Dom Sibley’s Twin Tons Put Surrey on the Verge of Victory Over Hampshire

Dom Sibley etched his name into Surrey’s record books with centuries in both innings as the defending champions tightened their grip on their County Championship clash against Hampshire. By stumps on Day 3 at the Kia Oval, Surrey had reduced the visitors to 35 for 3 in their daunting chase of 377, placing themselves firmly on the brink of a comprehensive win.

Sibley’s composed 105 in the second innings — following his unbeaten 100 in the first — made him only the 20th Surrey player to record a hundred in each innings of a first-class match. His efforts, spread across two marathon knocks, anchored Surrey’s batting effort and helped the hosts post 342 for 9 declared after resuming Day 3 at 136 for 1.

The 29-year-old opener shared century partnerships with Ollie Pope (65) and Jamie Smith (84), laying a solid platform before late-order contributions and a declaration put Surrey in the driver’s seat. Sibley's feat also made him the first Surrey batter to score twin hundreds in a match since Kumar Sangakkara achieved the milestone in 2017.

Smith’s Strokeplay and Sibley’s Solidity

Jamie Smith provided the flair to complement Sibley’s grit, racing to 84 from 113 balls with nine fours and two sixes. His elegant strokeplay, including a standout on-drive off Brett Hampton, lit up the morning session. However, after a near two-hour rain delay in the afternoon, Smith perished on the first ball post-resumption, caught brilliantly by Tom Prest at deep square leg.

Pope fell earlier in the day for 65 to a sharp leg-side catch by Ben Brown off Kyle Abbott, while Ben Foakes and Dan Lawrence failed to make major contributions.

Baker Bags Maiden Five-Fer

For Hampshire, 22-year-old Sonny Baker was a rare bright spot. The fast bowler, signed from Somerset last winter, claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in first-class cricket with figures of 5 for 80. Bowling with pace and purpose, he dismissed Lawrence, Clark, and Fisher in quick succession and nearly claimed a hat-trick, only for Kemar Roach to deny him.

Surrey Strike Early in Second Innings

Surrey’s bowlers made full use of the final session, striking three times in just 16 overs before the close. Kemar Roach trapped Mark Stoneman lbw for 3, while Jordan Clark removed both of Hampshire’s nightwatchmen — Brad Wheal and Baker — in quick succession. Wheal was bowled shouldering arms, while Baker fended a sharp delivery to second slip.

Hampshire now face the monumental task of scoring 342 more runs with only seven wickets in hand to avoid defeat on the final day.

Match Summary:

Surrey 253 (Sibley 100, Wheal 4-65) & 342/9 dec (Sibley 105, Smith 84, Pope 65)*
lead
Hampshire 219 (Prest 44, Gubbins 43, Worrall 3-37) & 35/3
by 341 runs