Australians Sean Abbott and Dan Worrall have played their part in one of the most extraordinary triumphs in county championship history - but it was England's old stonewaller Dom Sibley who proved Surrey's ultimate patient hero.
Completing the second-highest successful run chase in the annals of the championship at Canterbury on Wednesday, Surrey reached 5-501 to beat Kent by five wickets.
Sibley's remarkable marathon, unbeaten 140 from 415 balls - which spanned nine hours and 40 minutes - saw the visitors home.
Abbott, who's had a brilliant summer for the English first division champions in the red- and white-ball games, had earlier in the match helped set up the unlikely win, taking 4-52 in Kent's first innings and another wicket in the second.
Worrall, Surrey's leading bowler last year who's already snaffled 28 wickets this term, took 1-55 in the first innings, followed by 3-63.
In the week the Ashes will be in thrall to the new 'Bazball' approach, it felt like a quaint reminder of another age as Sibley, who three years ago scored the slowest England Test hundred for 20 years, led Surrey past their previous highest chase of 410 back in 2002.
Only once in the county championship had a side chased more than 500 to win, Patsy Hendren's 206no pushing Middlesex to 6-502 to beat Nottinghamshire by four wickets at Trent Bridge way back in 1925.
At the start of the final day, Kent had needed seven wickets and Surrey 238 runs but dropped England keeper Ben Foakes (124) was instrumental in helping Sibley make the target look very straightforward after Jamie Smith's swift hundred on Tuesday had set the pace.
It was a tough day for Kent's Australian Wes Agar. After taking 3-32 in the first innings and then scoring 51 in the home side's opening knock, his figures of 1-119 off 33 overs second time around made little impact.
Sussex allrounder Nathan McAndrew earned them a draw in a thrilling second division contest against Worcestershire at Hove, where any result remained possible going into the final over, bowled by the man from Wollongong.
Worcestershire needed just nine runs with three wickets still standing to reach their target of 386 but McAndrew (3-76) proved nerveless, taking a wicket with the first ball and giving up just three off the over.
Joe Leach needed a six off the final ball to earn a famous win but McAndrew had him swing and miss, leaving the visitors stranded on 8-381.
For Glamorgan, Sydney's Dutch international Timm van der Gugten knuckled down with an unbeaten 52 off 146 balls and aided wicketkeeper Chris Cooke (134no) in an unbeaten partnership of 153 to bat them safely to a draw against Durham at Chester-le-Street.
