Tom Lawes delivers outstanding match figures in Surrey’s 10-wicket win over Kent

Cometh the hour, cometh the man – or in Surrey’s case cometh the youngster.

If Gus Atkinson, 25, and Jamie Smith, 22, were the game-changers against Essex and Middlesex, 20-year-old seamer Tom Lawes took that accolade against Kent.

Lawes’ career-best 5-22 gave him outstanding match figures of 8-63 as the Oval outfit extended their lead in the County Championship with a 10-wicket victory over the Spitfires.

“I’m over the moon,” said Lawes. “It was lovely to come in and put in a performance to help out the side. We have finished the block of six [championship games] really well.

“My first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, it’s a very special moment – especially walking off the field at the end of the Kent innings, in front of the Oval crowd and with all my team-mates around me. It will be a wonderful memory, one I’ll never be able to forget.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to get on to bowl last night (Friday), so, when I was thrown the ball, I just wanted to steam in and try and make something happen.

“There was a real intensity out there when Sean [Abbott] and I took those three wickets in the last three overs of the second day, and we took that into this morning (Sunday). That’s how we want to play our cricket.

“We reckon there is still more to come from us as a team, so we will be looking to keep on improving throughout the rest of the season. But this win is a great way to finish this first block of games. We have played this block as we planned. It sets us up for the next two matches in June, which will be played with a Kookaburra ball.

“There’s a few tweaks we would like to make. We’re forever trying to improve, but we’re very happy with four wins and two draws.”

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD