A welcome in the valleys

The story so far:

It’s day two, at the Swalec in beautiful Wales. Surrey are playing Glamorgan.

No, I mean it. They are! Genuinely! Last year I made a comment that it seemed Surrey were always playing Glamorgan for some weird reason. Some problem with an unravelling causal-nexus, no doubt, or some freaky wormhole in time. But I wasn’t the only one who had remarked upon the fact that no matter how many different teams there were in division two, it always seemed to be Glamorgan that was playing against their team!

Alas, Mr Cosgrove (he of the stout heart and even larger waistline) no longer seems to play the longer form of the game for Glamorgan, but don’t let that fool you into thinking there are no batsmen in their ranks. For that matter, I’m sure the idea of facing a Ramps-less Surrey must have allowed the Welsh side to really fancy their chances of stealing a march against Surrey, given the fact that a fair few previous encounters have ended in stalemate.

So, what do a maestro-less side do when the going gets tough? Answer: find someone prepared to stick around long enough to play the same brilliant type of innings!
Today Surrey found three people who did just that. Firstly, big props to Schofield who fell agonisingly short of a well-deserved hundred, run-out on 99! That is just plain cruel. Equally big kudos to de Bruyn who, ever since we started calling him Reg, has flourished beyond all expectations from the wonderful batsman we knew him to be, to a mega-batsman of Rampresque stature. You can’t really get a better compliment than that, so I won’t go on about it save to congratulate him on his 172.

But the star of the day was Tom Maynard, back facing the club from whence he had come to not a few unsporting boos and jeers from the Glamorgan supporters. The best riposte therefore that Maynard could have given came in the form of his fantastic 123...a well crafted innings that saw him delightedly punch the air when the big moment arrived. Whether he really deep down wanted to turn to the crowd, waggle his fingers in his ears and shout “na na na naa naah!” we will never know, as he was too much of a gentleman to respond in such a way.

I would have!

Imagine. A side boasting a middle order of a fully fit Ramps, de Bruyn and Maynard – and with Davies, Brown and Hamilton-Brown on their A game – would be nigh on impossible to face down! At last Surrey seem to have the men to support Mr Ramprakash, and hopefully that will allow him at long last to feel the burden of expectation being lifted from his shoulders. Although no doubt playing his own game whilst the likes of de Bruyn play theirs may result in some very silly and massive scores! If all elements of the puzzle slot into place this is potentially a very serious Surrey side.

And let’s say a word for the bowlers, because having declared on 575-7, the Surrey team manfully stuck to their task, with three wickets for Meaker and one for Batty. Glamorgan closed on 95-4, and will have to be mighty careful tomorrow not to lose any quick wickets or else they could find themselves facing the ignominy of being stuck in again...

The only slightly worrying side note was the absence of Dernbach, having bowled a few overs and then being taken off, either as a precaution or for ongoing physio. Fingers crossed it’s not too bad.

So, from a Surrey point of view this has gone rather nicely at the end of play. Moment of the day however came from the magnificent Mark Church with the following piquant observation:

"Batty's pulled."

Pause.

"Hamilton Brown to one side..."

That would have been fast work indeed from Gareth Batty whilst still on the field of play!

London bound

Okay. So maybe he is the messiah...

On a serious note, well done to KP for his century yesterday. And also well done to Jason Roy for his contribution. Having KP to bat with appears to have helped him build his innings yesterday. That said, my favourite moment was the first team debut of Ansari, who took a wicket with his first ever ball! He must have been well chuffed! Sad to see James Kirtley for the Sharks hanging up his boots, especially with the likes of Robin Martin-Jenkins retiring earlier in the year. The pair of them will be missed in county cricket.

And Churchy must be psychic. He said the game had the makings of a draw, and a draw with Sussex it was!

