Sunday 29 August 2010

A view of the cockrell's bottom

It was always going to be a tough order to overcome a confident Somerset side, and so it proved to be in today’s CB40 game. The scorecard doesn’t tell the full story, but it does give an indication of the way the game twisted and turned.

Trescothick was potentially a huge threat but one that was surprisingly annulled with only 8 runs to his name, but in his place there came equally explosive and worthy batsmen: Kieswetter (who started like a train but finished like a speeding snail) hit 79 and even more impressively Buttler down the order made a match-winning 87. Du Bruyn has often been a nemesis for Surrey, and he chipped in with 54, contributing to a rather imposing 290 for six!

I looked at the score set by Somerset and mentioned to some of the listening Rampants that I was slightly concerned they were perhaps a batsman light and that:

“With it reduced to 36 overs they really could have done with the extra batting power, because if RHB or Davies go cheaply or Roy has a bad day, there's only Ramps left!”

Who’s a clever girl, then?

Unfortunately, the skipper made 0 today. Davies made 11 and Roy a 0, just to make the score board slightly symmetrical. And Ramps made 73.

That’s not to say that Kennington’s batting maestro was the only one who put in a good performance as Spriegel and Walters both got within touching distance of a half century, but again there was little backing up done by the lower order batters except from a cheeky and explosive 31 from Dernbach at the tail. It seems to me that if the top two fail to lay a reasonable foundation for the middle order Surrey really struggle. There’s an awful lot of pressure on Mark Ramprakash’s shoulders to bat the entire innings, and fair play to him: he gives it a pretty good go most days! But it’s also not fair on him.

I’m not going to say the selection was wrong: I don’t believe it’s my place to do so. However, I think I would have preferred Wilson in the team just to shore up the batting on what is a ground that usually sees runs galore.

Of course, Somerset had the game won pretty much from the moment that sizeable tally was posted. Poor Tremlett had a bit of a shocker with the ball today, leaking over 70 runs. He’s been so stupendous up until now: I really hope this doesn’t knock his new found confidence because he’s been a cracking acquisition for Surrey this season.

Some words of praise here for poor, frozen Mark Church; shivering away in the hut whilst he provided his usual splendid commentary. It was a gallant attempt to give us a flavour of a frustratingly stop-start game affected by the rain, punctuated by the occasional sniffle and creaking of vocal chords. If icicles could speak they would sound like Churchy did this evening. Somebody get him a well deserved shot of brandy! That was a radio performance beyond the call of duty: I was feeling cold just listening!

Cricketing musicals

Just for a bit of a laugh I thought I'd try my hand at coming up with musicals that might have a cricketing theme:


CREASE – Cricket and brylcreem in the late 1950s.

BATS – The England selectors look for the next ‘chosen one’.

THE WIZARD OF AUS – The life of Sir Donald Bradman.

HAIRSPRAY – The story of David Gower.

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS – The story of the England Ashes team in Australia 2006.

GLAMALOT – A musical celebration of Welsh cricket.

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE OVAL – A musical recount of Blowers trip to the London ground involving many busses and pigeons!

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF – Jonathan Trott singing from atop of a giant industrial crane.

BRIGADOON – Once every few hundred years the Scottish cricket team wins...then disappears in the mist again.

SCROOGE – Geoff Boycott’s quest for run accumulation as told in song.

DANCER IN THE DARK – A musical tale of Mark Ramprakash when the lights blew at Hove.

THE LION’S KING - Celebrating the life of Adam Hollioake.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC – Mark Butcher’s England career (with his own songs interspersed).

DUCK SOUP – A bad day at the office for the England squad.

A STAR IS BORN – The life of Jack Hobbs in song and dance.

AFTER THE BALL – A musical about fielding.

HELLO DOLLY – A musical about bad fielding.

AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ – Daryl Hair's life set to music.

CINDERS – Story of the Ashes.

JERSEY BOYS – The story of the cable knit sweater.

LES MISERABLES – Leicestershire county cricket.

Saturday 28 August 2010

Why cricket will always need wise old heads

I got distracted by You Tube last night, and by the time I remembered I should be writing up some kind of report my eyes had given up and the little grey cells had started to shut down. However, better late than never!

Actually, I have to say it’s been a very disjointed season for me and it’s difficult to be accurate sometimes with what I report, as I have a tendency to only hear the last third of a day’s play if it’s on a week day. I can’t listen back to them anymore, so basically I have to rely on my impressions from the other Rampants. That said, I think I may have been amused had I been able to listen in to Surrey’s declaration bowling yesterday morning. It may have been a couple of years since Ramps last turned his arm towards a wicket, and young Harinath even took a turn!

Leicestershire eventually declared on 123-0, and with Surrey forfeiting their second innings there was something there for both sides to go for. I think a lot of credit must go to both teams for setting up the final day’s play the way they did: so often these matches will simply peter into a dull draw where there is little to play for other than to add runs or wickets to personal tallies.

As it turned out a draw did end up as the final result, but there was nothing dull about it! I suppose Leicestershire had the most to lose – and gain – from the result, as they still had an outside chance of sneaking up the table into the second promotion spot, whereas Surrey are trying to scrape themselves off the second from bottom spot. The draw didn’t assist either team but will have basically killed of any hopes Leicestershire had in what has proven to be a dramatic and angst filled season off the pitch.

Still, it wasn’t for lack of effort and gumption on the home side’s part. Smith went lbw for 23 to Cheetham, Boyce made 44 before being bowled by Batty, but the killer partnership from a Surrey point of view was the stand between Du Toit, whose magnificent 122 runs took away any likely chance of a Surrey victory, and the equally brilliant 106 by Paul Nixon. When both men were finally dismissed, and with Taylor going for a first ball duck, there seemed an outside chance of getting the required wickets for a win. New made 2 runs, White 7 and Henderson 3, but it was too late at that point and with Leicestershire finishing 338-8 Surrey will be left wondering ‘if only’. Had Du Toit and Nixon been dismissed earlier in the day then perhaps things would have gone Surrey’s way, but it was not to be.

I have to say I rather like Nixon as a player. I believe he and Du Toit are out of contract at the end of this year: I hope they manage to find new teams.

With so many players moving at the end of the season, due to personal/financial/geographical reasons, it appears to be open season in terms of speculation. Pietersen will need to find a new county. Sidebottom is moving on. Amjad Khan too. Apparently, every one of them is coming to Surrey. At this rate Geoff Boycott’s late granny will be moving to Surrey! Heck, Michael Vaughan’s daughter’s tortoise will be joining Surrey!

So, as the season winds down towards its climax and with less than a month left until the end perhaps it is interesting to note that whilst there are some new young bucks on the scene, like Adam Lyth for Yorkshire, the wise old sages are still doing it for their teams. Dominic Cork, who I never really cared for to start with but who has grown on me somewhat over the past seasons, has had a fantastic season with Hampshire. Ali Brown looks likely to be in the County championship winning side in Nottinghamshire, and has contributed vital runs when required. And of course Ramps continues to score copiously for Surrey. How long these three gentlemen may continue is open for debate, but if they have the hunger and desire to play then hopefully we may see them next year for their respective counties.

You can’t manufacture experience when all is said and done.

Thursday 26 August 2010

Enough of the rain already!

Today it rained a lot.

As batting in flippers is virtually impossible there was no play possible at all. I wonder if the fielding practice involved diving for bricks? Virtually every game in both divisions of the county championship appear to have been demolished by the weather today, so Surrey and Leicestershire aren't alone in their misery.

All Surrey have to do to win the game is:

a) Bowl Leicestershire out - twice - in one day. C'mon Tremlett, you know you can do it!

b) Hope that it doesn't rain any more.

If it does, it'll be time for the cable knit swimming trunks to come out.

Wednesday 25 August 2010

Strikes, Slings and Soggy pitches

First of all, the good news!

Gary Wilson claimed his maiden first class century today! A big ‘huzzah’ for Mr Chirpy, who really battled hard and put on a worthy display. He eventually went for a fantastic and well crafted 125.

Jason Roy got his maiden first class half century! A very encouraging display, and an indication that although he likes to go for his shots he can knuckle down and graft. I think it would be fair to say that there have been doubts about his stickability from certain quarters, but he’s certainly one to keep an eye on in the future.

As for the not quite so good news, it would be fair to say that Ramps probably had hoped to add more than zero to his overnight score, and I imagine he would be pretty annoyed to get bowled by Hoggard (it was always going to be him) so early on this morning. Still, he may not feel satisfied exactly but his contribution to the final innings tally of 483, with maximum batting points, was sizeable to say the least, so he can take some consolation from that.

I tweeted at lunchtime to say that knowing my luck I would get home in time for the heavens to open and for the game to lose the whole afternoon session to the weather. I can’t claim to challenge Mystic Meg for once, because the elements were always going to close in and wreck the game. It doesn’t look promising for tomorrow either. Leicestershire are currently 32-0, and if things don’t improve then this is the way it’s going to stay for some time!

Not exactly good news, but not bad news either:

Michael Brown tweeted to say he’d gone under the knife for treatment on his elbow injury. I suppose if something’s got to get done, I guess it’s got to get done. But who wants to have their arm sliced open? Poor Browny seemed rather stoical about the whole thing. Personally, I’d have spent the whole day hiding in a cupboard somewhere so the surgeons couldn’t find me. Best wishes to Michael from all the Rampants, and here’s hoping he makes a complete recovery so that he’s fighting fit and ready to do battle next year for Surrey.

And now the really, irritatingly woeful news:

There’s a bleedin’ tube strike on the 7th September. I am cursed with trips to London, I swear it. Liz and I will just have to roll up our trouser legs and flash our ankles at a passing taxi driver in the hope they take pity on us!

Grrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

Tuesday 24 August 2010

It takes a wolf to savage a fox...

It was a tale of two batsmen today. And, thankfully from the Rampants point of view, one of them was the maestro!

It must have looked a bit dodgy in the first half of the day. Having been stuck in by a Leicestershire side, whose off field antics had already garnered headlines prior to the match, Surrey lost both openers Harinath and Lancefield within four balls. You have to admit, 11-2 isn’t the greatest of starts, and no doubt caused hearts to sink once more amongst the Surrey support.

The skipper came in and played his usual game. I know there’s been criticism in certain quarters regarding RHB's ability to grind out a huge innings and certainly today will again have given grist for the mill, but at least his 36 from 37 balls gave Surrey some much needed impetus whilst Ramps quietly went about his business at the other end. It sounds as if Nathan Buck put in a really good display with the ball at the start for Leicestershire, but as Surrey headed towards lunch both Davies and Ramps seemed to be weathering the storm. Shortly after lunch however, it appears that Surrey surprisingly lost Davies for 19. I say surprisingly because very often this season he has proven to be one of the anchors when things have gone wrong in the batting ranks.

With young Jason Roy padded up and waiting, if required, to make his first class championship debut, Gary Wilson (who seems for good or ill to be saddled with ‘chirpy’ before his surname to the extent where people will believe this is actually his name) took to the field and immediately set about rebuilding with Ramprakash, to great effect. Wilson had a very fine innings earlier in the season against Middlesex and grabbed the opportunity he’d been given by Chris Adams with both hands. He’s certainly proved himself as a middle order batsman this year, and it will be interesting to see whether he manages to sneak into the team for the remaining games of the season. I think given his performance so far in this outing you could safely say he’d earned it.

His previous best was surpassed today by some distance, and at stumps he was just six short of a maiden first class century. It’s not ideal going into the next day, and I’m sure even a super-confident man such as Wilson will experience the odd jangling nerve tonight. Still, it will certainly be worth the wait if he gets there tomorrow! And of course, the ever remarkable Ramprakash remains, as lean and hungry as a wolf stalking its prey, with twenty three more runs required to make his own piece of batting history. Should he convert his 179no overnight to 200, he will become the county’s leading scorer of double tons, clearing Jack Hobbs tally. I’m sure the Master won’t mind if the modern Maestro sneaks past him: Hobbs has more than enough incredible records of his own, most of which will never be surpassed.

If Ramps and Wilson stick in and bat as they did today, Leicestershire could very well be looking heavenward for salvation tomorrow and praying that the reported heavy rain intervenes on their behalf!

Sunday 22 August 2010

Iron, like a Lion in...Wormsley! (Sorry, Mr. Marley)

Today the Lions finally went head to head with the Unicorns! It sounded suitably mystical. I dare say the players emerged from the back of a magical wardrobe wearing antlers and goat skins...

No Churchy, though, although he did a sterling job keeping us up to date via Twitter. I guess it must have made quite a nice day, relaxing and watching the cricket, without having to deal with all the technicals that are part of the job. Wormsley looks a rather pretty little ground from the pictures I’ve seen, but I think the lack of tech capability was the reason there was no commentary. There were a number of disappointed Rampants, who find that Churchy helps to get us through the mundane things in life, such as ironing! Still, I think that’s a good excuse to put the ironing to one side!

