If at first you don't succeed...

There’s an old legendry tale in Scotland involving a spider, a fugitive King and a cave. Robert Bruce, on the run from ‘that lot south of the border’, decided to hide himself in a cave for a few months whilst the English soldiers went searching for him. Obviously bored out of his skull and stuck for something to do, he turned his attention to a tiny spider repeatedly attempting to scale the rocks. Well, I suppose there was no television in those days...

Most people would have taken off their shoe and squished the offending arachnid at that point, but good old Robert decided to learn a lesson from his eight legged companion as it tried, tried and tried again to get to the top. Eventually the wee beastie managed to reach the summit and Robert, re-inspired to show similar resolve, decided to have another go at taking on the might of the English army.

History records that Robert Bruce and his comparatively tiny Scottish army pulled off a most unlikely victory over their southern neighbours. It does not, however, say what happened to the spider.

Like Bruce at Bannockburn, victory was a must for Surrey. It was vital that an early breakthrough was made and fortunately it was; with Linley claiming the wicket of Ryan Ten Doeschate within the first two overs. If he’d stuck around the damage to Surrey’s lead could well have been considerable, but I think at that point most people, like myself, would have began counting the hours until that victory was wrapped up and planning what they were going to do with their free afternoon!

Things got a bit hairy though at times; leastwise I know my nerves were shot! I don’t often pretend to know better than the players (because that would be a rather large and obvious fib), but I did find RHB’s persistence with Jordan utterly perplexing to begin with. Poor Jordan, who had batted beautifully in both innings whilst recording personal best scores in both, had never looked like he was going to get a wicket. Not due to lack of effort or skill: he was clearly in the zone and bowling very much like the pre-injury Jordan of old. But sometimes when your luck is out there’s nothing you can do to change it. Jordan had threatened repeatedly and gone without reward. I was left shaking my head, perplexed. Surely if things don’t go your way then you have to mix the bowling up a bit, I thought bleakly as the runs began to leak once again?

And then both the skipper and Jordan got their just rewards for their patience and persistence with the wicket of Foster, the ball falling straight to the safe hands of Gareth Batty. It seemed to open the floodgates, because by the end of play Jordan had claimed four Essex scalps in total! Hats off to Rory Hamilton-Brown for sticking with Jordan, clearly of the opinion that his team mate’s luck must change. And like the spider in the cave, Jordan who tried, tried and tried again finally got that lucky break. Masters later followed, caught well by Ramps. Cue Rampant applause!

I’m a bit odd, because I take a perverse delight in being proven wrong. I find it gratifyingly humbling! I’m not sure why, but I like that my opinion can be challenged – and indeed changed. Perhaps it appeals to my slightly off the wall sense of humour. Or maybe I’m just weird, I don’t know. Whatever, serves me right for assuming I knew more about the situation than the skipper!

Napier threatened to curtail the Surrey celebrations for a good long while. All the time his tally grew bigger and faster as he whacked sixes and fours all over the ground whilst the tail end batsmen tried their hardest to stick with him. Surrey would have been confident that they could knock over the other batsmen or that Napier would eventually hole out trying an expansive shot but as his score raced to 80 in the blink of an eye the nerves must have been jangling quite a bit! Napier has previous against Surrey this year, to say the least. That 70% of the runs he has scored this year have come against the London side shows just how motivated he is against them!

Inevitably it was the turbo-charged Jordan who managed to break the stand, and Napier tried one clever shot too many and was well-held in the gully by - yet again - Mr Ramprakash. Cue lots more Rampant applause.

One ball later and it was game over. I almost think it didn’t register at first because everyone was just too busy sighing with relief at the fall of Napier to actually realise that Jordan had managed to get rid of Craddock! Ramps and Jordan seemed to have formed an irresistible partnership on the field as, for the third time that day, the former took the catch (an absolute blinder by all accounts). Cue even more Rampant applause. Given that Ramps hasn’t been in the best form of late with the bat even although not looking in bad nick, it was nice to see him contribute so well in the field, showing that even at 42 he can still display a spritely turn of foot!

The permutations now appear, with Middlesex drawing a rain-benighted game with Glamorgan, to indicate there are four teams in the shake-up going in to next week’s final games. Middlesex are almost there: they only require 12 points to be promoted and 13 to be confirmed champions. Lowly Leicestershire will have to pull off a Foinavon-like miracle if they want to have a say in either outcome.

Gloucestershire are a fraction behind Surrey in fourth but could conceivably gain promotion should Surrey and Northants (the latter who they are due to play) fall by the wayside. With everything to play for, both will throw everything they have at getting a positive result. And third-spot Surrey, having gained their first block of three consecutive wins in a row since 2007, will likewise stop at nothing to gain a positive result at the Oval against Derbyshire. They are now a mere 1 point behind Northants. Fortune tends to favour the teams with momentum.

Remember that spider in the cave, boys! You can still get there if you want it badly enough!

Here we go again!

So, here we are. The first championship game of the year is hurtling towards us like...a giant hurtling thing. I’ve been quite bursting with anticipation (not a pretty sight at the best of times) over the last few weeks for the start of the county championship, even although it feels pretty odd that Mr R won’t be fit to take to the field for some time yet. As a Surrey fan I am interested to see how the team do in his absence. As a Ramps fan it’s just a little weird...a bit like Destiny’s Child without Beyoncé.

That was a strange analogy! Anyhow, you know what I mean.

Surrey have already gone through their pre-season warm ups, and I think we have to accept that this is exactly what they are and basically not panic before the main event. It was lovely to see Michael Brown return, and equally magnificent to hear that Chris Jordan is back and bowling (not to mention taking wickets) for the team. I do think that Surrey need the maestro back as soon as possible, however, looking at the rather Ramprakash-sized gap in the middle order scores. People like Ramps – and let’s be honest, Dominic Cork, Robert Croft and Marcus Trescothick – are more than just run scorers or wicket takers. They are lucky charms and bring not only years of experience with them but have that bit of magic about them: the aura that belongs to the battle scarred veterans who cheat time, and hold the seasons at bay.

Surrey will be missing their chief lion for the first part of the season, but it needn’t all be doom and gloom. The show must go on, and fingers crossed by the time everyone is fit and firing Surrey will be winning games once again.

Best of luck, lads!

Dernbach earns England call-up!

Hurrah, basically!

The Rampants are very pleased for Jade. We feel somewhat proprietorial towards him since we first saw him wandering about the Oval car park in his skins after the previously mentioned 2007 championship game against Lancashire.

Progress has been made slowly but surely by Dernbach over the last few years; certainly I noticed a marked difference in him when I last saw him play in 2010. He seems to exude a definite sense of confidence and maturity these days...possibly the hot-headedness of youth has been tempered with time and experience, but that raw skill first displayed for Surrey at the age of 17 now appears to have developed to another level.

I still hope we’ll have the pleasure of seeing him at the Oval: with both Tremlett and Dernbach potentially on England duty the onus will be put squarely back on Chris Jordan to propel Surrey back to the upper echelons of county cricket. But whilst Woakes can perhaps feel slightly aggrieved that he wasn’t chosen this time as a replacement for the injured Shahzad, this is Jade’s chance to shine and be noticed. What an incredible moment for him, and all those who have helped him progress to this level. They must be very proud!

I’ll stop now because I’ve realised I sound like my mum on the rare occasions I do anything noteworthy. Not that I’ll ever represent my country at cricket: I couldn’t even represent Scotland at Connect 4 or Buckaroo...

Anyway, well done Mr Dernbach, sir!