Thursday 12 April 2012

Bring Me Sunshine...



Because some double acts are just irreplaceable!

And because the idea of Dave Townsend reinacting 'The Stripper' from the Morecambe and Wise show is faintly horrific!

Somebody take his heater away from him...

*picture expertly doctored by Rowan

Monday 9 April 2012

Why the Rampants like Tim Linley




What’s not to like?

Firstly, he’s a pretty decent bowler. In fact he’s like a little piranha, the way that he keeps nibbling away at the wickets column. In 2011 he left a trail of mangled batsmen, bruised and broken in his wake. That Surrey made it back to division one was in no small part to his efforts, and he deservedly got the Ramprakash player of the year award. I say Ramprakash because frankly he’s won it so many times they may as well name it after him. But last year it belonged well and truly to Sir Timothy of Linley.

He’s obviously a class act. I mean, with a surname like Linley you have to be, don’t you? What name conjures images of good-breeding more than Linley? Unless he chose to add a double barrel to his name, and frankly Tim Linley-Linley would blow everyone’s minds...

But other than being the country’s most underrated bowler, all-round good egg and sharing his nickname with possibly the best character in Sesame Street, Linners has one other thing that makes people doff their hat in forelock tugging respect: he even has his own biscuit called after him. And that, dear folks, is the ultimate accolade a cricketer can receive.

Now, where’s that custard-colville gone? I feel a dunk coming on...

Sunday 8 April 2012

Well, who'd have thunk it???




Well, they say a picture tells a story better than a thousand words so I just had to pinch this from Rowan. She managed to express pretty much what every Surrey fan was thinking at the end of the first game against Sussex at the Oval. When was the last time Surrey led division one?!? Okay, okay...so what if it is only the first game! Start as you mean to go on!

You do go in to every new season riding on wave of optimism, of hope...perhaps tempered a little by realism. Last season Surrey snuck back in to division one by the skin of their teeth with a last minute flurry of four consecutive wins and the opposition faltering at the hindmost end. But don’t let that blind you to the fact that Surrey deserved to go back up, even if clinging to the skirts of Middlesex isn’t a very glamorous way to do it!

Division one is a different kettle of chips (see what I did there?) and I know a fair few people who reckon Surrey are pretty much nailed on to sink back down into the murky pool of division two. But there’s just something about the look of the team on paper that inspires a little hope. You’ve got experience with the likes of De Bruyn (class), Rudolph (brilliant on his day) and Ramps (who I am praying passes the number of FC centuries as Bradman before he’s done). You’ve got the skipper who as a player is very much a work in progress – but has proved himself as a captain. And that bowling unit doesn’t half make you shake your head in wonderment: Linley (the most underrated bowler in the country?), Dernbach, Meaker, Lewis, Tremlett, Batty, Jordan...goodness, it’s enough to turn a person from a fan into a stats geek!

Sussex weren’t at their best when Surrey went up against them at the Oval but of the two teams Surrey appeared more determined. Or had, to borrow a quote from England’s bard “a lean and hungry look”. Amazing what so long in the wilderness can do to sharpen the mind.

I’m not really going to go into long, rambling match reports anymore because you only see the words, regurgitating second hand observations on a page. And my biased waffling probably isn’t what everyone wants to read anyway! What I will say however is go on Twitter and see a very clever man about a link or two, as the rather incredible @CowCornerCrikey has started up his internet recording sessions once again. It may sound a bit grand to call it a public service but that’s pretty much what it amounts to. Hats off to him because it’s quite a large undertaking to record all the games (not just the Surrey ones) from around the counties. In a way by making these commentaries available to listen to again, it’s almost like a little historic archive of what occurred, available to download.

A mention also for Luke Wells of Sussex, who celebrated a century towards the end of the game, and whose doughty resistance made things seem momentarily tricky for Surrey. Looks like he could be more than a bit useful!

Middlesex are next up. Always tricky; always up for beating their arch-rivals. Surrey go in to the match with a win, and a little bit of confidence about them. Middlesex will face them having been beaten by Somerset but will be itching to put things right.

Bet it ends in a draw!