I won’t be posting on the Glamorgan game; at least not as it happens. I have taken a notebook with me just in case I want to jot anything down that happens, and write it up when I return home the following Monday. Can’t say I’m looking forward to tomorrow as travelling leaves me a nervous wreck for reasons previously explained, but I have Tricia to see me safe this time and I can’t thank her enough as she has gone out of her way to help.

So, off to London tomorrow. I’m looking forward to seeing our three favourite Marks: Ramprakash, Cosgrove and Church! Because of the tube strike on Tuesday, and the forecast of heavy rain that day, it may be that those of us who are coming to London decide to skip day one and search for a nice cake for Churchy and Johnny Barran instead. I think we may be playing this by ear. This has been a really peculiar year for many of the Rampants and sadly there have been a lot of other concerns in our lives that has to an extent put paid to following the cricket, or even attending. I also think my organisation probably screwed things up a tad. Note to everyone: don’t let me arrange anything! I can barely get out of bed in the morning some days let alone anything more complicated!

Anyway, all packed (I think). The cat is very suspicious and he knows the suitcase means I’m going away. He tends to miss me on the rare occasions I leave the house and will probably shed his hair through stress (probably all over my bed)...

Until the next time, then!

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!

Thar be Dragons!

If someone makes a score of over 60 in a T20 game and still ends up on the losing side, you know the other side has played an absolute blinder.

Unfortunately that was the case today for Surrey in their game against the Glamorgan Dragons at the Oval this afternoon. Certainly the blistering start from openers Lancefield and Ramprakash (it still feels funny writing that!) promised an enormous target in the 200 plus region, which would have put the game right out of Glamorgan’s reach. In fact, 68 runs were on the board before Lancefield departed! Lancefield looks like a very good option in the shorter form of the game, and might be an option for any 40 over games if stuck.

I think we’re missing Davies a little here, to be honest. Not so much as a keeper, as Wilson was tidy enough, but certainly as a hard-hitting top order batsman. Imagine if he could have slotted in at four, although if he had been available I suppose there’s a good chance Lancefield might not have got the opportunity he did.

I guess another key moment was the dismissal of Jason Roy. We all know how destructive he is, and if he had stayed in with Ramps he could have juiced up the middle period of the game. As it was, when he was dismissed for 9 the Surrey innings continued reasonably enough, but the boundaries dried up a touch. The slower Glamorgan bowlers were much more difficult to get away, by the sound of things. Symonds also got out cheaply for 4, and the skipper fell for 18, leaving Stewart Walters to come in and see the Surrey innings out with a fine 31 to his credit at the end.

I think one of the problems for Surrey was the fact nobody was able to create a dominant partnership with Mr Ramprakash, who finished a marvellous 63 not out, in the way that the Glamorgan duo Maynard and Dalrymple did (with each other, not with Mr Ramprakash). It was a tricky situation for Ramps, as he had to make sure he was there at the end and not take the risks he had at the start of the innings once the Surrey firepower had been doused.

At one point it looked as if Surrey would struggle to get 150, but in the end they managed a healthy and competitive 168-4. Not brilliant, nor was it woeful either. The question on everyone’s lips: was it enough?

And the answer to that is: yes, if you win. No, if you don’t.

Frankly, you could score an unlikely 230 and feel reasonably comfortable that it was enough. But if the opposition score an equally unlikely 231, then it’s simply not! Glamorgan’s innings appeared to be the antithesis of the Surrey one. Ramps and Lancefield (which is a brilliant surname; very ‘knights of the round table’) had attacked from the get-go whilst Cosgrove and Allenby were a tad more sedate. I do love Cosgrove, I admit it. I know I’m repeating myself, but it’s difficult not to love a sportsman who is sculpted entirely of pies and chip butties yet still manages to play so beautifully.

