Up from the ashes grow the roses of success...

I think that particular number from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang should really be Surrey's theme song this year!


Poor old Somerset. Dragged to the sacred altar of success and then unceremoniously and publicly jilted at the very last moment. You could say they’ve had the devil’s own luck in the last few years, given the amount of finals they’ve reached to the ratio of finals they’ve won (which is, er, zero) but I’m not so sure luck had anything to do with Surrey’s victory over them yesterday. From the reports I’ve been given, it seems as if a long and exhausting campaign had taken its toll on the Cidermen. No doubt tired and a bit wary given their habit of coming unstuck at the final hurdle, Somerset sounded as if they were disadvantaged going in to the Lords game simply by carrying that burden of recent history on their shoulders.

Surrey, on the other hand, were sharp and generally speaking fielded well (don’t mention Schoey to the Somerset supporters though). When it came to batting they were almost too much on their toes! Zander de Bruyn in particular reminded me of my first cat whenever a particularly vindictive flea decided to sink its mouthparts into his hide, given his uncharacteristic skittishness! Just goes to show that even wise old heads can sometimes give way to the big occasion!

I guess whilst I’m praising Surrey for their win, I should also praise Somerset for getting to the final. I hope that doesn’t sound patronising because it isn’t meant to be. Whilst their supporters will be raising their eyes heavenwards and wondering what the heck they have to do to bring home the silverware once again, just to reach so many different finals shows a tremendous amount of depth in skill, not to mention consistency. I guess that isn’t much of a consolation to Marcus Trescothick, who valiantly batted despite an ongoing injury ankle. Somerset may have, with the exception of young Buttler, appeared lacklustre and fatigued but it sounds to me as if they were simply turned over by a better side on the day, motivated and buoyed by their recent winning streak.

Praise also has to go to the skipper. I said last year he was a fast learner and that is exactly what he is. He’s shown a great deal of maturity in the way he has marshalled his troops and he will go on learning. This may be the start of something great. His own knock of 70 plus showed how it should be done, and only the aforementioned J Buttler bettered it. Talking of Buttler, you can’t help admire his wonderful attempt to get Somerset over the line. It was a gallant and gutsy knock, and one that will have got him noticed by many. A one day career for England may be round the corner.

Jade Dernbach got man of the match. I think this wasn’t just for his fantastic spell of death bowling but also because the night before he’d been playing in the final England v India one day international match under the floodlights, and therefore had crawled away from the Swalec at some ungodly time and most likely arrived in London in the wee small hours of the morning. Most normal folks would have been stumbling about the place like an extra from Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ but credit to Jade, the man who removed the ‘tat’ from ‘tattoo’ and made looking like a walking doodle extremely cool. It’s been rather a good year for Dernbach, when all’s said and done.

And it’s been a rather good year for Surrey, too! Promoted, a bit of silverware in the trophy cabinet, an exciting future; at the moment things are looking rosy for the club. All positive thoughts to take into the 2012 season.

Question is, what the heck do I do until April?!?

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!

Victory, and no legwarmers in sight!

You’ve got to hand it to Surrey. They are possibly the most bi-polar cricket team in the first class game.

One game they are embarrassingly poor. Beaten out of sight. Dispirited. Cowed. You get the idea. Insert negative adjective of choice.

Other times, such as the game against Leicestershire, Surrey look like they could quite comfortably take on – and beat – any team in division two, and possibly a good few from division one. Yes, as you can take it from that pre-emptive waffle, Surrey did win their game against Leicestershire. Now, you can see it as a determined, desperate effort to keep in the hunt for promotion or alternatively you can see it as a bigger club routinely bashing over the worst team in both divisions – one that seems in desperate need of championship CPU. “Nurse! The screens!”

A special mention must go to both Steven Davies and Tim Linley for their respective performances last week in a game that Surrey managed to polish off in three days. Whilst none of the batsmen have been consistently brilliant this year, although de Bruyn probably comes closest to fitting that tag, Davies in particular appeared to be struggling to make any real contributions with the bat. This time he made an eye-catching hundred and helped to pile on the runs in Surrey’s first innings. Linley continues to impress with the ball, this time taking nine wickets in the game. If he stays injury free he has got to be Surrey’s player of the year. In the second innings, a quick-fire 70 plus from the skipper allowed Surrey to make short work of chasing down the combined Leicestershire totals.

Credit where it is due, because after what can only have been an agonising amount of post-drubbing naval gazing, Chris Adams commanded his team to show some fight, and lo – as if the almighty had spoken - so it came to pass. And in not inconsiderable style!

It’s like watching a rather protracted game of ‘Pong’. Back and forward, back and forward...lose...win...lose...win...

Of course, thinking along these lines we should be in for a thrashing by title leaders Northants tomorrow. It’s make or break time, and no mistake! A loss will almost certainly put us out of contention in the promotion challenge and seal the deal for the current runaway leaders. A draw wouldn’t exactly help us, although ironically it would do the world of good to Middlesex in second spot! But if Surrey manage to show the same guts they did against an admittedly inferior side last week, and if all the batsmen and all the bowlers come to the party on the same day, who’s to say what the result might be?

Keep the faith! Remember boys, right here’s where you start paying in sweat!

Oh, no. Sorry. That was ‘Fame’, wasn’t it?

Another day...

Another draw.

That isn’t me having a moan or a bitching session, by the way. I’m very much of a ‘que sera’ mindset when it comes to results, although I do believe that positive thinking can do the power of good. Given the way that Surrey got brutalised by the amazing first innings display of Alviro Petersen (210), ably supported by Powell (who went for an unfortunate 99), it said something that they were able to make as good a fist of the last day as they did.

If you were to take the scores of Petersen and Powell out of the reckoning the Glamorgan innings looks slightly less impressive, with only Rees (25), Bragg (28) and Jones (17) making it to double figures. In fact Petersen assumed an almost Ramprakashesque status in terms of the importance of his innings in the context of the game. Surrey in reply managed only 284 to Glamorgan’s 419. Davies top-scored with 77 and Ramps next with 67. Maynard chipped in with 42, but likewise the rest of the team fell for not many runs, just avoiding the follow-on target although putting Glamorgan in a mighty fine position.

Day three was greatly spoiled by the first bad weather that Surrey had encountered this season, the afternoon session all but washed-out. This meant that day four was almost certainly going to result in a draw, and whilst the excitement of a potential nail-biting finish had been removed it didn’t stop Glamorgan from putting together a second innings total of 259, with Rees scoring 126 and Powell again in the runs with 67 not out. Perhaps Glamorgan had left the declaration too late to achieve a positive outcome, but given the way that Surrey began their reply (with Jason Roy and Hamilton Brown cutting into the target without even breaking sweat) it maybe wasn’t so foolish at first glance.

After Hamilton-Brown had fallen for 68 shortly after tea the almost gettable rate of 8 off an over rose to plus 10, and Surrey began to play for the declaration which came shortly before 5.00pm. Ramps finished 15 not out whilst Roy was 106 not out when the handshakes were in evidence.

