Here comes that music again...

Day Three, Surrey v Middlesex at the Oval


Actually, I’m saving the play-on-name stuff for the moment, as I don’t want to jinx ‘himself’ for tomorrow.

I’ve been in a bit of a quandary with this game. I find it so much easier to cheer on Surrey when the opposition is full of players I have no emotional attachment to, but Middlesex are stuffed with ex-Surrey players like Newman, Murtagh and Collins so it’s not as straightforward as I thought it might be. And then there’s Udal, who I rather like, and Finn who seems destined for great things at the top level in due course. So, when the likes of Newman get set for a big score against my team I really don’t know whether I’m supposed to applaud or secretly cross my fingers under the desk and hope that his bails are whipped off...

The splendiferous ninety one that he made was, for me, the best compromise in the circumstances. Bet the poor man was gutted to fall nine short of a ton! Strauss similarly accumulated a very frisky ninety two and then managed to get out to Dernbach (who replicated Udal's effort and picked up five wickets) when Middlesex would have hoped he’d go on.

In all other respects the Middlesex first innings sort of stumbled and stuttered along. Shah, Dexter, Simpson, Murtagh and Collins all went for single figure totals, and only Berg with his effort of 43 made a really useful contribution to the efforts of the two opening bats. Middlesex ended with 324 all out.

Possibly most people expected the follow on to be enforced. I didn’t, mostly because I was on the bus home from work at the time and remained in total ignorance as to the situation. I do however recall thinking that the bus would get home quicker if it ran over a few of the slow moving pedestrians at Frederick Street corner. The upshot is that RHB opted to bat again, which I am personally delighted at because Rampants and Surrey fans alike now get a second chance to watch the great man bat once more in a quest to help Surrey to that elusive first win of the season. The win is a possibility now, although it would take another Middlesex collapse to do it. Newman and Strauss - and one or two others – are really going to have to dig in deep because Surrey definitely go into tomorrow with their chins held higher. I personally think the draw is still the most likely.

Harinath played another blinding innings second time round. He was eventually out for 63, but I think the commentary had it right, in that batting with a senior player such as Ramps will just bring the best out of him. A real shame that he couldn’t quite kick on to what would have been a well deserved century. Evans, alas, only made seven this time although there isn’t any doubt that he is a talented player. Mr Ramprakash achieved an excellent 86 not out and (she said trying to type and touch wood – or desk vinyl in this case) looks set for a possible second century in this game. It’s well deserved if it happens, although I should think that going for the win will be first on his and everyone else in the team’s mind.

So, bat for an hour tomorrow and see how the ground lies? What kind of total would RHB look for? What would Middlesex fancy chasing and what would make them bat for the draw? I still haven’t recovered from the finish of last year’s humdinger of a derby at the Oval! People were being bowled and run out all over the place!

At the moment the Surrey boys are looking mighty hungry for this first win. A total will be set, the bait laid, and then it will be up to them to reel in their prey. Whatever happens, I hope the Middlesex squad have their earplugs in because that Jaws theme is getting ominously louder and louder at the moment...