Solanki shines in record score

Worcestershire's Vikram Solanki during his career-best 232

Worcestershire’s Vikram Solanki buried Surrey under an avalanche of runs on a record-breaking day in the LV County Championship Division One match at New Road.

The hosts’ skipper made a career-best 232 in his side’s massive total of 701 for six declared.

When poor light ended play early, Surrey’s reply stood at 144 for one off 40.2 overs, with Jon Batty undefeated on 66.

Solanki resumed on 109 with his five-and-a-half-hour innings finally ending after smacking seven sixes and 25 fours off 247 balls.

His mammoth effort enabled Worcestershire to equal the biggest ever first-class score at New Road - 701 for four declared by Leicestershire in 1906.

The rampant hosts’ previous highest first-class score had been 696 for eight declared against Somerset at New Road in 2005.

Solanki made sure that total was safely overtaken after his bottom-of-the-table side had resumed on 446 for two.

He was again in devastating form along with fellow overnight batsman Ben Smith, who was unbeaten on 53.

They hoisted their partnership to 155 in 33 overs before Smith was bowled by a Riki Clarke delivery which nipped back and kept low. Smith made 65 which contained eight fours off 108 balls.

Steve Daves forces off the back foot on Thursday

Graeme Hick’s hopes of adding to the records evaporated when he was forced onto the back foot by spinner Ian Salisbury and trapped leg before for 15.

It left the former England batsman 12 short of 30,000 first-class runs for Worcestershire and 49 adrift of a career total of 40,000.

His departure led to another bumper partnership, this time between Solanki and young England wicket-keeping prospect Steve Davies.

They put on a further 153 before Solanki’s magical innings ended when he was caught at long-off by Mark Ramprakash off Clarke.

His previous highest score had been 222 against Gloucestershire at Bristol last year.

Davies was eventually dismissed for 81 – his highest score so far this season – when he was stumped by Batty off spinner Chris Schofield after hitting 11 fours off 100 balls.

Battered Surrey, who like Worcestershire were promoted last season and are still seeking their first win in the top flight, used eight bowlers before the home side declared after totally dominating for 156 overs during which they plundered 10 sixes and 87 fours.

Their previous highest first-class score against Surrey had been 446 for seven at Guildford in 1979.

Solanki’s men, however, began to get a slight taste of their own medicine when Scott Newman and Batty launched the visitors reply in which they need 552 to avoid the follow on.

They had one uncomfortable moment early on when Batty, on 25, offered a difficult chance to Davies, who dived full length across first slip and just failed to take advantage of an edge off Nadeem Malik.

It was Malik’s fellow paceman Kabir Ali, however, who made the breakthrough when he comprehensively bowled Newman middle and leg for 46 after putting on 80 in 23 overs with Batty.