Surrey retained its English County Championship title on Thursday after Essex’s slim hopes ended due to a batting collapse against Northamptonshire.
A 20-point gap between the top two Division One teams heading into the final round of four-day fixtures meant Surrey required just five points to hold on to its crown.
Its failure to take any batting bonus points against Hampshire left the door slightly ajar for Essex, which needed to post a 400-plus score in 110 overs at Wantage Road to keep the title race alive.
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But in response to Northamptonshire’s 369, Essex was all out for 211, which meant it could no longer catch Surrey, which can celebrate its fifth championship crown since the turn of the century.
London-based Surrey is the first side to retain the first-class title since Yorkshire, which has won back-to-back crowns in 2014 and 2015.
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