After the first five overs it definitely seemed to favour Surrey. Allenby went for 5, with Spriegel continuing his great form, but Wallace came in and formed a great pairing with the looming Cosgrove, who appeared to have channelled his inner Whippet. He’s a bit like my cat, is Cosgrove. He may look a bit baggy and loose at the seams, but he can move when he wants to! Although I’m not sure tempting him with a bowl of Purina will spur him on between the wickets, and his fielding is probably not as good as it might be it’s fair to say he does what he does very well. Unfortunately for Surrey, what he does well is stick around far too long!

By the time Wallace went, 44 were on the board for the Dragons which was still behind the Lions score with Surrey no doubt still fancying the win from that point. But, like a multi-headed Hydra, having smote one neck there were yet others to deal with. Enter Maynard the younger. I don’t know enough about Maynard the elder to comment but everyone says he was a little bit good. Well, daddy Maynard, your boy’s a little bit good as well! To say that his innings was crucial would win the main prize in the Sybil Fawlty School of ‘stating the bleedin’ obvious!’ And, drat him, he wouldn’t go away no matter how Surrey tried!

And in fairness they did try very hard to get rid of him, but although Cosgrove finally went for a well-rounded (pardon the pun) 19 and Rees for 6, the man they desperately needed to remove was sticking tighter than the contents of a tin of Uhu. Gradually Maynard began to up the tempo, until the required rate was almost on par, and with only three or so overs to go you could begin to see the momentum swing the Dragon’s way. Dalrymple was yorked beautifully for 28 by Tremlett reviving hope once again. I think we will have to call him ‘The Tremulator’, a cross between the ‘Terminator’ and ‘crenulator’, which is a machine used for mashing bones. It seems rather apt given the way the big man has bowled in the T20 so far.

For as long as Maynard stayed in you felt that it was Glamorgan’s game to lose, and even although Tremlett bowled an absolutely corking second last over, it just proved to be too much in the end with something like 10 required off 7 balls. It was a very exciting, tight finish to a game that swung all over the place and must have made for a good spectacle for those at the Oval.

Maynard finished the game on 78 not out, and Wright 6 not out, whilst Surrey might yet find themselves ruing losing to a team that most others in the division have beaten so far. They won’t have long to wait for the re-match: the end of the coming week sees the Dragons take on the Lions once more. But will the Lions be Kings, or will the Dragons flambé them? Will Ramps continue his fine start as Surrey T20 opener? Can we tempt Cosgrove with a raspberry Pavlova to get out early?

Tune in on Friday to find out!

Here Comes The Rain Again...

Day Four: Glamorgan v Surrey, Swalec

Firstly, I have to say a big thank you to Ceci for the artwork. Inspired by talk of a 'Superhero eleven' during the Glamorgan match we thought Chris Schofield's elastic arms made him a natural for the part of 'Inspector Gadget' (pictured above). He's even got his own DVD!

Well, there isn’t really much to say in terms of reporting today’s play, basically because there wasn’t any. As anticipated by meteorologists the heavens opened and the match ended up going full circle. Day one started with rain eating into the overs like a hungry termite, and day four ended with the umpires abandoning the match at midday. Having survived the early start to the championship with hardly a game lost to Britain’s capricious weather, virtually every one of the latest round of county matches has ended in a draw.

It must be terribly frustrating for all teams, but I guess that’s cricket! I suppose what we did have in terms of play was very good: just a pity it was somewhat curtailed, book ended by unplayable weather. Of course, what Rory Hamilton-Brown should have done coming on the back of his declaration yesterday was to take the Glamorgan captain to the banks of the river Taff and challenge him to a game of Pooh sticks, with the winning team taking all the points in the game. Or a contest to see who could hit the biggest six. Cosgrove and Ramps can bat from hell to Hackney so that might have been an exciting competition.

