Surrey go into their final match of the season safe from relegation – but with many questions to answer.

They were beaten by 184 runs at the Kia Oval by Glamorgan in Rothesey County Championship Division One, thereby suffering their first double defeat against the Welsh side since 1961.

Surrey took just three points from the match, their fourth defeat of the campaign, but ninth-placed Leicestershire cannot catch them after being docked 27 points for a substandard pitch last month.

Rory Burns leads his side into their final outing of the season on Thursday when they take on title-challenging Somerset at Taunton, the hosts desperately needing victory to revive fading hopes of claiming the Championship for the first time in their history.

Surrey’s hopes of finishing on a winning note in front of their own supporters at the Kia Oval rose when they bowled out Glamorgan for 132, Indian seamer Auqib Nabi claiming four for 36. But before a frantic opening day was finished, the hosts had been dismissed for 115, Ryan Patel’s 26 the modest best with medium-pacer Zain-ul-Hassan doing the most damage with four for 26.

And by then Surrey were without leading wicket-taker Matthew Fisher, who suffered a groin strain and was replaced by soon-to-depart James Taylor.

Favourites for relegation at the start of the season, Glamorgan had lost their previous two matches by an innings, failing to make 70 in either innings of the most recent. But opener Asa Tribe batted from late on the first day, through the second and into the third morning in making 155 against an attack which also lost Tom Lawes to an abdominal strain.

Mason Crane’s 114 not out was his second century of the season against Surrey while Timm van der Gugten’s 72 down the order helped Crane ensure a massive 227 were added for the final three wickets as the Welsh county amassed 594 all out.

Left four sessions to chase an unlikely 612, Surrey again lost openers Burns (nine) and Dominic Sibley (20) cheaply, both suffering acute run shortages in the latter stages of the season.

But Patel, who had returned a week earlier from a finger injury, confirmed his excellent form in making 132, while Pope made 75 as they added 168 for the third wicket.

Dan Lawrence (46), Ben Foakes (39) and Lawes (45) all held up the Glamorgan bowlers but Surrey were finally bowled out for 427 shortly after tea.

That left them seventh in the table and should they fail to improve on it by gaining a healthy collection of points at Taunton – rarely a happy hunting ground – it will be their lowest finish since 2019. Glamorgan are just six points in front while Yorkshire lay 21 ahead, virtually out of reach.

The decline in fortunes has not affected the number of spectators heading to the Kia Oval to watch Championship cricket, warm weather helping to set a new 21st century record of 86,503 over the seven games. More than 43,000 purchased day tickets while the club’s Work From Oval initiative provided a boost too.

“It’s not the season we wanted,” admitted Pope about events on the field and the focus will now be on how Surrey revive their fortunes, given they only made the quarter-final stages of the Vitality Blast.

By Richard Spiller