It may come as an interesting sidenote to remark that the Lion is the symbol of England, and the Unicorn the symbol of Scotland. This being the case, it came as no surprise to see the Lions beating up the Unicorns again. Albeit in a slightly more genteel manner!

It turned out to be a fairly facile win in the end for Surrey. The powerhouse combo of RHB and Steven Davies got the game off to a flyer, with the skipper posting a frisky 52 and Davies a magnificent 101. It was also great to hear that Walters achieved a very handy 78. Jason Roy managed 8 today and whilst he clearly has a huge future ahead of him, he’s still learning on the job, so to speak. I think we have to forgive him any low scores at this stage in his career. Spriegel made a cameo of 4 towards the end, with Ramps contributing a small but nonetheless welcome 7 not out. With 273-4 posted it was always going to be a steep mountain for the Unicorns to climb.

I have to admit that the only players I knew from the Unicorns team were former Surrey team mates Murtagh and Saker! I think I may vaguely recollect Knappet from some place, but I couldn’t swear to it. And for all that the Unicorns are a weaker side in general, if it acts as a shop window for some of their players then their being in the competition is a worthy endeavour. It was lovely to see that Saker made 40 not out today, but ultimately it was in a losing cause as the Unicorns made 207-8.

The win keeps Surrey in third place. Somerset are still in control of the group despite being beaten by second placed Sussex on D/L. I have to confess to being a bit of a Somerset fan on the quiet. In the same way that Surrey had, for so long, forgotten how to win Somerset are a team bursting with quality and confidence. Any losses are usually swept to one side, and the behemoth trundles onwards. One day, hopefully, Surrey will regain that winning feeling.

On a slightly different tack, it’s amazing to see how cricket seems to crop up in so many different places. Being a bit of a closet Dr Who fan, I heard this rather amusing dialog from one of the audio dramas, where the Doctor discovers the Earth has inexplicably become perfect, with not a single disaster, man made or otherwise, to blight its newfound serenity:

"Where are the political scandals? Disasters? Binge-drinking celebrities all over the front page? Can't you see, it's all good news! As for the sports pages...Graeme Swann...100 not out?!?"

You know you’ve made it when you get mentioned in Doctor Who!

Thursday 19 August 2010

Miah Culpa!

I couldn’t cobble a post together yesterday as I was feeling a tad off colour, but given the collapse of last night it would have been little more than perplexed and incoherent rambling anyway and probably not worth the reading. Let’s just say that the ‘curse of the Rampants’ struck again. Went down for tea: everything was fine. Came back upstairs having slaked my hunger, read that one of the openers and also night watchman Walters had gone, switched on the commentary at the exact second Ramps was bowled for a second ball duck.

I switched it off again.

Leaving the room when the commentary is on conclusively causes wickets to fall. I think yesterday’s deluge of late wickets was my fault: I’m thinking of changing my name to ‘Miah Culpa.’

Oh, and it got worse, as Surrey finished four wickets down at the end of play.

My dearest father likes teasing me when things go badly for Surrey and it annoys me because now he’s had his hip replacement I don’t dare kick him by way of a response. I can’t see what he’s got to be smug about: he’s a Hearts supporter. He should know all about angst and trying to smile through pain and misery.

Anyhow, back to this morning. It appears the game was over by lunch time and we were conclusively stuffed, so there can’t be a lot of complaining as Worcestershire deserved the win. This current Surrey team appears to have the cricket equivalent of a hectic temperature! One minute the pulse races, the blood sings and the runs are racked up; the next there’s a sudden arrest in progress followed by a total, irrevocable flat-line. There’s still no real consistency in the Surrey ranks. At the moment the team reminds me of a giant tandem bike. They have the people to power it, but somebody’s nicked the pedals...

It’s not put me off going to the Oval, although I will readily confess to one or two nerves as the Glamorgan game draws ever closer. I really like the ground, and I think there’s a possibility I may just be able to sneak in to the members stand this time round courtesy of one of the Rampants. It should be a fun occasion meeting up with my friends, see the action live and (fingers crossed) watching Mr R play in the game. Can we have a whip round for Chris Adams and the skipper to make sure he does? Or the promise of a cake from Marks & Spencer’s? Pretty please? Getting to London is tricky at the best of times. Unless I manage to get a handle on this travel business I may have problems getting down in the future. I can’t rely on other people helping me out all the time and just in case this is my last trip south of the border, I want to make the most of it.

And no, that doesn’t mean I’m planning on streaking!

By way of a footnote, I was sad to read about the heckling Gareth Batty received by some of the Worcestershire 'fans'. I'm sure Ramps will be able to sympathise with Gareth on that score. I don't understand why they do this kind of thing. Is shouting abuse at a good club servant proving devotion to your team? The irony is that by belittling them you're not showing devotion, you're actually bringing your team's good name into disrepute. It isn't showing passion: it's displaying idiocy. Fortunately Gareth Batty has broad enough shoulders to take it, and I imagine future encounters with his former club will inspire him to even greater achievement.

Middlesex know all about that kind of thing.

Tuesday 17 August 2010

Let's do the time warp again...

I almost wish it had rained now!

Don’t ask me about the run-out: I don’t know what happened! It’s all very well an oaf like me growling at Lancefield and picturing him batting in a big pointy hat with a ‘D’ on it, but I can’t pass judgement on something I never saw or heard. Bottom line is that Ramps was out for 20, although he seems to have struck one 4 and two 6s prior to his dismissal, so he seemed pretty much up for it today. All I do know is that judging by the reaction of others, the finger of guilt initially pointed at Lancefield. But I shan’t sulk. I will do the adult thing and watch the footage before I jump up and down, swear at the cat or chew the carpet in anguish.

Definitely Worcestershire’s game today. It wasn’t actually going too bad for Surrey in places, judging by the score card. Sure, Ramps’ dismissal would have caused a few momentary twitches in the Surrey ranks, especially as shortly afterwards the skipper once more failed to make it into double figures, poor fellow! Harinath earlier had accumulated 8 runs, so with only 73 on the board for a total of 3 wickets Worcestershire would have been licking their lips in the same wolfish manner Surrey had the day previously.

But Lancefield, if he did have any hand in the Ramprakash run-out, certainly made up for it by scoring a very handsome 74. Well, sort of made up for it. A hair shirt and some self-flagellation with a cricket bat might go some way towards making amends. Yet again Davies, back to his best now dropped down the order, chipped in with a much needed 68.

