for me, and a great moment, but the hat-trick is really irrelevant because it's winning this match and getting promotion to Division One that matters.
"To have won this game of cricket and got the points is what's important. It was a must-win game for us, we felt, and I thought we played some magnificent cricket as a team to win it."