Talking of swinging the bat, the T20 is almost upon us again. It’s the time of year when the purists start bleating about it being not proper cricket and how T20 is a scourge of plague like proportions, slowly extending its poisonous reach all around the globe. There may be some truth in that. But, radioactive-slime green shirts apart, I’m rather looking forward to Surrey taking on all comers in the contest because I have an inkling they might go quite well in it. I have to confess that I prefer the four day format, but there’s nothing like a bit of insubstantial froth to make you appreciate the longer game all the more. And if Surrey can get a bit of momentum going in the T20 there’s no reason why that confidence cannot transfer back to the championship games.

Firstly though, there is the Leicestershire game at the Oval. I’m looking forward to that one muchly! If we could win there we’d hop over Leicestershire and get off the bottom of the table for a start! Additionally there is a small group of Rampants attending the match. The main RAGM isn’t due until September but I have no doubts that the miscreants, er, sensible ladies will be on their best behaviour!

Of course, there will be no photos taken of Sanneh star-jumping in the Wedlake Bell family stand during the lunch interval. No way, Pedro. Absolutely not.

Then again...

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Day Three, Glamorgan v Surrey, Swalec

The Good:

Mark Ramprakash passed the 34,000 run mark. When I say that, I don’t mean he got 34,000 runs today. He’s good, but unless he changes his name to Clark Kent it’s probably beyond even his superhuman powers. All the same 34,000 runs is something to be proud of, because when you think of it that’s an awful lot of shoe leather. The wonderfully named Cyril Washbrook is immediately ahead of him on the list with 34101 runs, so we’re keeping our collective Rampant fingers crossed he soon overtakes him.

Steven Davies making 83 was also pretty darned good, as was a comfy looking 73 from Ramps.

The still Good:

Chris Tremlett thundering in to claim two very early wickets this morning and finish off the Glamorgan innings with them adding something in the region of only 8 more runs. I acknowledge that if you are reading this as a Glamorgan fan you are probably less likely to see this as ‘good’. But then again, you are also probably thinking ‘I don’t care, we have a lead of 76 going in to tomorrow,’ so it evens things up a touch.

The Fairly Good:

The unexpected declaration by Surrey’s very own Captain Marvel, Rory Hamilton Brown. It was a good idea, probably based on the fact that Glamorgan might have expected an overnight declaration, that there was little point in keeping batting with the last wicket partnership on the field and with no more batting points realistically attainable, and with a chance of dismissing Cosgrove for very little. Unfortunately it gets downgraded to ‘fairly’ good because Cosgrove was still there at the end of play, as was Rees.

The Not Exactly Bad, but Not Good:

Usman Afzaal falling one short of a rather good fifty. My fault, Usman. Just as Churchy said you were one short I heard a little voice in my head say that you weren’t going to get it, and lo and behold two seconds later you were gone for 49! Must try to restrain spooky witchy stuff in future.

Yonus Khan getting his first bat for Surrey was definitely good. Falling fifth ball without scoring: unfortunate.

The Bad:

I was studying a particularly unfortunate branch of my family tree today. Five children wiped out by Scarlatina. Three of those children, including a set of twins, all died within a space of two weeks. It put me in mind of the tail end of the Surrey batting line-up as within 10 overs Afzaal, Batty, Meaker and Dernbach all perished for not very many at all.

Again, from a Surrey point of view, Harris ripping through the top order after tea was extremely unhelpful. He got rid of Davies, then Ramps with a beautiful ball (which doesn’t endear him to us because we don’t take kindly to people dismissing the King of Kennington), and then both Younus and the young pretender RHB for quackers! Obviously, if you are Harris or one of the Glamorgan team you probably are feeling a little bit better about it than the Rampants do.

The Ugly:

My mood when the aforementioned Harris got rid of Ramps just when I was settling in to listen to the commentary! You couldn’t have even waited 5 minutes, could you James???

The bigger they are, the harder they hit!

Day Two: Glamorgan v Surrey at Swalec

Odd sort of day this. It feels like day one, but of course it is day two.

