Farhan Ahmed channels WG Grace as Surrey's title bid hits a snag

Surrey and Nottinghamshire played out a high-scoring draw in their recent match. Surrey posted an impressive first innings total of 525, with standout performances from Burns (161), Sudharsan (105), and Patel (77). Jacks also contributed with a half-century, while Farhan took 7 wickets for 140 runs. Nottinghamshire replied strongly with a total of 405, led by McCann's brilliant 154. Hameed and Haynes also chipped in with half-centuries, while Verreyne remained unbeaten on 50*. Jacks once again starred with the ball, taking 7 wickets for 129 runs. In their second innings, Surrey managed to score 177 for 9 before declaring, with Burns top-scoring with 71. However, Patterson-White was the pick of the bowlers for Nottinghamshire, finishing with figures of 5 wickets for 96 runs. Farhan also impressed with the ball, taking 3 wickets for 77 runs. Set a target of 298 runs to win, Nottinghamshire's openers Hameed and Slater batted sensibly to reach 121 for 0 before the match ended in a draw. Hameed finished unbeaten on 61*, while Slater scored 56*.

Surrey saw their romp towards a third consecutive Division One title lose a little momentum as they were forced to settle for a draw against relegation-threatened Nottinghamshire in the Vitality County Championship at Trent Bridge.

On a day when their teenage off-spinner Farhan Ahmed's 10-wicket match haul claimed a 159-year-old record set by no less a cricketing legend than WG Grace, the home side, who had been set a target of 298 to win from a minimum 48 overs when Surrey declared at 177 for nine in their second innings, were 121 without loss when the sides shook hands on a draw at 5pm, openers Haseeb Hameed and Ben Slater having each made half-centuries.

The result means that Surrey's lead of 35 points at the start of this round of matches, after winning seven of their previous eight matches, is cut to 24 thanks to Somerset's victory over Durham at Taunton.

At the other end of the table, after Warwickshire and Worcestershire both won, the points taken for the draw - a merit worthy achievement after trailing by 120 on first innings - leaves Nottinghamshire 10 points ahead of Lancashire in the battle to avoid being relegated alongside Kent. All sides have three matches to come.

Rory Burns made 71 to go with his first-innings 161 with Liam Patterson-White finishing with five for 94 before the declaration came, but the Nottinghamshire left-arm spinner's achievement was again upstaged by his young team-mate Ahmed, with whom he shared all 53 overs of the Surrey second innings.

Already in the record books on his Championship debut as the youngest player to bag five wickets or more in a first-class match in Britain, he achieved another mark of distinction, arguably even more prestigious, when he claimed Jordan Clark as his 10th wicket of the match.

This enabled him to replace Grace as the youngest to take 10 or more wickets in a first-class match in Britain - in fact anywhere other than in South Asia.

Grace returned the extraordinary match figures of 13 for 84 - on his first-class debut - for Gentlemen of the South against Players of the South at the Oval in June 1865, at the age of 16 years 340 days.

With a match analysis of 10 for 247 at the age of 16 years and 192 days, Ahmed lowers the record by 148 days. He bowled a staggering 76.4 overs in the match, which may be a record in itself for a debut appearance.

Surrey, who had missed out on a fourth first-innings batting point that seemed theirs for the taking, arguably made another mistake when they declared just shy of an hour after lunch.

The timing meant Nottinghamshire would have to score at more than six runs per over to win the contest on a pitch that had yielded at barely three-and-a-half all game, with the Kookaburra ball reportedly hard to get away on a slow surface.

Surrey were banking on England off-spinner Will Jacks, who had matched Ahmed by taking seven first-innings wickets, and leg-spinner Cam Steel to exploit the fourth-day pitch but Hameed and Slater were rarely troubled as neither could find a way through.

Earlier, Surrey had advanced from 13 for one overnight to 104 for four by lunch, playing in light for that period so gloomy that bowling spin was the only option for Nottinghamshire skipper Hameed.

A second-wicket stand worth 57 was broken by Patterson-White, who induced a miscue to short midwicket by Ryan Patel, following up by turning one sharply to bowl Will Jacks three balls later.

Patterson-White had Burns dropped at square leg on 39, after which the Surrey captain's stop-start dithering over a single into the offside off Ahmed saw new partner Ben Foakes run out by Hameed's throw to 'keeper Kyle Verreynne.

As the tempo increased after lunch, with Surrey now chasing runs for the declaration, Ahmed completed his 10 for the match by bowling Burns and having Clark caught behind in a botched scoop attempt.

Patterson-White raised his five for the innings by having Sai Sudharsan caught at deep midwicket and bowling Conor McKerr and Tom Lawes, for his pains getting clubbed for two meaty sixes by Dan Worrall before Burns signalled the declaration.