Surrey 145 (Quinn 3-22, Agar 3-32) and 501 for five (Sibley 140, Foakes 124, Smith 114, Latham 58) beat Kent 301 (Cox 133, Evison 58, Agar 51) and 344 (Qadri 72, Clark 5-79) by 5 wickets

Surrey rewrote historical past with nearly causal ease within the LV= Insurance County Championship on Wednesday, chasing down a goal of 501 to beat Kent by 5 wickets at Canterbury.

Foakes made 124, whereas Sibley scored what's believed to be the slowest ever century within the County Championship over the course of 511 minutes and 368 balls. He ultimately completed on 140 from 415 balls, seeing Surry house with Jordan Clark after a powerful feat of focus and endurance.

Three days of violent momentum swings, luck, particular person brilliance and human error had left the match nearly completely poised initially of day 4, with Kent needing seven wickets and Surrey 238 runs.

It was the human issue that added the intrigue: with out the dropped catches, the "poor" pictures and the "bad" balls this could have been a lethargic 700 v 700 bore draw. The remaining day, nonetheless, provided nearly not one of the drama of the earlier three.

Only as soon as within the historical past of the Championship had a facet chased over 500 to win: when Patsy Hendren hit an unbeaten 206 as Middlesex scored 502 to beat Notts by 4 wickets at Trent Bridge in 1925.

The reigning champions did it with a dedication that belied all the things that had gone earlier than. Needing beneath three an over, they homed in on the goal like an armour-plated milk float: sluggish however bombproof.

The morning session was nearly best for Surrey. Foakes and Sibley noticed off the brand new ball and scored predominantly in singles, at one level going ten overs with out a boundary. Foakes survived an lbw attraction from Wes Agar however they had been in any other case unthreatened.

At lunch it was 335 for 3 and a Surrey win was trying as inevitable as an Arsenal title collapse. There was a fleeting second of controversy when Kent had been satisfied Hamid Qadri had Foakes, on 73, caught behind, but it surely was an remoted outbreak of pleasure throughout an nearly catatonic afternoon.

Sibley lastly reached three figures when he drove Joey Evison for 4, beating the earlier file, understood to be Jason Gallian's 453-minute ton for Lancashire towards Derbyshire at Blackpool in 1994. He simply beat his accomplice to the landmark: Foakes took two from Jack Leaning within the subsequent over to deliver up a comparatively quickfire hundred from 198 deliveries.

With the goal now beneath 100, Surrey swapped the milk float for a Lamborghini. The a hundred and thirtieth over went for 20 however Foakes then holed out to Joe Denly and was caught by Matt Quinn on the boundary, ending a partnership of 207.

It was 452 for 4 at tea, by which era Kent's members had lengthy been delivered from the hell of hope and the smattering of Surrey followers by the Old Dover Road entrance had been savouring each minute.

Will Jacks was out for 19 caught by Agar off Arshdeep Singh however by then simply 40 had been wanted. Clark sealed the win with a single off Denly and Surrey exited the sphere to a completely deserved ovation from house and away followers alike.