One moment it looked like Glamorgan were on top. Then it swung towards Surrey. And then with the last session it went back Glamorgan’s way. From a Surrey perspective, annoying little partnerships kept sprouting up like unsightly fungus between toes. Every time you thought you’d got rid of the problem it reappeared.

Perhaps the biggest – no pun intended – threat to Surrey was Mark Cosgrove. Cosgrove’s love of the good life has already been documented, and it would be fair to say that as cricketers go these days he is a little on the large side. But am I the only one who finds this a pleasant throwback to days spent batting on the village green, scoffing down cold pies and drinking warm beer at lunch? I know cricket’s stuffed full of super fit humans who can lift up a horse box with one hand whilst doing 200 miles on an exercise bike, but c’mon! To tell someone that they are too portly to play for their national side when they have as much talent as the skinny blokes on the team is a bit naughty. Cosgrove can still move; he isn’t Mr Creosote!

And indeed, he proved as much again today by rapidly accumulating 82 runs from 107 balls, with the usual mixture of fine shots and serial killer-crazed bludgeoning, whilst fellow opener Rees went about his business in a slightly more refined manner. That both openers went whilst in the 80s was more to do with the quality bowling served up by the Surrey side rather than any horrific errors. Or bribes of a “wafer thin” after dinner mint...

Only kidding!

Meaker looks fast and frisky these days, especially now that the Sat Nav appears to be taking him in the right direction rather than telling him to take a right turn into a lake. Three wickets fell to the young man, whilst Dernbach, fresh from his incredible efforts alongside Andre Nel, dusted off the superhero costume once again and had claimed four wickets by the end of play. Looking at the relatively low scores of the day, Dalrymple for 11, Wright for 23, Maynard for 3 and Allenby for 15 you would think that Surrey would be feeling pretty good about things right now. But then look at the flip side: 58 for Wallace and 49 for Harris, and then add it in to the scores by Cosgrove and Rees, and you’re past the foot fungus stage and looking at gangrene!

I must say here that Linley also bowled very well for no reward. I think he must have run over the umpire’s dog yesterday.

All in all, a very good display of disciplined bowling and some very entertaining batting. But the highlight of the day for me was when Churchy said this about Mark Cosgrove:

“The proof’s in the pudding.”

Pigeon Point

Day One Glamorgan v Surrey, Swalec

Well, in a nutshell, it rained. A lot.

It must be very frustrating for all the cricketers, stuck inside, waiting for the precipitation to cease. What do they do? Do they sit and read papers, listen to the rain coming down at Lords via TMS? Do they go to the gym? Do they eat Welsh cakes and drink tea? Or are there marathon sessions of ‘Connect 4’ and ‘Mousetrap?’

And then of course when the rain stops you have to wait for the conditions to improve enough for the pitch to be playable. You don’t want to be running around in the field and suddenly find yourself doing the splits. I speak from experience. The last time I was in Regents Park with the Rampants I attempted the splits (don’t ask) and managed to do myself a mischief when my trainers slipped on the grass. At the risk of smutty remarks I didn’t think my legs could do scissors these days...

I was surprised we got a single over in today, but in the late afternoon both teams took to the field, with Surrey winning the toss and sticking Glamorgan in. Cosgrove survived a couple of reasonable shouts for LBW (I do love the imagery created by Mark Church via the internet commentary of Tim Linley looking ballerina-like as he appealed for the wicket). Then after scoring a total of 19 runs for no loss the heavens opened once more and everyone departed hastily off the field of play.

The forecast looks a little more optimistic for tomorrow and the day after, although I believe Tuesday is not quite as hopeful. This amount of time lost suggests another draw unless a spectacular amount of wickets fall. Nearly every match in the championship lost a sizeable amount of overs to the weather today. It will be interesting to see how this will affect the results.

Of course, weather conditions play such a large part in cricket, to the extent that non-cricket followers don’t understand why players come off after a bit of rain falls. You get the inevitable “why don’t they have grounds with a roof”? It’d have to be one heck of a roof for the Oval, I tell you! And could you imagine the ground staff having to clean the glass? You could have an extra player in the squad, dangle them from the ceiling in a harness to try and take the aerial catches! And what position would they call it?

Probably, given the amount of bird life at the Oval, it would have to be ‘Pigeon Point’.

Still celebrating!

Okay...I’ve calmed down now.

But yippee! A win in the CC! Something that hasn’t happened to Surrey since, well, last year against the very same team! Cue little dancing Ewoks playing celebratory jungle drums! Does this mean we can only win against Northants? Or, as we are all hoping and praying, will it lead to a renewed energy and confidence to take into the Glamorgan game? It will be a tough act considering that Glamorgan are at the top of Division 2, but the fact that Surrey are only a few points behind Leicestershire now, although still at the bottom, suggests that any team on a good day is capable of beating any of the others.

It really is going to come down to those little ‘moments’. The catches taken and those dropped. The boundaries successfully cut off, and decisions going your way. Surrey’s fielding, so often castigated in the past, has improved so much since the beginning of the season. It’s going to have to be tip-top at Cardiff on Saturday.

Other than the win though, which was the major achievement of the Northants game, there were some good individual performances. Nel and Dernbach’s batting extravaganza was mentioned yesterday, but this morning they both managed to inflict a lot of damage with the ball as well. Linley claimed the early scalp of Boje, and Sales (who had sadly been off the field of play with a rather nasty sounding migraine for much of the game) was run out shortly after for a duck. Hall managed 32 before Nel removed him, and he also got rid of Middlebrook for 5. Vaas hung around for a little while, putting on 17 before falling to Dernbach, and yesterday’s hero also accounted for Dagget, who made 2 runs. It left Willey not out on 18 and Northants with a total of 241 for Surrey to chase in two sessions.

The target looked fairly doable, and so it proved. Davies opened with Harinath and hit a quickfire 25 until caught by Willey. Ramps steadied the Surrey ship in his own inimitable style, quietly accumulating runs whilst Harinath made a solid 48 before being dismissed. RHB, playing in his usual positive and aggressive fashion, lived dangerously at various stages in the innings, finally removed for 45 coming down the track to smash the ball and then being stumped by O’Brien. Afzaal however played a much more studious and sedate innings and contrived with Mark Ramprakash to see the game to its conclusion – and a Surrey victory.

The South London team finally claimed a well deserved 7 wicket win over Northants, with Afzaal 33 not out and Ramps 79 not out. It’s a rich seam of form that Mr R has hit in the last few games. A double ton and a single hundred in the Middlesex game, plus a 70 and 79 not out in the Northants game. He currently sits third in the combined division batting figures with a very healthy average into the 70s, better than both the batsman ahead of him in terms of runs. I imagine the briefing of Saturday’s Glamorgan team will have ‘get Ramps early’ at the top of their agenda, followed by ‘don’t drop him, for god’s sake’ as bullet point number two. Of course, this brings my old favourite Mr Cosgrove back into the frame come Saturday. It’s the battle of the two Marks: and both are right bang in form. Who is going to come out on top?

I’m guessing the Surrey song was echoing throughout the dressing room at Wantage Road this evening. I hope they kept the lyrics clean, or poor Younis Khan, newly arrived from Pakistan, will be wondering exactly what he’s landed himself in! Yes, that’s right: the invisible batsman is no longer invisible.

Hopefully he’ll be given the chance to sing along with the team on many occasions to come!

Schofield: A man for all seasons

I have a guilty secret. My teddy bear is called ‘Cosgrove’.

The last time I had the pleasure of being at the Oval was at the back end of last year, to watch a Ramps-less Surrey take on Glamorgan. The obligatory foray into the Oval shop ensued with the result that Annabel and I purchased a Surrey teddy each. Being a fan of the newly retired club skipper, Annabel called hers ‘Butch’. I on the other hand decided to find a name that seemed a little more appropriate and found inspiration on the field of play in the formidable shape of Glamorgan’s Mark Cosgrove.

