Surrey asserted their dominance on the opening day of the Vitality County Championship at the Kia Oval, overshadowing a promising debut by young Rocky Flintoff. The reigning champions dismissed Lancashire for a modest 204 in just 59 overs and responded strongly with 83 without loss before bad light curtailed play.
Lancashire’s innings struggled to gain momentum as Surrey’s bowlers, led by Jordan Clark (4-57) and Dan Worrall (3-31), maintained pressure throughout. Conor McKerr and Sam Curran also chipped in with two and one wicket, respectively, in their first County Championship appearances of the season.
Matty Hurst’s 46 off 64 balls stood out as Lancashire’s top score, supported by George Balderson’s 33 and Josh Bohannon’s 26. However, the spotlight was firmly on 16-year-old Flintoff Jr., who made history as Lancashire’s youngest first-class player, following in the footsteps of his father, former England captain Andrew Flintoff.
Coming in at 33-2 after both Luke Wells and captain Keaton Jennings were dismissed early, Flintoff showcased his potential. He confidently got off the mark on his first ball, clipping Worrall for two. Despite the challenging conditions, he partnered with Bohannon to add 40 crucial runs for the third wicket.
Flintoff had a few lucky escapes, notably when he was dropped at slip on 13 and later edged Worrall just over the slips for four. Nonetheless, he appeared composed and mature, helping Lancashire reach 98-3 by lunch. However, his innings ended on the first ball after lunch when he sliced a drive off Clark, resulting in a spectacular diving catch by Sai Sudharsan at backward point.
As play was halted early due to fading light, Surrey’s openers Rory Burns (44) and Dom Sibley (37) remained unbeaten, reducing Lancashire’s lead to just 121 runs with all 10 wickets intact.