Surrey’s problems really started when Davies and Walters (21) went in rapid succession with 213 on the board. Even then you would have fancied Surrey’s chances of at least equalling the Worcestershire total, despite Spriegel’s departure for 4. Gareth Batty looked very solid and steady, weathering the storm along with Tremlett until a very clever, tricksy piece of bowling by Mason saw him bowled for 30. Within the same over Tremlett also fell for 10, leaving the Surrey tail to try to tough it out. Both Meaker and Dernbach can bat, especially Meaker, but on this occasion it wasn’t to be, with Meaker out for 1, leaving Dernbach not out on 0. The run chase had faltered in dramatic fashion leaving them 49 runs behind. They've been great this season, they've been awful this season, but today was like being stuck in some kind of circa 2008 Surrey timewarp!

Don't let Ceci see this. She'll photoshop Gareth Batty and Chris Tremlett in basques and suspenders, a la Rocky Horror. And probably Ramps in a french maid's outfit just for the hell of it!

There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with the pitch; merely that the batsmen haven’t managed by-and-large to get their heads down. Lancefield was the closest for Surrey, although I bet Ramps will be irritated at a missed opportunity to score big and stretch a lead over Adam Lyth in terms of runs scored in the championship. Surrey could have done with a classy knock from the great man today, especially seeing as how Worcestershire closed on 13 not out.

Add that to the score difference of 49, and you are effectively looking at 62 not out in the second innings! Surrey are going to find it difficult to win this one from here. Let’s hope they can bat out for a draw, because the closer Worcestershire get towards 300-350, the more likely it is that Surrey will be returning to base camp to lick their wounds once more.

And I don’t think I could stand the whinging on the internet forums again...

ETA: Have viewed the run-out...hmm. Not sure. Did Lancefield run Ramps out? Is the person who makes the call to blame? Or did Sir not move quickly enough? Tight single there, but the umpire's decision is final (although he took his time deciding)! I don't think the hairshirt should be called for. Unfortunate though.

Monday 16 August 2010

Cameron: his heart will go on...

It’s such a pleasant change to see positive things happen at New Road. In recent years the club has been flooded at least twice, on one occasion to the extent where Olympic triathlon swimming could comfortably have been trialled at the ground. There have been all kinds of reports of unrest amongst players, with some of them – including Gareth Batty – having gone off to pastures new (or not so new in Batty’s case). With all of that to one side, how refreshing to see young Mr Cameron doing so well in the Worcestershire cause. When I say Cameron, I don’t mean the PM. He has enough trouble trying to remember who the England cricket team are, let alone knowing which end of a bat is which...

It’s been an odd day as far as I can tell, in terms of where we are in the game. Both teams will be feeling quietly satisfied. Firstly, Worcestershire would win bragging rights for winning the toss and batting first. But then Surrey would have felt insanely smug at having the hosts down at 106-5! These little twisty, turny sessions have produced a rather intriguing little scenario in that whilst the morning belonged to Surrey, the afternoon definitely went to Worcs. A fiendish partnership involving the aforementioned Cameron developed, sticking harder than a piece of chewing gum to one of Mark Ramprakash’s bats!

Tremlett stole the bowling honours with his four wickets today, in the same way that Cameron did for the Worcestershire batting. If there’s a better opening bowler in the county game at the moment I’ve not seen him. Again, I didn’t hear the majority of the game because muggins was up to my eyes in dead people (genealogy, before people think I work in a ‘Silent Witness’ capacity), but it looks like there may have been one or two slightly silly shots offered by the Worcestershire batsmen in the morning session given the score. Mitchell fell for 5 runs, care of Tremlett. Then it was the turn of the lovely Rampant favourite Solanki for 37, bowled by Batty, and 13 proved unlucky for Moeen Ali, who was out lbw to Batty. At 83-3 Surrey must have been feeling mighty pleased with themselves!

The situation was almost instantly made even better when Kervezee stumbled to a six ball duck with only one further run added to the score. And when Shakib was bowled by Tremlett for 18, another notch on the Surrey smug-ometer must have been reached!

The period immediately after lunch often seems to be the real danger to Surrey when bowling. I wouldn’t say they let the game get away from them, as the batting between Cameron and Wheeldon was very fine, but it does seem to be an Achilles heel for the south London team. Do they have too many sticky toffee puddings at dinner time? Are they too stuffed full of munchies? I’m only saying this because twenty minutes after my own lunch I have to fight the urge not to fall asleep with my head on the keyboard...

Compare the situation before and after. The last wicket to fall before lunch was the fifth, for 106. The next one fell with the score at 211! That is one heck of a comeback (doffs cap in admiration) from Worcestershire. Surrey huffed and puffed but the wickets still stood until the departure of Wheeldon for 65, given lbw to Dernbach. To rub more salt into the wound, Cameron and Cox then continued where Wheeldon left off! Cox did well in keeping Cameron company whilst the latter crept slowly towards his highest ever batting total. I shouldn’t really be cheering on the opposition, but I confess in this case I did. Just a little cheer.

I gave a bigger one when Cox went for 18, lbw to Batty.

There was of course the chance that Cameron would reach his first ever first class century, but as fate would have it he fell four short, thanks to some acrobatics from Stewart Walters, who juggled the ball for a while before finally taking the catch!

Surrey can take pride in two things. I’ve already mentioned on a few occasions the meteoric improvement in the Surrey fielding, to the extent where they’ve gone from zeros to heroes in this field (pardon the pun). If there was a graph denoting the improvement from two years ago, say, starting at a level equal to the black hole of Calcutta, the big, red squiggly line would show we’re currently scaling the summit of Ben Nevis! A pie chart would similarly denote a very satisfying portion showing Surrey doing very nicely, probably comparing favourably with other counties. Of course, Surrey have a young and fit squad, which helps. Even Ramps on the verge of 41 is incredibly fit. I have the feeling that, much as we love him, having someone like Cosgrove in the side might not help in terms of fielding statistics. If he saw a pie chart, god love him, he’d probably eat it...

But the real improvement is the bowling. By and large we are now looking like a side that is going to bowl the opposition out twice in a game. Tremlett has been a fairly dynamic cog in the wheel, but Batty too (who I know gets a lot of stick from some Surrey fans in certain quarters) is starting to reap the rewards of his hard graft. Dernbach, returning from injury having started so well, is now looking like he’s shaken the rust from his bowling arm. Imagine a side that could have had a fit Andre Nel and Chris Jordan, as well as Meaker! Now you’re talking!

