Poetry Corner: Sun and the Rain

In Colchester there was much rain
The skipper, Maynard and De Bruyn
Could only pray that it might cease
Both teams allowed one point apiece
Their prayers in vain.

At Beckenham there was much sun
And no escape for anyone
A Surrey massacre ensued
Van Jaarsveld and Azhar Mahmood
Both had their fun.

A game is drawn, a game is lost
Whilst Church & Barran count the cost
Of sitting in the burning rays; apropos
A blistered, red and glowing nose
Their skin embossed!

Jason Roy: The Lion King

201-4.

You have to agree, that looks a lot healthier than the scores in the first two Surrey games! I'm reminded of the Pink Panther films at this point, with Inspector Dreyfuss repeatedly chanting "every day and in every way, I'm getting better and better." Of course, the character went completely round the twist, but it could nonetheless be Surrey's new motto. The team's bowling has on the whole been really good this T20, whilst the batting has been (literally) a bit hit and miss. But there are green shoots of recovery beginning to sprout in the batting department - specifically in the form of Jason Roy.

There are still some problem areas, but then I guess nobody's perfect. The skipper does only seem to have one way of playing: eyes shut and at full throttle. Sometimes it works and takes the game away from the opposition very quickly. Sometimes, like today, he gets out for 6 playing a very silly shot. Fortunately, in the last few games one of the biggest plus points is that when one opener goes for a low score the other now kicks on. In my opinion this is the real difference in the considereably larger Surrey totals of late. Of course, it helps to win the toss as well, like today!

Jason Roy threatened to show his potential last night: today he did just that. 101 not out, and only 19 years of age! Today must have been very special for him, and if you were to take away his 101, the score looks ever so slightly poor! That's not to say that there weren't contributions from others: Davies once again posted a worthy score, falling 8 short of a half century. And Symonds also contributed at exactly the right time, chipping in with 31 before being caught and bowled.

If Surrey have a tiny weak link in the batting at the moment I would hesitate to suggest it might be Younus Khan. Apart from sharing in the winning stand with Ramps a few weeks back, he hasn't really contributed consistantly with the bat. He is a classy player, no mistake, but he doesn't really seem to have clicked. I am a touch biased, but I would be tempted to bring Ramps back in the side and replace Younus with him, unless of course Mr R is carrying some kind of injury we haven't been told about.

Walters was 2 not out at the end, but Jason Roy had already taken Kent to the cleaners.

In reply Kent got off to the worst possible start. Rob Key, the pink faced cherub of county cricket, went for a duck. Then to make matters worse Geraint Jones fell for 5 shortly afterwards, and gun man Stevens made only 7. My old favourite Azhar Mahmood put on a bit of a charge, finding the boundary regularly before chancing his hand too many times, being caught by Schofield for 34.

Whilst Van Jaarsveld remained in there was always a chance, but poor Blake managed to get stuck on strike an awful lot and a flurry of dot balls resulted, breaking the rhythm of the Kent innings. Single handedly Van Jaarsveld kept the game alight, a mark of a great batsman if ever there was one. But finally he went for 82, and when Blake followed shortly afterwards for 14 it was pretty much game over. Tredwell contributed 6 but went in the last over, and Coles was stumped off the last ball of the game, also for 6. Northeast was the man not out on 5 at the end, but it didn't matter as the game resulted in an emphatic victory for Surrey in what was possibly their best T20 game so far in the contest.

Symonds picked up a fivefer in the bowling stakes, but the day belonged fully to Jason Roy: first Surrey batsman to make a T20 hundred! I hope we see lots more of him in the T20. Something tells me we will! Although I'm worried this means Ramps is going to be totally sidelined from the team, which would sadden me greatly.

Surrey's sixtacular win!

Today’s T20 game against the Kent Spitfires achieved three things. Firstly, it was Surrey’s first back-to-back win in the contest for a few years. Secondly, they finally managed to win a game at the Oval! And thirdly it propels Surrey into position three in the Southern table, just behind Middlesex on run-rate. How long it will stay that way, who knows? But I say let’s enjoy it whilst we can. Perhaps we can continue our recent change in fortunes and sneak an unlikely win against Sussex on Sunday!

