Crushing T20 defeats of Middlesex and Glamorgan sent Surrey back to their Vitality County Championship hat-trick bid in good spirits.

They followed a 56-run victory at Lord’s last Thursday with a nine-wicket hiding of the Welsh side at the Kia Oval 24 hours later.

That put them top of the Vitality Blast’s South Group by a point from holders Somerset, having played eight matches, with another seven to come when the competition restarts next month.

In the meantime, Surrey have rejoined battle in Championship Division One, which they led by two points going into the current match against Worcestershire at New Road.

That is followed by the visit of second-placed Essex to the Kia Oval from Sunday, June 30 for what the hosts are calling the Festival of Red Ball Cricket.

The two outstanding teams of the Championship – who have won the competition five times between them since 2017 – go head to head, with Surrey members being offered four extra guest vouchers on the first day and their Essex counterparts a 50 per cent discount on admission. Public tickets are £15, with under-16s just £1.

A beer festival should help spectators to enjoy the day even more.

Surrey chief executive Steve Elworthy said: “The County Championship is the best domestic red ball competition in the world and we want to take this opportunity to showcase it to cricket fans old and new.”

Australia’s Sean Abbott was the star of Surrey’s two T20 successes. He grabbed five for 18 from four overs as bottom-placed Middlesex limped to 129 for eight at Lord’s.

The visitors were in danger of a surprise reverse when they collapsed to 106 for six, with early runs from Dan Lawrence (32) and Laurie Evans (41) followed by a dizzying slide against leg-spinner Luke Hollman, who took five for 16.

Tom Curran produced yet another valuable innings in making 48, including three sixes, lifting Surrey to 185 for nine, and claimed the valuable wicket of Leus du Plooy (six). But he was smashed on the forearm by a fierce drive while bowling, putting his involvement in the rest of the competition in severe doubt.

Abbott filleted the Middlesex batting, despite the resistance of Jack Davies (35) and Tom Helm (26 not out), inflicting their 13th successive home defeat.

Glamorgan, for whom The Oval was once a highly successful ground in T20, presented even less resistance.

Losing two wickets to Gus Atkinson’s opening over, they failed to cope with the bouncy pitch – Australian Marnus Labuschagne’s 20 was the modest best – in subsiding to 107 for nine.

Atkinson’s three for 19 was augmented by Abbott’s three for 25, and the visitors’ hopes of fighting back into the game were quickly extinguished by Dan Lawrence (27), Dom Sibley (44 not out) and Laurie Evans (31 not out). The latter pair took 55 off just 4.5 overs to complete victory in nine overs, ensuring Surrey’s net run rate also gained a major boost.

Surrey’s remaining Vitality Blast games are as follows: Friday, July 5: Middlesex (H); Sunday, July 7: Kent (H); Friday, July 12: Somerset (A); Sunday, July 14: Essex (A); Thursday, July 18: Hampshire (H); Friday, July 19: Kent (A).