Andrew, who had replaced Cox as Cameron’s perfect foil, must have felt a little lonely without his friend as he fell four runs later with the score on exactly 300, bowled by Dernbach for 24. That left the final pair to be mopped up, with Tremlett fittingly picking up the scalp of Mason for 4, leaving Shantry not out, also on 4.
It’s a bit difficult to know how Surrey would have felt about having four or so overs at the end of the day to see off, but I guess that’s what happens when you knock over the opposition late on. Would they have sent out a night watchman if one of the openers had gone, to protect Ramps’ wicket? I’m not sure Mr R has much time for night watchmen to be honest. What happens when your night watchman’s wicket falls? Do you send out another? And what happens if he goes too???

It was a question that thankfully didn’t need answering, as both Lancefield and Harinath (who we’ll probably be sticking with as poor Michael Brown is confirmed out for the rest of the season) stuck dutifully to their wickets, with Lancefield not out on 7 and Harinath not out on 1. Fingers are well and truly crossed that they stick around long enough to take the sting out the ball tomorrow. It would be nice to see the opening partnership succeed: it showed signs of promise in the Sussex game.

Of course, with less than 300 runs now to get to equal the Worcestershire total, the real question is whether or not the rain is going to play havoc with the game like it did against Sussex. At the time of writing this it doesn’t look hopeful!

On a slightly different tack, the BBC headlines proclaims “Drink-driving Swann blames cat.’

Come on. How’s it’s feet supposed to reach the pedals?

Sunday 15 August 2010

Kenny's revenge!




What a cruel game cricket can be! And yet at the same time a fantastic one.

Yesterday’s win for Hampshire in the T20 final went right down to the wire. They looked as if they were going to coast it, and so I committed the cardinal sin of switching it off with two overs remaining. As Homer Simpson might say: ‘Doh!’

That’ll teach me to be complacent.

It appears the result was a tie, which had seemed impossible earlier considering the effortless manner of the Hants performance. Somerset had been throwing everything but the kitchen sink at their opponents but to no avail, and the fact Pollard was ‘missing presumed concussed’ served to weaken the Somerset attack. Alas for Somerset, in the case of a tie it goes down to who lost the least wickets, and that of course gifted the title to Hants!

You can’t really argue with it, however. Rules are rules, and Hants deserved to lift that trophy according to those regulations. It does seem a shame to decide a game in such a way, a bit like wheeling out a penalty shoot-out in a World cup final (not that I’m into football, overly), but Hants did look the more solid of the two teams on the day. Congrats to them, and commiserations to Somerset. Coming runner-up two years in a row must sting a bit! But it must have been fantastic to see Hants lift the trophy actually at the Rose Bowl, with so many of their fans to witness it.

I wasn’t unhappy with the result except I would have felt a little smugger in terms of bragging rights had Somerset sneaked it. My prediction for the final this year was in fact a Somerset win. Drat! So near and yet so far!

The big news of the day came when Caesar the Lion came last in the mascot race. Quite clearly he’d been nobbled! I can only assume Kenny Kennington, nose still out of joint at his usurpation, slipped Caesar a ‘Mickey Finn’ in the bar prior to the race. Either that or Chris Adams made poor Afzaal get in the costume...

On a non-cricket related matter, I have today notched up another year. It has a three in it; that’s all I am saying. So, happy third birthday to me!

Thursday 12 August 2010

Hardy Yardy saves Sussex


I only managed to hear the last 45 minutes of the game, and by that time it had really come down to a question of whether Michael Yardy was going to reach a century for the first time this season – which he duly did. And it sounds like it was a well deserved hundred, batting out the game so that Surrey were forced to shake hands shortly after the hundred was reached. Curse that missing day! Surrey haven’t really suffered at meteorological hands this year but they may well end up ruing the miserable weather on day two.

Equally Sussex, given the way they were batting latterly, might also feel slightly aggrieved. Yet a draw for the leading division two championship side might keep those sniffing around behind them a little interested.

Even if the end of the match petered out to a rather tame draw the day appears to have started perfectly. From what I gather Chris Tremlett claimed a wicket with the first ball of the day – caught by a certain Mr Ramprakash, no less. Then an annoying little partnership between Goodwin and Joyce sprung up (it becomes very difficult to concentrate on your work when you keep debating the wisdom of looking at the score every five minutes) which ended when Joyce was bowled by Batty for 40. Goodwin reached 23 when Meaker struck – but the partnership had given the impetus to Sussex at this point.

The real damage seems to have been done by Yardy and Ben Brown, who combined to dismiss any hopes Surrey may have had at forcing a result in their favour. Brown finally was caught by Davies off the bowling of Batty for 52, but with Yardy still going strongly too much of a chunk had been taken from the game in order to allow anything other than a draw. Arafat and Yardy got together, played some nice shots, and kept going long enough to allow Yardy to reach his well-deserved ton.

Whilst not especially a Sussex supporter, although I have nothing against them either, you have to say well done to Mr Yardy for his captain’s innings. Sussex does seem a very adaptable side who can cope mostly with whatever gets thrown their way. Having lost Robin Martin-Jenkins to the teaching profession, and now with the news James Kirtley is also to retire at the end of the season; Sussex will feel the loss quite keenly although no doubt they have many talented players to step into those big shoes. There seems little doubt that Sussex will go back up, deservedly so, but the question is – will they stay there? Surrey have spent a goodly amount of time yo-yoing up and down between divisions, or clinging on by their fingernails as a result of losing several key players to retirement at the same time. Hopefully this won’t happen again in the future.

I do hate hearing of retirements, though. Tends to make the Rampants a tad nervous. We all know Mr R can’t go on forever in the game (he has one year left on his contract), and we’ll be mighty sorry when the decision is taken to stop. Still, I hope Surrey allow him to reach that decision for himself and don’t manoeuvre him into it. That would be showing considerable ingratitude towards a player who’s up there with Jack Hobbs in terms of giving so much to his club.

Oh dear...think I might have made a lot of Rampants very miserable for bringing the subject up!

Wednesday 11 August 2010

All in the stars

Now I remember why I leave for work at 6.50am each day. Getting on the bus at 9.30am when the bus is full of screaming children being taken to nursery is not pleasant. Not that I have anything against children: I must have done a bit of screaming myself at that age. But it doesn’t make for a peaceful start to the morning! I bypassed the Orks today and went shopping with mum. Unfortunately I broke my promise never to buy a pair of jeggings: I’m pretty sure it’s not a look that suits ladies over size 12. You’d never think I had a diploma in fashion!