A word about Jason Roy. This must surely have been a wonderful day for him, even if it was ultimately a game that tailed off into the draw everyone had expected. Not only did he get his maiden first class wicket but he finished the day off with his maiden first class century! To see Roy, surely a potential star for Surrey, at one end of the crease and Ramps at the other, a man who has just about achieved all that can be achieved in the county game, felt almost symbolic. Even if the results haven’t quite gone Surrey’s way this blend of experience and youth looks exactly what the team have been crying out for over the last few years.

The good points of the game, other than the splendid efforts of Petersen, Powell and Jason Roy, was that Mr Ramprakash passed the 35,000 runs landmark. Given the comparatively few county championship games that are played compared to even a few decades ago, this is an eye wateringly fine achievement. In the process of making the 67 first innings runs Ramps also overtook a certain D B Close in the first class run scoring list, moving to 39th of all-time. As the wonderful Churchy would say, “Splendid!”

The not so good news is that Steven Davies appears to have sprained his ankle. I’m not a doctor but I am qualified when it comes to sprained ankles. I still remember the absolute belter of a sprain I picked up in high school, which resulted in the ankle turning black for weeks. People I had never set eyes on before from other form classes approached me to show my ankle to them! It was my one moment of school notoriety! Anyhow, I don’t know how bad Davies’ sprain is but if it’s a bad one then don’t expect him to keep wicket in the Derbyshire game. Hopping behind the stumps really is going to be rather distracting for the bowler...

Good game, good game!

As Bruce Forsyth might say.

Yes, it ended in a draw that did no favours to either Essex or Surrey in their race to propel themselves up the Division 2 table. I know that a lot of people were predicting a draw at Whitgift even before the game had even started; such was the reputation the ground has as a batsman’s paradise. But even so, it was a contest that had much to be recommended.

You had Napier smashing sixes galore, equalling world records in the process.

You had Cook showing everyone what a classy bat he is, and how much he’s matured over the years into a really smart cricketer.

You had KP trying – and succeeding – to regain his form with some hard graft.

You had RHB making a very smart hundred.

You had a run-chase that, until an hour after lunch on the final day, really looked as if Surrey might be able to go on the attack and sneak a second championship win on the bounce.

It was a gallant effort from Surrey, and fair play to Essex for some very entertaining cricket – especially the stout-hearted defence from the lower order: something that yet again proved to be the Surrey side’s undoing. Unfortunately with Meaker off the field of play and Dernbach not available for the game (he was away getting fivefers for the England Lions) their chief tail-end busters were out of the equation.

Should I mention the shocking amount of extras Surrey managed to garner over the four days? I probably shouldn’t...I know what the sight of a blossoming extras column does to poor Bev! The total may well have been a lot more appealing to chase but for the ghastly 66 in the two Surrey efforts with the ball. Take that away from the 366 or so that they were required to get for a win, and although still unlikely with so little time left in the game they may well have swung the bat a bit more towards the end.

Still, the nice atmosphere of a resplendent Whitgift was expertly delivered by Churchy, Johnny Barran and their Essex counterparts. It does sound like the sort of ground you would really want to make an effort to visit if you were in a position to do so. Maybe one day...

And of course, there was one surprise I hadn’t banked on. When Mr Ramprakash got out for a 12 ball duck, I didn’t hear a peep out of my dad. Not one snort of derision. No teasing. A miracle, in short.

Well, they did say the world was about to end...

Baby, it's cold outside!

Scotland v Surrey: CB40 at the Grange

And, as expected, Surrey made it four out of four in their CB40 campaign. A trip to the Grange – a very cold trip, I might add – resulted in the anticipated victory over the Scottish Saltires on Sunday. This was a game I was lucky enough to attend in part.

I say in part because I took the decision to leg it homeward with 8 overs remaining. In better weather I might have stayed to the end, and whilst I was aware that neither team nor indeed poor Churchy were in a position to likewise escape from the cold, I decided that when I could no longer feel my nose the time was probably right to call it a day. Blue nose, black hair and red hat: they were about the only colourful things on an otherwise bleak, grey Edinburgh day.

Now, I love Edinburgh. When the sun is shining, or when it’s snowing, there is nowhere more beautiful or picturesque. However, on a horrible overcast day (something we do get more than our fair share of) it frankly makes you want to curl up under a duvet and hide. I certainly wish I’d brought a duvet with me! I got there in plenty of time, chose a likely spot near the boundary boards, then settled in for the start of the game. I have to say that Chris Adams gets bonus points for donning shorts in what was definitely not a day for the faint hearted. I did consider getting a pic or two, but then thought it possibly wasn’t terribly sporting or indeed ladylike to be taking sneaky pics of the Surrey manager’s legs. Not that I do that kind of thing usually, you understand.

Honest.

Anyhow, neither Ramps nor KP were playing. The former didn’t surprise me but I have to say the latter did somewhat...I’m not sure why but I had kind of expected him to be there. It didn’t bother me especially: it was specifically de Bruyn and Spriegel I had come to see in the absence of the maestro. I was richly rewarded with the opportunity to take lots of photos...worryingly it appears I took 414 with my recently revived camera (the one that KP didn’t kill last year). I wasn’t aware I’d taken even half that amount! Spriegel of course takes top honours with his gallant 80+, and subsequently his long stay at the crease meant that most of my 414 photos appear to be of him. I would like to take this opportunity to assure Matthew that I am not a crazed stalker: I’m merely an amateur photographer who sometimes forgets to put the lens cap back on!

I was pretty sure at one point I spotted Churchy on the roof. He must have been mighty nithered by the cold, even if he had the best view in the city! I can’t remember much about the game itself. This doesn’t mean it was boring: it means that the cold had permeated my brain to the extent that I was debating leaving the Grange 5 overs into the Scotland innings. I was receiving texts from my trusty band of fellow Rampants: something along the lines of:

ME: I spy RHB!

ANSWER: Is he looking good?

ME: I dunno...he didn’t stick around long enough for me to find out!

And so on and so forth.

The other nagging worry which stopped me from relaxing and enjoying myself as much as I would have liked was the fact my PC monitor had chosen that morning to blow up. Being disconnected from the internet these days is a bit like going cold turkey. It did not make for a relaxed Miah! No Facebook! No Twitter! I’d have to go back to drawing, embroidering, reading books and being intellectual like wot I used to be before I got a computer! The horror! Well, it made my mind up: I am definitely getting a smart phone so I can listen to the cricket at work.

Much as I enjoyed freezing my bahookie off whilst watching Surrey thrashing my home team, a feat which is a bit like watching Godzilla take on Mole from ‘Wind in the Willows’, the day was somewhat spoiled by the fact I was surrounded by people who didn’t seem to have a clue what was going on (or at least liked to give the impression they did). First of all, a man who decided to come in and sleep with his paper on his knee. How can you sleep with gale-force winds blowing all the empty seats around you? And when he went it was to be replaced by a young lady and gentleman, the former who had decided that Ramps no longer played at all for Surrey because “he was too old”.

I bit my tongue.

The worst was the gentleman who scarce stopped talking to his friend for four hours, and who was complaining bitterly about the amount of South African born people in the Surrey squad. He was most disappointed to look at his program and find out that Spriegel was born in England! He also had the temerity to chastise the female announcer who had about three different attempts at saying de Bruyn’s name without being able to decide which the correct pronunciation was. Of course, Mr Know-it-all decided that his version was correct. At which point I was rather rude and cut in to the conversation and told him exactly how to pronounce it! I’m not usually that ill mannered, but I was rather fed up at this point and I figured that as he was sharing his conversation with everyone in a twenty foot radius that it wouldn’t matter if I did likewise!

By the end of the day I learned that his brother-in-law’s wife makes excellent crisps, he doesn’t like cats or small dogs and he doesn’t play as much tennis as he used to. Frankly, I’m surprised his wife didn’t take one of his tennis rackets and smash it over his head! He left to get something to eat at lunchtime whilst Spriegs was still making steady and relentless progress, convinced that Surrey wouldn’t get much over 200.

Is there ever an appropriate moment to blow raspberries from the comfort of your own blog?

Wanted for assault: have you seen this bird?

We like Leicestershire.

Surrey enjoy beating Leicestershire. They beat them in the four day game that turned out to be a three day game, and now they’ve beaten them in the CB40! With all due respect to Leicestershire they probably aren’t one of the stronger sides in division two, but a win is a win where Surrey is concerned. And now that’s four wins on the bounce since the right royal doing over that Middlesex gave them not so very long ago.

I’ve been impressed with the character and the resilience that Surrey have began to show. Not so many years ago when looking as if they were facing an impossible task the old Surrey would have tamely folded and bared their necks to whatever attack was raining down upon them. Even if the quality of the performance on Sunday was only a smidge better than workmanlike, it was gutsy and displayed a self-belief that was often absent at certain points last year.

This was best displayed in the first quarter of the game when Surrey managed to lose their first three wickets rather cheaply. Instead of flapping about like a seagull suffering Montezuma’s Revenge they elected to build the total up gradually, taking singles and consolidating their score rather than swinging the bat willy nilly. The score that they ended up with (206-8) was hardly earth shattering and slightly vulnerable to an assault from the likes of Taylor and Du Toit, but considering the dodgy start it was a more than decent effort. The skipper top-scored for the Lions with 57, whilst Maynard (55), Spriegel (28) and Schofield (26) all pitched in with handy little contributions. I couldn’t help but wonder what the watching crowd were making of it, and if perhaps they were wondering if Surrey could defend their total. If the past was anything to go by it was going to be touch and go!

Sure enough, Leicestershire stormed well into the lead and never looked like crumpling until the spin of Gareth Batty was brought into play. From that moment on the game began to hot up, with Cobb dismissed for 45 and, crucially, Taylor falling victim to some nicely measured bowling from de Bruyn for just 3! Five overs or so of Taylor would have made the difference in the game, and once again the skipper demonstrated a certain tactical cleverness in terms of when he made his bowling changes. Jones and Boyce fell for 3 and a duck respectively, and suddenly things swung back Surrey’s way.

But matters began to get a little hairy thanks to Leicestershire’s rooky wicket keeper Dixey, a man whose name keeps causing my cat all manner of confusion (his name’s Dexy). Every time my poor puddy tat is in the room and Churchy mention’s Dixey’s name, the wee hairy fella keeps staring around him in bafflement! Anyhow, keeper Dixey played an absolute blinder to score 42. Whilst he was in you felt there was a chance that Leicestershire might sneak it back! And then there was that horrible, agonising late partnership between Hoggard of all people who had somehow reinvented himself as a batsman and decided to rain fours and sixes down upon Surrey from the position of a defiantly wagging tail! I mean, honestly! Who told Hoggy he could bat?!? He’s rarely shown signs of it before in such an exuberant manner!

If there was one star in the game I would have to pick Meaker. He’s getting a really useful reputation for knocking over the tail end batsmen, which is an invaluable commodity – especially as dismissing the tail has very often been Surrey’s major weakness. When he cleared up Dixey and Leicestershire were all out for 189 I slumped exhausted back in my seat! What a hard-fought victory it had been for Surrey, and in the end well deserved.

I’m not sure how much longer Surrey are going to have Mr Meaker at their disposal, and whilst it’s a stupendous honour for both players and club I think Surrey might once again find themselves with a weakened bowling attach, with Tremlett, Dernbach and Meaker all involved at various levels of the England setup.

So, three out of three wins for Surrey in the CB40, putting them firmly at the top of their group. Even if it starts to crumble a little from here it’s already a huge step up from last year. I know he’s not necessarily popular with everyone but I think Chris Adams has to take a huge amount of credit for starting to turn Surrey’s year around. The young players who are in the squad or on the fringes of it are those who have been identified as having the right attitude, and those older members the ones with the talent and the dedication to set a good example. It makes for a very good blend indeed.

A final note has to go to the recovery of the poor pigeon that was basically subjected to a vicious assault by a crow and a magpie in front of thousands of Oval witnesses. Hero of the hour keeper Dixey stepped in to pick up the mugged and concussed creature, handing it into the tender care of Bill Gordon who took the pigeon to his hut to recuperate from its ordeal. I have to say that although it made a full recovery I was concerned for its welfare for a while.

Bill still has his cat, doesn’t he? I know mine’s partial to pigeon...

On the up

Ugh! I have a cold: one that started during the final knockings of the Surrey Leicestershire game. I could feel its germy microbes spreading through my body just as Nathan Buck’s stump decided to go its separate way from the others. But even although I am typing this with a head that feels as if it’s filled entirely with custard my good mood cannot be assuaged: Surrey won their game yesterday in very good time, and with considerable style.

From bottom of division 2 to fourth spot in one fell swoop! I can only assume that winning the two CB40 games has managed to generate a little momentum within the squad, and having the likes of Tremlett and Ramps back must have boosted the team no end. Whatever the reason, Surrey batted supremely and then backed it up with some really fine bowling as well, as they did unto Leicestershire what Middlesex did unto them the week before.

There were standout performances but this truly was a team effort, and this was the most impressive thing about the Surrey display. How many times have they unfairly been called a one-man unit? True, that man in particular played his part but today there was a real sense of coming together, and as the run tally grew so did the confidence in the side. De Bruyn was every bit the solid number 4 batsman and again scored over 60 runs, whilst Ramps fell just 9 agonising runs short of his first century of the season. Credit to him though: to score 91 in just your second innings in the campaign, having not struck a ball in anger since November is very impressive indeed. For Ramps neither the passage of time or injury has diminished his ability to score runs for his side.

Steven Davies came in with licence to swing the bat, which is precisely what he did until getting out for 37, at which point the plug was pulled by Surrey. Then began the almost impossible run chase as Leicestershire faced the unenviable task of having to carve into a sizeable lead of 423 with five sessions remaining! For Surrey there remained the possibility of rain on the fourth day, and so they set about Leicestershire: a contest that on the face of it was every bit as unequal as a Rottweiler taking on a well-chewed slipper...

Only one man put up any real fight against a revitalised Surrey, and that man was of course the diminutive James Taylor. During the course of his plucky stay at the crease he was on the receiving end of many brutal deliveries, in fact I’m surprised he’s still in one piece (or possessing all his teeth)! The others, Boyce apart with his 41 runs, all capitulated to the constant Surrey barrage: Meaker cleaning up the tail enders with ruthless efficiency claiming 4 wickets in total, Arafat taking 1, and Dernbach showing exactly why the England selectors came calling at the beginning of the year with a stupendous fivefer! It was only right that the final wicket of Taylor fell to him, and the delight at Surrey’s first victory of the season could be seen amidst the joyous celebrations within the team.

It was another good moment for skipper Rory. He seems to be learning all the time, and if Surrey can claim another victory this weekend over Leicestershire in the CB40 then perhaps the collective fortunes of the team are indeed on the up.

Fingers crossed, eh?

Hurrah! All is well at stumps!

Leicestershire v Surrey at the Oval: Day Two


Okay, so here’s the situation after two days of playing Leicestershire at the Oval in the county championship:

We’re actually doing rather nicely! Never thought you’d hear that one, did you? Admit it! When was the last time that Surrey really looked like steamrollering the opposition on day two?!?

Hmm...how to sum up two days? Well, we lost the toss and were surprisingly (well, to me at least) stuck in. I snuck a quick look at the BBC score card just to see who was batting, then resolved not to look at the score until I got home. I walked in the door to see my dad with the Ceefax score on TV, at which point I shrieked at him not to tell me anything. There then resembled a scene straight out the Likely Lads where he endeavoured to spoil the whole thing any way he could, which ended only when I walked up the stairs with him shouting “158 all out!” A total lie, I knew, but bloody irritating nonetheless!

As it transpired Surrey fell short of a third bonus batting point by a nostril hair, something that will have irked them, as they were all out for 294. With the wicket displaying a distinctly green tinge to enable the Surrey pace attack to blitz the opposition into submission the batsmen seemed to find it difficult to get in, or indeed stay in, as they might on the old, dry wickets prepared by the lovely Bill Gordon. But as it later transpired it was to be a decision of pure brilliance.

The problem of the opening spot was solved by the captain gallantly going against all usual inclinations and dropping down the order, his new batting partner the talented Jason Roy. It’s great to see Jason, or Trigger as we call him, nail down a slot in the squad even if it isn’t where he would prefer. I’ve heard people say he would be better at three, and he probably would feel more at home there, but I’m afraid he’s going to have to bide his time as that particular berth is taken at the moment! He can wait his turn. The King is still in his parlour! As Chris Adams said, his time will come when the likes of Ramps and de Bruyn finally hang up the bat, but in the meantime he has the opportunity to play his own game at the top of the order, with license to tonk the ball as he sees fit!

Alas, it didn’t work very well on day one, as Roy made a somewhat inauspicious 5 before being given out lbw to one Matthew Hoggard. Ramps seemed to play very well, which came as a great relief to all who must have been wondering how the injury might have affected his ability to run. It certainly didn’t alter his ability to hit the ball! He eventually got out to a really good piece of bowling by Nathan Buck, a talented individual who actually seems to be one of the few people who can get the maestro out repeatedly! Thirty seven may not have been up there with his best efforts, but from someone who may have been trying to get rid of the cobwebs accumulated from sitting on the sidelines it wasn’t too bad in the context of the game.

The skipper made a useful 41 (de Bruyn making one less) whilst Maynard stole the first innings with a frisky 70. Down the order Arafat contributed 44 at exactly the right time, and although the score looked considerably smaller than would have been expected the bowler friendly wicket soon turned to bite the Leicestershire batsmen in exactly the same way it had the home side.

The total achieved by Leicestershire on day two was a rather lowly 183, thanks largely to a magnificent display of fast bowling from Meaker who took four wickets, but the others all chipped in with two for Dernbach, two for Tremlett and one for Batty and Arafat. There are plenty of dangerous players in the opposing team but primarily I’m thinking of James Taylor, who appeared dwarfed next to the considerably statuesque figure of Jefferson (think Don Estelle next to Dave Prowse in his Vader heyday and you have the right idea). He is the one man in the side that needs to be nipped out quickly. Surrey will have to hope they can do so again when they next get the chance because if they don’t there’s a danger he might somehow contrive to make the game a safe draw for Leicestershire. Topple him and that becomes a less frightening reality.

Jason Roy stepped up to the plate, as he often has done when given the chance, with an eye-catching innings of 76 – equalling his highest ever first class score. I say eye-catching but it was more breathtaking, at least in terms of the short amount of time he accumulated his runs. The skipper fell for 14 this time, leaving Ramps to come in and hit his first 50 of the season. At the end of play he had managed a classy 53 not out, with de Bruyn playing counterpart with 14 not out. Fingers crossed both can really kick on tomorrow. Nobody would expect Ramps to get a century in his first game back from injury, but he does seem to have the habit of scoring big in his primary match of the season. Sooner or later he is going to break the 35,000 first class runs barrier and whilst he may not celebrate statistical milestones that is one that probably should be savoured. There are not too many people in the future are going to manage it.

So, Surrey will head off tonight much the happier of the two sides. The lead already is substantial, and at the time of writing this de Bruyn and Ramps are still there, waiting to twist the knife further. Tune into @surreycricket on the internet because an hour or so of those two at the crease and it won’t be pretty for Leicestershire...

Victories, balls and farewells

Balls.

That’s what Surrey showed today. Big, massive ones at that! In a metaphorical sense, you understand. Displaying the non-metaphorical ones in public can result in arrest. Just ask any streaker worth his salt.

I don’t know if there was something in the Rosebowl air today, or whether Surrey were high on the back of their heady win over Scotland yesterday. I don’t know if maybe Deirdre, fresh from having her ashes scattered at the Oval today decided to look down at the teams from on high and have a laugh. Whatever the truth, today’s humdinger of a match just about caused me a peptic ulcer! Something decidedly odd seemed afoot almost from the word go.

I mean, Hants are chock full of decent players. And one by one – and at regular intervals – they dropped like ninepins! I’m not one for casting aspersions on the boys abilities and certainly Surrey are a more than reasonable team, but if you’d asked me if they’d have Hants all out for 141 in 30 overs I’d have probably spat my cup of tea out at your face in disbelief! How long have the doom merchants, naysayers and long-suffering “I can remember when we were invincible” brigade been hankering after a display like that?

It did seem a little too good to be true, to be honest. I’m afraid, with all due respect to our wonderful bowlers, I had suspicions something was up with the pitch. And when Hants began their response in the same manner as Surrey had, with wickets tumbling all over the shop, I felt all the more certain that the Rosebowl was misbehaving unexpectedly. Not in a naughty “call the ECB inspectors” way, I hasten to add. It just didn’t seem to be going the way either team had anticipated. By all accounts it should have been a marvellous batting track, and yet the ball dominated the bat in an almost obscene manner.

Take the Hants innings for example. The top score made by a batsman on their team was a slightly incongruous 34 from Dawson. The next highest score was 21 from McKenzie! With other scores ranging from a first ball duck for Corky to a couple of 15s for Pothas and Howell, things were looking mighty ominous for the home side. 4 wickets fell to a rather imperious Dernbach, with two for Arafat, two for Linley and one apiece for Schofield and Spriegel. I’m pretty sure even the most faithful of Hants supporters would have considered going home at the half way break!

If they did then they would soon have been regretting missing out on one heck of an exciting game. The skipper followed up his single run in the last game with, you guessed it, a single run in this one. I said RHB would have his day – and he will – but it seemingly wasn’t meant to be today. And when Davies, with the score still on 1, followed his captain back up the steps Dominic Cork must have been scenting blood! Worse followed when the experienced de Bruyn was out for 5 with the score on a measly 24, and when Maynard was dismissed for 14 (and then Wilson next ball for a duck) it looked as if another calamitous collapse was on the cards!

Thank heavens then for Jason Roy! I have the feeling (and indeed hope fervently) I may be saying that a lot in future years. He, ably assisted by Spriegel, was the main difference between winning and losing today. Yes, it was a long and protracted journey towards that 142 total that put me slightly in mind of my new treadmill: a lot of huffing and puffing but getting nowhere fast. But riding his luck once again and staying in to make 76 before being bowled was the main factor that Surrey now finds themselves near the top – if not at the top – of their CB40 group. Schofield came in and smashed the last couple of runs required to take them over the line, and although Roy wasn’t there at the end I’m sure he will reflected well upon his performance.

Credit to Spriegel for sticking with him to the end and playing such a pivotal role. His 29 not out was the third highest score in the entire game! And much credit to RHB for his constant mixing up of the bowlers; chopping and changing so that the opposition couldn’t settle at all. He showed a great deal of nous, and certainly in the shorter game he seems very tactically aware. The changes in bowlers he made today, and the times he made those changes, seemed almost inspired.

And so, with a second win under their belts the Surrey Lions can look forward to their next championship game against Leicestershire on Wednesday. Surrey seems to have a reasonable record against them, I think. At least a certain M.R.Ramprakash does. Will he be in the squad? What position will he play if he is? I had heard some ugly rumours about him possibly opening...but that does seem like wasting your best asset. Would you drive your Rolls Royce in a cross-country rally? Openers are there to take the sting out the new ball. Exposing your best player to it straight away seems like sheer lunacy to me, although given the number of times in the past that Ramps has had to come in early with the first wicket down I suppose he may as well open...

Back to the Oval. I mentioned earlier that our very own Deirdre’s ashes scattering took place today. By all accounts it was a very moving experience, even if she did turn up late to her own ceremony! The Rampants who made it to the Oval extend their thanks to the groundsman who both met their party and allowed them on to the pitch. Final word, I think, should go to one of our founding members, Fiona, who expressed the following sentiments on the scattering of Dee’s ashes:

“Gosh it was so very moving - her little patch of grass on the Oval pitch where she will now always be... Oh, and Dee, don't think we don't realise that it was you who ordered that great big gust of wind that took you floating up all over the members area!! Good girl! And her being late was SO Elizabeth Taylor. It was a very lovely day.”

God speed, lovely Dee! xxx

Burning, drowning and daylight thievery!

Well, the game involving the Surrey 2nd team went rather nicely!

Jason Roy made a not out century for a start, and whilst I’m told he rode his luck on a few occasions he was still there at the end, so fair play to him! He’s shaping up to be the star that many people have said he’d be. And from a more Rampant perspective the even better news was that Ramps made 90! Barring any aggravated knee problems it looks as if the man himself may well be in contention for a possible start against Leics next week! If he does manage this, all I can say is ‘wow’! He must be a really quick healer given the severity of the initial injury back in November. I recollect an awful lot of people predicting he would immediately quit the game as a result. But I guess until you test yourself in a first class match, with all the pressure and exertion that goes with it, how can you make a judgement?

Today Surrey took on Scotland at the Oval in their first CB40 game of the season. I think most sane people would have predicted the Surrey win that ensued (quite comfortably in the end), but Scotland shouldn’t be completely written off. They have one or two players, especially bowlers, who can do the business when required and may well be capable of pulling off the odd shock here and there. Steven Davies yet again fell just short of a century, whilst Roy batted extremely well following on from his century yesterday for the Surrey 2nds. De Bruyn and Maynard delivered the coup de grace in super-quick time, with 7 wickets in hand. The only slight disappointment was the skipper, who holed out quite early on in proceedings; although I’m sure his day will come. As for Scotland; I think they will be a much tougher force on their home turf of the Grange in Edinburgh.

I have interesting memories of the Grange. It is, after all, my local ground: in fact it is 15 mins on the bus from my house. I pass it every day on the way to work, and it always makes me smile to remember the previous occasions I’ve been there. You see, something always happens when I do go to the Grange.

In what I believe was 2007 I went to my first game at the ground. I think it was a 40 over game against Lancashire which, given that Anderson and Flintoff were both playing, they won comfortably. It was about the only thing that was comfortable, however, as I ended up with sunstroke and – just to make my life even more interesting – a massive reaction to the sunlight which caused the skin of my right hand to swell up dramatically so that I resembled ‘The Thing’ from The Fantastic Four. I got sent home from work next day as I couldn’t type at all with it. Even the local pharmacist said she’d never seen a reaction like it before. It felt as though someone had actually microwaved my hand!

In (possibly) 2008 some of the Scottish Rampants attended the Scotland v England game at the Grange. The weather was utterly miserable! Admittedly there was little chance of sunstroke but we sat huddled together under umbrellas for a large portion of the game, until it got so bad they eventually called it off! We traipsed up town in search of a suitable pub to dry off in, so I guess it wasn’t all bad...

Then in 2009 I managed to snag a couple of freebie tickets to a Scotland v Warwickshire game, again I think it was a 40 over match. My sister accompanied me, initially quite keen (the word ‘free’ might have had something to do with it). Unfortunately she has the attention span of an earwig and soon got bored. Despite the fact that I was trying out my new camera’s super-zoom (the one that broke at the Oval last year) and was happily snapping away at Mr Clarke and Mr Troughton amongst others, she decided the beer-fuelled antics of the drunken Brummies behind us were too much and we left early. The moment we left, one of the aforementioned beered-up supporters ran on to the field and stole one of the bails...

So, you see, it’s all go at the Grange! I’m really looking forward to going this year, hopefully with one or two of the Rampants as well. Fingers crossed it won’t end in burning/drowning/daylight thievery!

Climb every mountain...

Surrey v Middlesex
In a nutshell:

We weren’t very good. They were.

Having had Middlesex by the short and curlies at the very start of the game - with the much longed for wickets (three of the darlings!) of Yasir Arafat making a timely and welcome appearance - Surrey allowed the north London side to wriggle off the hook until they amassed a preposterous 445! The bowling cost Surrey very dearly in the afternoon of day one.

There was a lot of wildlife on display at Lords. A few little ducks for starters. There were also some headless chickens running about as well by the sound of it! The only people with crowing rights were the Middlesex supporters!

The skipper did his level best to drag the score into more reasonable territory but in the face of hardly any backup from his team mates – with one exception – things went so pear-shaped you’d expect to see Masterchef’s Greg Wallace attacking it with a spoon...

Maynard stood alone on the burning deck whilst everyone else either abandoned ship or tried to bail the water out using a sieve. Poor Tom, stranded on 98 not out...it may do his average the world of good, but that’s no consolation for missing out on another century.

Oh, and just to complete the feeling of wicketus collapsicus déjà vu, de Bruyn scored a princely 2 runs in two innings, Surrey having been stuck in again, although it sounds as if Finn bowled the ball of his life to dismiss him second time round. At the end of the day, I guess that's cricket for you! Last weeks heroes suddenly find themselves with the tables turned upon them.

Brilliant effort from Middlesex? Poor show from Surrey? Bit of both? You decide.

This is what I have learned from the two days thus far:

Surrey are missing Meaker.

Surrey are missing Ramps (please come back quickly)!

Surrey are attempting to send poor Chris Adams to an early grave.

Johnny Barran makes splendid unintentional double entendres live on the internet! (I bet Linley will never live down today’s comment!)

‘Climb every mountain’, sang Frauline Maria’s mother superior. Well, Surrey are staring up a huge pig of a mountain. With snow on the top. Brian Blessed’s probably there as well. And he’s eaten all the Kendal mint cake. Not to mention started an avalanche with his shouting. There’s no mountaineering equipment, and the air rescue department are unavailable due to being on holiday for the Royal Wedding.

Oh, and the mountain’s on Mars.

I don’t have an ‘eeek’ emoticon big enough!

Swings and roundabouts

Surrey v Northants day 3

I may have to cut this report a tad short. I’m informed there’s a rogue wasp loose in the house.

Whilst I’m not as phobic as my sister when it comes to the nasty, striped, pointy ended barstewards (I don’t tend to turn into gibbering, high-pitched version of Beaker from the Muppets, arms flailing like a human windmill) I can’t say they’re my favourite things in the world. And the fact there’s one hiding in a corner somewhere waiting to get me is making me distinctly nervous.

Anyway, the story so far.

You will recall that the ping-pong like nature of yesterday’s play had meant that both Surrey and Northants appeared to have periods when each side got their snouts in front. Well, the same thing happened today with perplexing regularity. I’m still confused as to where this one is heading. An awful lot is going to depend on how long de Bruyn (or Reg) sticks around in the morning and how quickly he scores. It’s going to be a tricky balancing act; take too long and the game will dwindle to a draw. Undercook it and suddenly Northants will be chasing down that target like an avenging angel...

Middlebrook proved himself utterly obdurate in the face of reasonably decent Surrey bowling; probably now earning the title of the tail ender you would least like to face at the death. It took an absolute age to shift Hall courtesy of Gareth Batty, and by then the worst of the damage had been done. The Surrey lead was whittled down, then equalled, and then surpassed with rapidity. And just when you expected the next two to capitulate, both Lucas and Daggett refused to fall on their swords! Lucas did eventually go, and then finally Middlebrook (who had reached a well deserved century en route) succumbed for 103 just a few balls before lunch.

Hats off to them for making this game an interesting one if nothing else.

The opening partnership of Brown and Wilson finally had the chance to show what they could do by way of reply, and I think it potentially could be a good one for Surrey long-term. Brown put a relatively good total on the board before perishing for 46, but at least he will take a small amount of satisfaction with the way he batted. Wilson too got into the forties before being undone by a rather wicked googly. Are you seeing a pattern here? Remember the case of thirty-itus that struck down the batsmen on day one? Well, with the exception of Davies who sadly managed only a score of 11 in the second innings, each wicket that fell went in the forties (the skipper making 41). If de Bruyn makes 45 tomorrow or thereabouts you’ll know somebody has hexed us...

So, there you have it. The old cliché about the game being ‘delicately poised’ was never more true than in this instance. Surrey still have batting to come, but if things get sticky and de Bruyn falls cheaply you’d have to fancy Northants for the win, as the total they would be chasing probably wouldn’t be nearly enough. A score of 260 or thereabouts might at least give Surrey a chance of bowling Northants out, or at the least securing a draw, but anything less and it’s probably ‘Goodnight Vienna!’

With its many twists and turns, Deirdre would have loved this game! But I can’t help but feel she’d have loved it more were it to twist in Surrey’s favour!

C'mon the Reg!

So, here we are at the start of a new County Championship, brought vividly to life via the magnificent BBC London ball-by-ball internet coverage. Its commentators - the splendid Mark Church and the suave J Barran esquire – as ever do their level best to make sure we don’t miss a single stroke or ball bowled in anger. And, when like today, the action is bathed in unseasonal warm weather you can simply close your eyes and imagine you’re at the Oval, accompanied by the sound of leather hitting willow...

Unfortunately I was stuck at work running the annual Grand National office sweepstake this morning so I missed the opening salvos. When I got home Michael Brown had long since departed (for a second ball duck, poor fellow) and lovely Gary Wilson – who I still maintain should have the word ‘chirpy’ forever prefixing his name had followed suit for 29.

Dad hailed me with a “your team’s down two players” and my natural reaction was to stare back with dramatically widened eyes, and then I remembered Ramps was still sidelined and felt slightly better. For a few moments at least.

I do feel sorry for Michael Brown. All those months of hard work, trying to get fit after a year on the sidelines through injury, and then out for zero. But there will no doubt be better times ahead. The same goes for all those who felt the sting of the hurty-thirties, with de Bruyn, Maynard and Davies (or Reg, Winegum and Dangerous, as they are known to the Rampants) all suffering early middle-order crisis with scores of 35, 31 & 32 respectively). Actually, de Bruyn picked up his moniker today when our own wonderful Marilyn tried to offer some encouragement with a resounding if accidental typo of “come on the Reg” instead of the more customary battle cry of “come on the ‘rey!” Well, with de Bruyn in and going well at the time it seemed likely that was who she was referring to!

Reg did show us what he was capable of, however, if we had forgotten what a tricky player he can be. Maynard too. He was ticking along nicely with the skipper when he got out. And probably the least said about the Davies run out the better. I still maintain that immediately after lunch a man’s mind – if not his stomach – is on his digestive tract. Two balls after resuming and Davies was walking back to the pavilion. A bit of a shame because, like the others, he had a decent start that he could have capitalised on. And it’s never nice being run out, regardless of whether it’s your fault or someone else’s. Not to mention downright embarrassing...

RHB, a man on a mission to lead by example, provided one of the genuine moments of pride for Surrey with a well-paced, finely executed 74. He has the talent but last year was never really going to be a vintage one. Taking on the captaincy at such a tender age was always going to be a struggle of biblical proportions first season. This year it appears he knows he has to be one of the Surrey mainstays in the absence of Ramps, which I think basically means ‘don’t give your wicket away with a rush of blood to the head’. There were very few signs of impetuosity, certainly: it seemed like an innings that was level headed and controlled. Well, up to the point when he was given out lbw...

And if your top order doesn’t quite do what it should, what then? Well, in the recent past, Surrey did have a tendency to roll over and die when six or seven down, but last year there were signs on a good few occasions that the tail was more than capable of putting up a fight. And lo – today in stepped the mighty St Gareth of Batty to stop the seemingly inexorable slither to a total some way short of 300, with a resounding 64 of his own. Mr Batty really is beginning to fill that priceless roll of all-rounder. Fingers crossed he can be as successful with the ball should the pitch begin to turn on day two.

So, with Surrey all out for 322 claiming their three bonus batting points, and Northants also on three bowling points, it really is all to play for tomorrow: a day which I have to devote to the Grand National, so my multitasking skills will really be put to the test. Between listening to the cricket and watching the racing from Aintree I shall be so distracted that were Clare Balding to pull on some pads and have a bat, nothing would surprise me!

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!

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!

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...

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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!

Twisting the knife

Surrey v Northamptonshire: Day one at the Brit Oval

Okay: I admit it. I did have a few concerns as to how Surrey would handle the return to championship cricket.

So many times in the past good teams in both the first and second divisions have come back to the four day game once the T20 – or ‘happy slapping’ – season is over and feverishly continued to play shots as if they were suffering from ‘St Vitus’ dance!’ With this in mind, I left for work feeling optimistic if cautious. And I’m glad to say I was a good girl. I didn’t peek at the BBC cards once during the day other than to confirm that Surrey was batting first.

My curtailed listening to the commentaries means that I have no idea of the circumstances surrounding the Surrey wickets that fell. I have no idea if they played like trees, or if they were unlucky, or indeed thought “hang on a moment, I’ll just give this a bit of a bash towards the Peter May stand and...oh, b*gger. I’m out!” So if any of the team were in T20 mode, I missed it!

One batsman was definitely not playing a round of ‘crash bang wallop’: Mark Ramprakash constructed a beautifully crafted innings (from the point where I heard it, which was around 91 not out), full of his trademark shots, making sure he was there at the other end whilst rotating the strike to let the other batsmen set about the Northants bowlers. And how RHB set about them, and no mistake! The two deadly assassins formulated their own way of neutralising the opposition: the skipper bludgeoning them cudgel-like with a barrage of fours and sixes, whilst the maestro Ramprakash preferred to slowly twist the knife into the wounded Northants beast.

It’s a flowery description, but I like it!

Let’s start at the beginning. Surrey decided to give young Lancefield a go, which I liked the idea of, and he formed one half of the opening partnership with Steven Davies. Unfortunately it appears that Davies went for 5, bringing Mr R on to the field of play pretty early in the morning. Lancefield seems to have played nicely for his 31, but when he was dispatched by the wonderfully named Chigumbura, the skipper decided to make his own mark on the game. Having survived one or two dodgy sounding moments, he and Mr R formed a two-pronged, stylistically and diametrically opposed partnership that flourished after lunch. Content to give the captain free reign, the maestro continued to do his own thing whilst RHB became almost frenzied in his approach!

In the end the skipper reached what appears to have been a breathtaking century at a run a ball, but then finally his luck ran out on 102 when Chigumbura struck again to end a powerful and frenetic innings.

This brought Afzaal to the crease, but it seems he only made 7 today. It’s just not going right for Usman at the moment.

Stewart Walters played a jaunty cameo and made 31, the same as Lancefield, with six 4s and one 6 for just 20 balls, another victim of the dreaded Chigumbura, to whom I apologise for making him sound like some kind of tropical disease. At this stage the game could have gone either way. Sure, the master was still there but with most of the batting back in the hutch it would only have taken one more wicket for Surrey to potentially kick-start one of their famous collapses.

And then young Mr Spriegel stepped up to the plate, the perfect foil for Ramps, as both men took their turn to face the strike and kept the game ticking along. Neither man seemed troubled overly, with Mr R (having hit his 1000th run earlier that morning, for the 20th time in his career and the ninth time in a row) bringing up century number 112. The cricket gods we often refer to must have decided to redress the balance for the terrible thing that happened in the last game, where they deprived poor Ramps of a nailed-on century following a faulty scoreboard tally! Today should have been his fifth century of the season; instead it was his fourth, but it was no less magnificent for all that.

Both batsmen are there at the end of the day, with Spriegel on 85 not out, hopefully set to become Surrey’s third centurion of the game, and Ramps on 137 not out. The plan would appear to be to bat long and hard – and hopefully once. They will need to rack up a few more runs yet and hope to get Peters out for a ridiculously low score when Northants wield the willow, but with these two at the crease, anything seems possible. Definitely Surrey’s day today.

Let’s hope the boys got plenty of ice at the close of play...along with maybe a celebratory diet Coke for Mr R!

Not quite buried yet...

It’s still an awfully big ask, but there’s still life in the old dog!

Or rather, life in the old Lion. Having been made to look a rather toothless moggy with our last T20 performance Surrey came roaring back against a Sussex team that never quite got into a rhythm following some fast, accurate bowling. It was definitely one of Surrey’s ‘going’ days. It can be a bit of a lottery sometimes as to what you’re going to get but today the dunce’s cap was swapped for a rather swanky mortar board hat complete with little dangly tassel thing. Chief swot was the skipper. Well done that man. Someone give him an apple!

I noticed a post on the Sussex board (for I do love a furtive read of other forums when I get the chance) that mentioned that Arundel could easily hold 3000 people but that the pre-sold tickets already amounted to 5000, and that they were predicting multiple hold-ups getting into the ground. They were of course spot on with their prediction. As Churchy muttered the word ‘chaos’ under his breath I couldn’t help but think of Lesley, our Rampant representative, who had quite cleverly decided to take her own chair with her. I do wonder if she managed to get out of the ground okay or if she’s still stuck there!

Talking of Churchy, a word of praise here – and for Mr Barran as well. It can’t be easy commentating al fresco, so to speak; especially when you’ve got microphone mishaps, barrier collapses and people sitting directly in front of you obscuring your view. Churchy was very restrained, I thought. I’m a gentle soul but I’d have been tempted to use the man’s head as a coconut shy and aim something round and heavy at the back of his unguarded cranium...

Top marks to ‘Rob the trumpeter’ as well. Loved the improvised tune that accompanied the sight of one of the umps falling over!

