(Reuters) - Surrey successfully defended their County Championship title to claim the trophy for a third consecutive season on Friday after rivals Somerset lost at Lancashire.
Rory Burns' side defeated Durham by 10 wickets on Thursday, leaving Somerset needing to beat relegation-threatened Lancashire to keep the title race running until the last week of the season.
Somerset, who were seeking their first ever county title, however, suffered a 168-run loss on the final morning and Surrey were crowned champions with a round to spare in the season.
Surrey players, who were glued to the screens watching Somerset's match, were seen celebrating their title win in the dressing room at The Oval.
Surrey have won the title for the 23rd time, 10 short of Yorkshire's record 33, and have also become the first team since Yorkshire 56 years ago to win three titles in succession.
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