I did get back in time to hear most of today’s game, and it was very interesting indeed! Obviously it was a tad disappointing when Ramps was bowled for 21 (most of the Rampants listening were fairly genteel although I shan’t repeat the phrase used by Jan!), but the game has at least moved on now. And I guess it needed to given the loss of the whole of yesterday. Davies played well, riding his luck at times but top scoring with 62. Walters again got his head down and made a timely 45. The rest more or less were similar in terms of scores, with RHB, Ramps, Harinath and Tremlett all hitting 20s. Lancefield hit a well crafted 37, Spriegel a slightly more cameo 1, Batty 19 and Dernbach...a somewhat deflating first ball duck.

Sussex did bowl well, however. Arafat pick up a fivefer and Panesar also claimed 4 scalps. The plan of the day seemed to lie with frustrating and stifling Surrey’s runs, which did work in the morning session, but as with the Sussex first innings the tail began to wag a little in the afternoon. If the pattern repeats itself Surrey will have hopes of bowling Sussex out quickly: time to wheel out South London’s very own Sherman Tank in the shape of Tremlett, methinks!

The chase by Sussex of the Surrey 75 run lead started positively, but Meaker claimed Nash for 22 and night watchman Panesar for a third ball duck, leaving Thornley on 0 and Joyce on 16no at stumps. I bet Meaker was miffed that the game had to stop, as he had got in to a lovely rhythm. I hope he can continue tomorrow, as I am back to work and no doubt up to my eyes in genealogical records again. It’s been a nice mid-week break but much as I love my job, all that it’s achieved is to make me want more time off! Oh well, London in a few weeks. * gulp *

Now for something completely different.

Harinath: Aries
Lancefield: Libra
Ramprakash: Virgo
Davies: Gemini
Hamilton-Brown: Virgo
Walters: Cancer
Spriegel: Pisces
Batty: Libra
Meaker: Aquarius
Tremlett: Virgo
Dernbach: Pisces

This was the composition of today’s squad. Does this prove that Virgos are the star attractions when it comes to cricket?

Tuesday 10 August 2010

No play day two




I’ve had enough Ork-dodging at half past three in the afternoon, so I have taken the day off tomorrow. I am venturing up town but mum is tagging along in search of birthday presents, so fingers crossed I’ll be back in time to hear a bit more of the cricket than I normally might expect in the course of a working day. Not keen on crowds but if we head off early enough we’ll probably miss the worst of them.

Instead of the tram service Edinburgh City Council would be better employed creating a go-slow pedestrian area for the elderly, infirm or those who just like crawling at a snails pace along the pavements. It’s one of my chief bugbears, and even although my understanding (and appreciation of how difficult it can get for those no longer in the first flush of youth) has grown over the years, my impatience has not diminished. My arthritic cervical vertebrae tell me to show some sympathy, but I still struggle with the urge to give all dawdlers a kick in the fanlight.

And I used to be such a nice person, once...

As anticipated there was no cricket today in the game against Sussex, which is a real pity because the weather has really let Sussex wriggle off the hook. Typical, really. When weather does disrupt a game you always pray it’s going to happen in your favour. Like being 704 runs behind having followed on, and you are the last batsman in! Not so today, however. This will have eaten into a large chunk of the game and I suppose Surrey will want to bat big in the vain hope they can bowl Sussex out on the last day. Otherwise it’s merely about batting points for Surrey.

It wasn’t a completely wasted day at Guildford, I’m glad to report. Liz went along for the day, took a couple of pics, and felt very happy even despite the lack of play! Rampants are usually a contended bunch. That said, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the weather improves tomorrow so that the hard work Surrey put in on day one wasn’t entirely in vain.

Hey, ho! Whilst Surrey endeavour to carry on from their good start I shall be doing my utmost to persuade my mother that she shouldn’t stint when it comes to my birthday! I rather think Surrey will have the better of the argument!

Monday 9 August 2010

Surrey (with the fringe on top)


Sorry...been waiting for August to arrive before I used that title!

I personally am not terribly fond of the Edinburgh Fringe festival, but my reasons are selfish and not due to any raging dislike of the many acts on display – of which there are a great variety. They will of course range from the abysmal to the brilliant, but the fact is their presence (although bringing welcome revenue to a city beset by never-ending tram works) is a bleedin’ nuisance to the residents! Three weeks of fighting my way through swarms of people who don’t have any concept of ‘queuing’. Three weeks of waiting for buses that never seem to arrive on time, or seemingly zapped from existence entirely. Three weeks of jostling through persons whose only ambition is to stop you from reaching your bus stop. That more or less sums up what the festival means to me. Add to the fact that my work is just off Princes Street and I’m slap bang in the centre of festival hell!

So, to counteract the less appealing aspects of August, including paying £540 for an annual bus pass (which I did today), and notching up yet another year to my credit (later this week), I had the most wonderful surprise in terms of the score for day one of Surrey v Sussex at Guildford. Following the BBC cards doesn’t really have the same immediacy as listening to the internet commentary although in its own way it can be equally addictive (sneaking on and pressing refresh as often as one can reasonably get away with in working hours). So imagine my delight when I looked in and saw the score was 13-3!

I may have e-mailed Liz to express my astonishment and delight. Two of Sussex’s best batsmen (Joyce and Goodwin) sent back to the pavilion for a splendid nought! And Tremlett picking up all three wickets (Thornley falling for a princely 1)! I know Davies is regarded as a real star for Surrey, and rightly so, but for me it’s Tremlett that has been the main man so far (Ramps excluded).

Nor did it end there. Nash garnered 21 runs when caught by Lancefield off the bowling of Batty. Yardy followed very soon after for 18, and then Brown for the same score some time afterwards. At this point Sussex were looking very shaky. Arafat and Rayner showed some much needed resistance but then after lunch Arafat perished on 23! Surrey must have had dreams of finishing off the tail as quickly as possible, but invariably the puppy kept on wagging away. It took the devil and a stick of dynamite to remove the doughty Rayner who fell three short of a half century, whilst Adkin and Panesar formed the most irritating duet since Rene and Renata! Seriously though, well done to Adkin on his first championship game. I was genuinely sorry he didn’t reach his 50, as it was a stout performance in the face of obdurate Surrey bowling.

Statistics will give the appearance that Surrey let things slide in the afternoon session, and I can’t tell if this was the case or not, as I was trying to elbow my way past a bunch of Orks – sorry, tourists – to get to my bus stop at this time. I can’t think that any team would willingly give away a commanding position however, although admittedly it was disappointing they couldn’t have winkled out Sussex for under two hundred. At lunchtime you would have thought it a formality, but I suppose that’s cricket for you! Panesar gets much kudos for digging in. He’s not exactly renowned for his batting skills but he plagued and frustrated the Surrey bowlers for a good long time, eventually making a more than respectable 20 not out! Collymore was the last Sussex batsman to fall having had his bails rearranged by Dernbach for 2.

