Surrey rose to the summit of the Rothesay County Championship on a mountain of runs at the Kia Oval.

Having been sent in by Durham skipper Alex Lees, they amassed 820 for nine declared – the county’s largest ever total – on the back of opener Dominic Sibley’s 305 plus centuries from Sam Curran, Dan Lawrence and Will Jacks.

But it could not earn them victory, Lees compensating his tired men by making centuries in each innings as Durham saved the match with ease.

Surrey took 15 points from the match, enabling them to overtake Nottinghamshire at the top of Division One as they attempt to win the title for a fourth successive year – a feat not achieved since Stuart Surridge did it at The Oval in 1955.

Sibley’s triple century, the highest score of his career, came over ten hours, incorporating 29 fours and two sixes, underlining his stamina and ability to concentrate over long periods. First he added 95 with skipper Rory Burns, who made 55 on his return to the top of the order after keeping wicket at Worcester a week earlier, before Curran’s second first-class century (108) dominated a third-wicket partnership of 178.

Durham were handicapped from early on by an ankle injury to seamer Ben Raine, restricting him to ten overs, and by the end of day one the hosts were in full control at 407 for three.

Sibley, 169 not out overnight, had been joined by Dan Lawrence and the pair added 334 for the fourth wicket before Lawrence departed for 178. Durham’s agony was far from over, though, Sibley going on to complete the first triple century of his career – the eighth player to do so for Surrey – and Will Jacks hammering 119. Suffering most was off-spinner George Drissell, whose one for 247 from 45 overs were the most expensive figures in the history of the Championship.

Pressing on past tea on the second day saw Surrey overtake their previous highest score of 811 – against Somerset in 1899 – but it also restricted their opportunity to win the match. They did not help their cause either by dropping several catches, notably Lees on 11 in the first innings.

The left-hander went on to 125 and Ollie Robinson made 79, yet a collapse from 266 for three to 284 for seven against the second new ball condemned Durham to the follow-on, despite Matthew Potts (23) and the injured Raine (19) stretching their first innings into the final day.

Losing the first hour of play to rain made Surrey’s job even harder, although the visitors were finally dismissed for 362, Dan Worrall’s four for 60 from 27 overs and Matt Fisher’s three for 76 from 28 the outstanding performances.

Dismissing Durham a second time would have required early indentations but Lees – who reached his second century from the final ball of the match – and Emilio Gay (156 not out) batted with barely a blemish, the visitors finishing 262 without loss, Durham’s record stand for all wickets against Surrey.

Defeat by four wickets against Essex on Sunday damaged Surrey’s hopes of securing a home quarter-final in the Vitality Blast. A match reduced to 12 overs per side by rain saw the hosts make 141 for six but Essex – previously winless – overhauled it from the final ball.

By Richard Spiller