Surrey captain Gareth Batty sealed his side's promotion back to the LV= County Championship First Division with a hat-trick against Derbyshire at the Kia Oval.
The 37-year-old spinner removed Tony Palladino, Mark Footitt and Ben Cotton from successive balls to secure an emphatic innings-and-98-run win and ensure Surrey would return to the top flight after a two-year absence.
Surrey have invested heavily in their quest to earn their return in that time, with the likes of former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara signing for the club, but it was their veteran skipper that earned all the plaudits on Friday.
With conditions becoming increasingly gloomy, Batty first had Palladino caught at the wicket by Ben Foakes before Footitt and Cotton were both bowled to compete the match.
Surrey had started the day needing to take all 10 Derbyshire wickets to confirm their promotion, but had completed the task an hour before tea as Batty finished with figures of six for 51.
Wayne Madsen, who finished unbeaten on 76 and Wes Durston were the only Derbyshire batsmen to reach double figures as their 86-run stand formed the vast majority of a paltry second-innings total of 149.
Surrey could be joined in securing their place in Division One later with Lancashire fighting to bat through the day and secure a draw against Kent.
Should they do so the Red Rose will make an immediate return after their relegation last summer.
Source: PA