The Sussex first innings total amounted to 217. It could and possibly should have been worse for them, but the afternoon session suggested it was favouring the batsmen, with Surrey opening pair Harinath and Lancefield doggedly beginning their run chase. At the end of play both openers were still there with the score on 47; Lancefield on 20no and Harinath on 19no.

I think it’s fair to say Surrey were the happier of the two sides tonight, and will be hoping to press their advantage on a track that has a past history of very large scores. Bat long and bat once? I can only assume this will be what Surrey are hoping will happen, although if the predicted rain falls overnight then who knows how much time will be taken out of what is shaping up to be an exciting game.

Oh well, that’s it for another day. Back to dodging the tourists again...

Sunday 8 August 2010

Shark attack

I said to a few of the other Rampants that I reckoned Sussex would be up for the challenge...well, in fairness it’s rare to see a Sussex team that isn’t hungry for a victory. Their run in the shorter forms of the game has been a little unreliable whilst in the championship they continue blithely on their merry way, but they are the class act in division two when all is said and done. For Surrey, coming on the back of their world record last week, this marks the start of a five day contest against Sussex and today’s CB40 game kicked things off in interesting fashion.

The game seemed to twist and turn a bit and promised to be a reasonably close affair for a good long while. Winning the toss and batting first Surrey got off to a nicely judged start. Perhaps there wasn’t the pyrotechnics and dazzling array of fours and sixes as there had been against Glamorgan, but without wishing to insult the Welsh team (who are currently near the top of the championship table) Sussex were always going to be a much more difficult proposition. RHB and Davies began to turn on the gas a little but then as can happen when looking set for a big score the skipper got out for 31. Walters then came in at three and showed exactly what a class bat he can be when he gets his head down, scoring at a good pace. Unfortunately, Davies then went for 26.

A word here for the Sussex bowling, which was very good indeed. Every time Surrey looked as if they might get the upper hand they managed to peg it back. Ramps came in next and kept ticking along, allowing Walters to go about his business at the other end, with the pair of them putting up a stand of 84 together. Alas, he was bowled by Kirtley for 33 when attempting to up the tempo. Other than Spriegel who made 30 none of the other batsmen made a score over 13, although in part this was testament to the excellent Sussex attack. The mainstay of the Surrey innings however turned out to be Walters who made 88 before Liddle claimed him as a victim, and it was just a shame that he was unable to claim what would have been a well deserved maiden 40 over hundred.

Sussex started strongly and their innings appeared to mirror the Surrey one in many respects. Joyce looked set for a massive score, but then his dismissal when on 37 by Spriegel came out of the blue! Steady rebuilding appeared to be the order of the day with young Joe Gatting (who although a fine cricketer in his own right will probably always have his name affixed with the tag ‘nephew of Mike’) staunchly digging in for what looked like a long stay. But his dismissal on 19 by Tremlett potentially opened up a tiny window of hope. At this point the Sussex and Surrey total was pretty much on a par.

Confession time: there was much cheering when Nash went. Not that we have anything against Nash especially but he’d made 63 when Batty snared him and hadn’t looked like getting out at all. There was even greater Rampant cheering when very next ball Goodwin (who we do tend to boo in mock-pantomime villain fashion) was bowled by the selfsame Gareth Batty for 10, to the extent where we decided to anoint the Surrey bowler as St Gareth of Batty!

Alas, the prized scalp of Goodwin turned out to be the last Sussex wicket to fall, as the rearguard action by Hodd (46no) and in particular Yardy (66no) made the real difference between victory and defeat. Although difficult to know for certain what was a good score or not, it did feel that Surrey had fallen maybe 25 runs short of what they might have hoped for and unfortunately this proved to be the case. Having done the trench work, Yardy took the batting power play at the death and it was enough to see a sudden increase in Sussex boundaries just when required. In the end Surrey lost by six wickets, and although in some respects it had been a tight and interesting game it did seem to be a match that had the Sharks’ name on it from the start of their reply.

I did feel sorry for poor Mr Church & Mr Barran. It can't be easy to commentate your little socks off when you've got people blocking your view, wandering in front of you or generally being a little disorderly. I wonder if that sozzled spectator made it out the ground or if we'll find him sleeping off his excesses on the boundary somewhere! And I have to agree that it must be annoying to have children running infront of the sight screen all the time. Kids should be taught in the nursery that there are wizened trolls feasting on the bones of children who mock the gods of cricket!

The Surrey fielding was really strong today by the sound of it. Despite the odd howler here and there – and every side will make those – Surrey are out of sight in terms of fielding compared to how they were last year. Hopefully we will see more of this in the championship game tomorrow. One thing is for certain: Surrey will have to be at their Northants beating best to get one over on Sussex over four days. But, given clear skies, good bowling and the odd Ramprakash century, who’s to say they won’t do just that?

Friday 6 August 2010

Batting Masterclass with Ramps

"Answer a simple question and you could improve your skills with a cricket legend", proclaims the Guardian.

I don’t have a bat! Not only do I not have a bat, but I have never actually held a cricket bat in my life!

I used to play rounders at school, and I have to be brutally honest and say I was rubbish. I had no problem watching the ball as it sped towards me, but maybe because my fellow school mates liked chucking the ball rather than pitching it up I used to lose sight of it at the last second. Mostly because I would close my eyes, hit wildly, and hope for the best.

I don’t think I ever hit the ball once in six years.

I can report however that I fielded like a diva. Collingwood had nothing on me!

Other sporting misdemeanours have included:

Being hit in the ribs by a canoe (don’t try this: it hurts)

Nearly killing someone with a javelin (so near, and yet so far)

Being hit on the back of the head with a hockey stick

Spending the best part of fourth year on the sidelines with a bad back

Putting up with a swimming teacher who liked to try and drown the non-swimmers when he got the chance

I have to say the javelin one was a close thing. The idiot girl walked right in front of me when I was running up to hit my mark. Thankfully for her I was rubbish at javelin as well and the thing fell short and stuck in the ground just a foot away from her. I’m a great believer in natural de-selection, and every time I see her on the bus with her excitable offspring I think how very lucky the boy was that his idiot mother wasn’t turned into a giant kebab.