The game was really a tale of three Misters: two being Duckworth & Lewis and the other being Mr Symonds, who peppered the stands with so many sixes I feared for the watching spectator's pints. It’s been a while coming but the Australian six machine suddenly sprang into life to bring some much needed verve and dash to a faltering Surrey innings.

I’m going to try a little reverse psychology here. All along I’ve been saying how wonderful and potentially destructive I thought the opening partnership of RHB and Davies would be, but overall they’ve been disappointing when running in double harness, so to speak. So, in an effort to take the pressure off them, I’d just like to tell them how rubbish they are. I don’t actually mean it, but I’m saying it anyway. You’re both garbage and I have no expectations of you whatsoever. There; now I’ve said it you can go and rake up lots of runs!

They both managed a splendid 3 runs each today. Just goes to show that good players have bad days...it’s just that they can’t afford to have them at the same time! Ramps came in, got 10, and was then caught by Key off the bowling of Stevens. To make matters worse Younus Khan only scored one more than Mr Ramprakash. An all too familiar collapse looked on the cards and no doubt Chris Adams was looking for something heavy and brick shaped to repeatedly hit his head off. But, just as in the Somerset game, a rather handy partnership formed at just the right time, with Stewie Walters and a bull-like Andrew Symonds running amok, launching fours and sixes all over the place, to the extent that even when Walters managed to get out late on in the innings it was almost a formality that Surrey would reach 150 (something they did off the last ball).

In the end Symonds was out for a resplendent 62, bowled by former Surrey favourite (well, at least he was one of my favourites!) Azhar Mahmood. Schoey was run out for 1, whilst Batty was 10 not out at the end and Andre Nel finished with a perfectly formed 0.

The weather had been fairly ominous, with little slips and slides from time to time. You will recall a few games back that Ramps had managed to get run-out when slipping trying to get back to the crease. Something a little more comical happened when Kent’s Rob Key managed to end up on his bottom in the middle of the wicket, run out for just 2! Nevermind, Rob! It happens to the best of them! When Surrey got rid of the hugely dangerous Van Jaarsveld for 10 they must really have been feeling things were going their way at long last. Northeast likewise made 10 before being dispatched by Linley, deputising for the injured Dernbach. Geraint Jones made 12 until being caught and bowled by Symonds, and then it was a case of Blake’s 3, caught by Davies off Nel.

The seemingly unstickable, brilliant Darren Stevens however began to form a rather enviable partnership with Azhar Mahmood, no mug with a bat himself, and had the weather not suddenly taken a turn for the worse the game may well have been too close to call. Fortunately, Duckworth Lewis came down Surrey side, with the Oval crowd finally given a reason not to boo their team (they were probably all too wet at the time to muster up a discontented squawk). Being ahead on run-rate at that point and with no realistic chance of continuing the game, Surrey and Kent shook hands before seven o’clock with a much deserved win for the home contingent.

Oh, totally random recollection. My primary school nurse was called Mrs Duckworth. You used to go to her if you felt ill, and she’d just smile, pat you on the head and say “that’s a shame, dear. But I can’t help you, so why don’t you go back to your classroom?” Today it was Kent being awarded the commiseration of a pat on the head.

For Surrey, it must be satisfying to string a couple of wins together, even if it was D/L assisted. The crowd were able to go away happy at least in the magnificent display by Symonds, clearly having re-discovered his mojo. Quite a display, and along with Walters the pair rode to the rescue, Lone Ranger style. Not saying which is Silver. Not giving Ceci ideas with the old Photoshop either!

Kudos also to Churchy, Arrun ‘the Baron’ Harinath and Michael Brown for their work in keeping the commentary going when the heavens opened! Wasn’t Michael Brown a character in the Paddington bear stories? Maybe he should be requesting marmalade sandwiches instead of sponge cakes! Michael, I’m a dab hand at the old jam sponge even if I say so myself but as I live hundreds of miles away I don’t think anything I made would get to you 1) on time and 2) in a state fit for human consumption.

However, seeing as you were so desperate for a sponge cake, you can have the one in the picture! Enjoy!