WHITE STRIKES LATE TO GIVE NOTTS SLIGHT EDGE: DAY TWO REPORT

Dom Sibley hit a battling 77 in the heavyweight clash between last year’s first and second in the Rothesay County Championship, but his dismissal in the last half hour of day two at Trent Bridge felt like an important blow struck by the defending champions.

Sibley, batted for more than four hours against a high-quality Nottinghamshire attack as Surrey closed on 211-4 in reply to the home side’s first-innings 415, Dan Lawrence finishing unbeaten on 52.

The 30-year-old opener, failed in his quest for a third century in as many matches after his 101 against Essex and last week’s 187 as Surrey’s win over Sussex, but his innings was vital in the face of the threat posed by England pace bowlers Josh Tongue (two for 38) and Olly Stone.

He was eventually dismissed caught behind off left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White, shortly after Lawrence had survived a difficult chance on 43.

Nottinghamshire, 317-7 overnight, began the day by adding 98 runs for their last two wickets after Joe Clarke had fallen to the second ball he faced without addition to his 129, Sean Abbott claiming the wicket via a thin edge to Jamie Smith, ‘keeping in place of the injured Ben Foakes.

Stone joined Fergus O’Neill in adding 24 for the ninth wicket before he and Tongue plundered another 74 for the tenth on a frustrating morning for Surrey.

What Nottinghamshire really wanted from Stone, Tongue and O’Neill, of course, was a meaningful clutch of wickets to inflict still more pain on the visitors. Yet only one was forthcoming in the 37 overs Surrey faced between lunch and tea.

On the field together for the first time as Nottinghamshire team-mates, Stone and Tongue gave their captain the chance to threaten Surrey with express pace from both ends and Haseeb Hameed did unleash them both for a while after Stone had made a breakthrough 12 overs into the afternoon.

Encouraged by the form he rediscovered against Leicestershire last week, Stone made his mark with his dismissal of Rory Burns for Notts' first wicket of the day.

Looking to pull, the Surrey captain could only send the ball skywards off a top edge, with Stone making it clear to any other interested parties that he was tracking its path before steadying himself to take the catch.

Smith arrived to join Sibley and what followed was the kind of attritional yet absorbing contest you would expect to see when these teams meet, particularly in the light of the epic encounter they shared at the Kia Oval last year.

In reaching tea at 119-1, Surrey’s second-wicket pair could be pleased with their work. Moreover, Sibley, had his third half-century in as many matches, having converted the previous two into hundreds.

Stone could make no more inroads in his second spell. Yet there was no respite. Tongue, back for his second spell after tea, raised the bar a little higher. With the input of Smith’s England colleague, Ben Duckett, Hameed and Tongue hatched a plan that quickly saw Smith caught - by Duckett - at leg slip, fending the ball away in front of his visor.

A couple of overs later, another short delivery saw Ryan Patel snapped up at short leg. Having been 131-1, Surrey were 137-3.

Lawrence went on the attack as he and Sibley alleviated that moment of crisis, but after failing to cling on to a tough chance given by the former off Stone on 43, Patterson-White produced an excellent delivery to hand his side a late advantage.

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