The back problem was another bad one. I’m not fond of pain: I think you’ve got to be a little strange if you do, frankly. But that’s probably a discussion for another blog entirely! We had to suffer those ridiculously low science work tops with the equally ludicrous high ‘bar stool’ chairs, and it totally ruined my posture. I have quite a long back compared to my somewhat shorter legs (it’s my rotten genetics, sue the parents!) and fourth year was a write-off for me. But it had its compensations: I spent most of it on the sidelines in the gym! In the end there seemed little point in going along and I used to bunk off to the school library in search of a good book...er, that is to say I spent my time deep in study!

All this was fine until it came to getting our fourth year reports. Whilst I was expecting a ‘who is this girl, we’ve not seen her in PE for almost 12 months’, to my shock I got an incredibly good mark! And the most galling thing was it was my best mark for any subject that year! Turns out they got me mixed up with some poor soul with a rather similar name who excelled in PE...I hate to think what sort of grade she ended up with!

All this is offered up in proof as to why I think I deserve a batting class. I get the impression you're supposed to be under 10 and thinking of playing cricket seriously, but if I could just learn to hit the ball once I would see this as an improvement on 20 years ago!

Wednesday 4 August 2010

The 40 over world record...in 38 overs!




It’s CB40 time and today...we’re playing Glamorgan again!

Not a complaint. I look forward to the Surrey v Glamorgan battles! But there’s a really odd phenomena here. Even although Surrey will play Glamorgan the same amount of times as every other team in this stage of the contest, it just feels like we do nothing but play Glamorgan! I’m not sure how this has come about, or why my brain has conditioned itself to feel this way. I think there must be some Dr Who-style technobabblesque explanation for this phenomena...some rift in the space time continueum.

I think it’s because last year’s RAGM was the end of season game against...Glamorgan. And this year’s RAGM? Yep, got it in one! Glamorgan again! I think it’s the Cosgrove effect: everything is being drawn away from their natural orbits and being pulled towards him. He’s going to wind up being the centre of an entire galaxy at this rate! Even I couldn’t resist his pull after seeing him last year. I’ve come to the conclusion that Mr Cosgrove and Glamorgan occupy a very special place in our hearts.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we want them to win!

***************

I’m trying to multi-task here. I’m watching Masterchef, drying my hair, and listening to the commentary. It’s proving very difficult, even although as a woman I think it’s meant to happen naturally. John Terrode is currently trying to de-bone a fish, Churchy and Johnny Barran are valiantly trying to fill in during a rain break, and I’ve just noticed that my hair has split ends. At this rate I may end up filleting my locks...

The state of play at the time of typing this is that Surrey have just created a 40 over world record to go along with the 50 over one already in the bag from a few years previously.

Oooh – breaking news. 8.30pm restart. 227 for Glamorgan to win, with 20 overs to get it.

How fab! We may yet have a game!

It was looking dodgy for a while, and what a pity it would have been if there was no more play after the amazing Surrey display earlier today! TV were there to record the epic total, which pleases me because they aren’t exactly the most pro-Surrey persons on the planet. Criticism is fine if deserved, and Surrey have put in performances that have deserved censure over the last few years, but there does seem to be an element of enjoyment from certain quarters whenever they do badly. I’m sure today will have put a smile on their faces. He he he...

I missed the start of the game, but I guessed I would. I got in at ten minutes to four, greeted by my dad with a “I see your game was delayed”. Given the weather report that didn’t surprise me, so I took my time getting changed, switching on the PC, only to find out that the game had resumed some five minutes previously, and Surrey had already passed the 20-0 mark!

They never really looked back. It was a barrage of constant boundaries, with RHB making a fabulous if slightly chancy at times 115 – his first hundred in 40 over cricket – and Davies with a regal 88. Walters, coming in at three, hit it around for a while and made a rapid 18 until Waters (yes, very confusing surname clash there) had him caught and bowled. Then enter stage left the master, with Ramps going through every available gear, starting slowly, then putting his foot on the accelerator at the end, all the while purring like the engine of a Rolls Royce and making a fabulous 85 (which I missed because I had a chicken casserole to deal with). At the other end Spriegel made a resolute 56. It never ceases to amaze me how well Spriegel and Ramps bat together. If Bodie and Doyle could play cricket, that’s who these two professionals would be!

Just when we were celebrating the new 40 over record, the heavens opened and left the Oval a little soggy looking. Churchy's filling in valiantly (it always amazes me how he manages to make rain breaks fun), and I loved Johnny Barrans assertion that the boiling sky above the Oval was reminiscent of the end 10 mins in Ghostbusters! I hope that doesn't make Cosgrove Mr Stay Puft! No doubt Sky's contingent will be fretting as to whether they will get back out for the rest of the game.

Cosgrove managed to get hit on the toe whilst he was batting, but it didn’t stop him! Next time, I suggest Surrey aim a little higher up...

Before resumption Croft was out for two. An awful lot depends on whether Surrey can get Maynard out: if they do they should have a total that will see them home.

If Surrey get Maynard out...

*******************


I just finished typing the word ‘Maynard’ and lo! He was gone!

Really all down to Cosgrove now for Glamorgan.

I’m trying to drink tea, but I’m getting menaced by one of those little black flies you get in pot plants. It’s trying to drown itself, and I should think the way poor Jason Roy is fielding at the moment he will be trying to follow suit. He’s usually one of the best fielders around but he’s put down three chances in as many minutes. Maybe the lights are playing tricks on him.

Oh – Brown gone now!

So has Colin Jackson in Masterchef. I am not happy: I like Colin. Hmmmph!

**********

There’s a very interesting program on BBC 2 about Normans in Britain. I love history, but just to show my devotion I am sticking with the cricket.

Churchy has just said that Cosgrove is still “swinging like a rusty gate”. I’d hate to see the hinges on him...

Cosgrove has just launched the bat – literally! It’s going flying!

Oh, and now Cosgrove has gone for 88! Well caught Dernbach!

************

It was inevitable despite the gutsy (not referring to Cosgrove here) fight back from Glamorgan that Surrey were going to win this. In the end the target was just too big, and they triumphed by 39 runs. Dalrymple was still there at the end, but the moment Cosgrove went any tiny chance they had of chasing the total evaporated. The victory leaves Surrey in second spot, facing the might of Sussex in a few days time at Guildford. Who knows which way the game will go: Surrey can justifiably be proud of their performances in this contest over all, but the consistency isn’t perhaps there yet, something Sussex will be hoping to exploit.
All the same, a team that boasts a world record is hardly one who will be scared to take on anyone! In many ways the unpredictability just adds to the excitement!