Well, there is a definite resemblance in terms of physique, you have to admit!

But there remains the inescapable truth that, for all his lack of sveltness, Cosgrove is one heck of a player on his day. And sure enough the CB40 match between Glamorgan and Surrey turned into a humdinger of a game! With Surrey having lost the toss Glamorgan opted to bat first which meant that the Lions reply would be mostly under the lights. Cosgrove scored a robust 61 before Gareth Batty bowled him, and received some strong support from the mighty T Maynard along the way. Little scores from the rest of the dragons’ team contributed to a total of 223 which, it must be said, looked a bit light and Surrey must really have fancied their chances at chasing it down.

Now, I’m not one for picking performances apart as that is a job for the analysts, who know a bit more about it than I do. Additionally, if someone such as me can spot a flaw in an individual’s innings then the chances are that person has already noticed it themselves. Suffice it to say therefore that Surrey has a bit of a problem when Ramps is out of the equation. That’s not idle hero-worship either. The captain kicked things off nicely at the top of the order before dismissed by Waters for 21. With Steven Davies still absent, his place was given to Stewart Walters who has an amazing amount of skill but somehow it just hasn’t seemed to come good for him overall. Walters was eventually given out LBW for 18.

Ramps and Afzaal, batting together as so often happens put on a nice little partnership. It’s a sort of Thaw and Waterman ‘good cop/bad cop’ double act at the crease. Afzaal unfortunately bailed out on 23 and left Ramps to keep ticking along with Spriegel for company. Mr R made a solid 40 before Owen removed him. At this point I’m pretty sure the boys back on the Surrey balcony must have been holding their heads in their hands a touch, for what had seemed like a simple run chase was beginning to resemble a slow motion wrestling match in pink custard...

But cometh the hour, cometh the man. King for a day and Rampant favourite Chris Schofield, who took to the field following what must have been one of the most embarrassing moments of Gary Wilson’s fledgling career when he ran himself out for a fourth ball duck (and with the TV cameras capturing the moment in its humiliating gruesomeness) proceeded to bed in with first Spriegel, and then Gareth Batty. The latter played a brave Butcheresque innings on one leg, having suffered from what appeared to be a particularly unpleasant bout of cramp, with Stewart Walters acting as runner. I have to admit I had my fingers crossed at this point as I think I remember Butch being ‘run-out’ when Walters was acting as runner for him on one occasion.

Hats off to Batty though, as he managed 22 before he was caught, and with he and Schofield getting their heads down it gave Surrey the advantage once again. Tremlett came in for a small but steady 6 run cameo, and with Andre Nel, playing with a finger that had been dislocated only the day before, they nudged their noses in front on the line, winning by two wickets.

There was no doubt that Schoey’s 64 not out would win him man of the match. Quite possibly it was his best innings for Surrey. Special commendation also for Batty in that heroic stand, for Nel in helping to see them over the line, and a mention for Ramps for the 40 runs he contributed when he must have been fairly exhausted following his titanic 300 plus effort in the Middlesex game. I hadn’t expected to see him play in the Glamorgan match. These county cricketers are tough lads!

Surrey currently fill second place in their group table and have won every game played so far. Things are fortunately going much better for them in the shorter format of the game than in the championship. There have been one or two well known, dare I say respected, people who have had a go at Surrey’s lack of togetherness as a unit, and that they are filled with ‘individuals’, big egos and non-team players. I can’t comment on this, as I am not part of the dressing room (I imagine letting Rampants into the dressing room would be considered unwise anyway), but then again neither are these gentlemen either. I would however like to make one tiny point in Surrey’s defence.

Look at the four players I commended in winning the game for Surrey, and tell me if being an ‘individual’ is such a bad thing!