Sussex have an awful lot of good players. There’s just no two ways about it. There are one or two players who fall into the category of ‘not a favourite’ for various reasons. Take Matt Prior for example. Much improved over the years in the batting department, and still very much England’s number one test wicket keeper despite recent strides by Kieswetter. But the fact he, how shall we put this, has a limited grasp of the word ‘humility’ at times hasn’t endeared himself to the Rampants as a whole. So, when Mr Prior went for a magnificent fourth ball duck there wasn’t just a “thank goodness; that’s one danger man gone” feeling but more of a general “yipppppeeee!”

I think it would be more sporting to say “well bowled, Symonds” rather than enthusiastically celebrating the demise of one of the opposition. But in this case we’re fairly unrepentant!

Only three were on the board for Sussex when Prior departed. And only seven were on the board when Joyce went, bowled by Tremlett. I feared for Tremlett this year, given his past history. He seemed like the sort of bloke who would shatter if someone in the same room hit a top C, but he has been a complete triumph thus far, especially in the T20. If we do sneak through to the next round by some miracle, a lot of it will rest on CT’s very broad shoulders.

It got even better, when moments later Nash made his way to the crease, faced a ball, and then wandered his way back to his team mates, yet another Symonds victim. Things were looking rather too good to be true, especially as Goodwin was beginning to tick. I’m not bringing up the whole Goodwin saga again. But if you think the celebrations amongst the Rampants was jubilant when Prior went, that was nothing to the delighted cheers that marked the departure of Muzza for 11. Give that man Tremlett a medal, that’s what I say! Although you’d probably need a ladder to pin it on him.

It would be fair to say that the middle and lower order fared better for Sussex than their top order did, with Smith reaching 21, Gatting 16 and Arafat 12, but the wickets kept falling steadily. I did wonder if the pitch had a few tricks in it, but the Surrey bowling has generally been decent this year and so it appeared more likely that it was down to this rather than any unseen gremlins. For a while a rather handy little partnership in the guise of Keegan and Rayner got going, and the former’s last minute heroics hauled the Sussex total over a hundred and beyond. But then Andre Nel struck and removed him for 26, leaving Rayner on 25 and Beer not out on 1 at the end. The finally tally for Sussex was a rather tame 121, and it seemed that it would just take a few overs from RHB and Davies to put the whole game to bed.
Things never quite work out the way you expect them to, however.

Surrey’s reply was cautious, although rightly so considering they had no need to go hell for leather after such a small target. The skipper rode his luck when Kirtley dropped him at the start of the Surrey reply, and from that moment onwards it seemed to galvanise him into positive thought. Davies seemed a little subdued at the other end, maybe mindful of his duck in the previous game. They crawled slowly, run by run, all the way up to a solid if unspectacular 41, with the occasional boundary from RHB to enliven proceedings, until Davies fell for just 9. This brought Jason Roy to the crease who sadly, after the two monster innings he had earlier in the competition, did what Nash did and perished for a quacker.

You’d have still rather have been Surrey at this point. It was a pretty decent toss to lose in the end. Even although they were two batsmen down, giving Sussex a glimmer of hope, the runs on the board gave Walters licence to tick around for singles whilst the skipper set about his former county with consummate ease. Once the sixes and fours were unleashed the outcome was never really in any doubt, with the Sussex faithful beginning to exit the ground as soon as the Surrey hundred was reached. It was in the end a facile victory from a team who had been so roundly and deservedly thrashed in their last game.

I was pleased for Rory in particular, who finished not out on 87, with Walters not out on 24 with just under two overs to spare. Qualification still seems unlikely, but with Middlesex losing to Glamorgan and Kent beating Essex the fourth spot is still open to many of the chasing pack. Whoever gets there in the end will have earned it, that’s for certain. As for the game itself, it was one of the most enjoyable T20s I’ve listened to this year. And considering Mr Ramprakash wasn’t playing today, that’s quite a compliment!

Sooner or later, karma’s always going to get you!

I am happy to report that Kenny Kennington’s fast footwork was not required in today’s game, as the Lions absolutely thumped a rather lacklustre, er...what are they called these days? They used to be the Sabres but I’m informed they now go by the rather catchy name of ‘Somerset.’ Surely a team that boasts the likes of Trescothic and Hildreth deserves a catchy name!

The atmosphere seemed pretty charged at the Oval this evening and, judging by the way the crowd got behind the team (no doubt fuelled by yesterday’s gritty championship win), this must have spurred Surrey on into over-achieving. Having won the toss and elected to bat first, the total they posted wasn’t exactly commanding, and yet it was certainly a solid one. And then – knock me down with a paper clip – young Lancefield opened the batting with Mr Ramprakash! Ramps, opening??? It’s been a few years since that happened!

You will recall that Surrey are missing a few players at the moment. Gareth Batty has apparently broken his finger, although it didn’t stop him from screaming delightedly in the commentary box whenever Surrey were doing well (it really was brilliant commentary on tonight’s game)! Michael Brown was a little more restrained with his comments from what should be termed ‘crock’s corner’, instead settling for telling Pollard off whenever he got up to anything not really in the spirit of the game. Quite right, too!

There were one or two annoyed Rampants listening in as Pollard decided he was going to shoot his mouth off to Mr R. Nobody had evidently told Pollard that sledging never works on Ramps. I couldn’t help but chuckle at Michael Brown’s insistence that the cricketing gods had taken their revenge on Pollard during the game for all the rather foolish things he’d done. I was awaiting a Monty Python-style giant foot to come hurtling down from the sky to squash him!

Lancefield did not too badly on his T20 debut and made 16 before being caught by Suppiah, but there followed a nice little partnership between Jason Roy and Mark Ramprakash which lasted until 96 runs were on the board, with Ramps getting caught by Trescothic for 34. I was just glad Pollard didn’t catch him. Could you imagine the gloating, considering all the lip he was giving?

And not just Mr Ramprakash, for it sounded as if Jason Roy copped some backchat as well, as Pollard patrolled the pitch like a malevolent Dalek. I guess you expect it in cricket these days, and I suppose in certain circumstances sledging can be mildly amusing. It’s a rather underhand tactic though, in my opinion, and rather than simply being another weapon in a bowler’s armoury I tend to view it as unimaginative and showing a lack of faith in one’s ability to get the batsman out with deeds rather than words.

Roy was a joy – again! After Ramps went he put on a further excellent partnership with the skipper (or the stripper as I accidentally dubbed him, much to the amusement of the Rampants), Younus Khan having gone for only 2 runs previously. Surrey did look like they were teetering a touch, with the runs just about coming but gradually drying up. Fortunately Roy hit 3 sixes to get the score moving again, pushing on whenever the innings looked in danger of stagnating. RHB made 25, and Roy hit an impressive 74 before he was caught. Walters remained not out on 1 at the end, with Wilson being run-out for the same score off the last ball.

With 172 needed to win Somerset would have fancied their chances on a good batting surface like the Oval. It seemed a total that was just a smidge better than par. But if Roy had been a hero with the bat, Spriegel proved equally brilliant with the ball. The rapidity in which Somerset lost their top order was quite astonishing, and never really allowed them back into the game. Compton (1) went first to a re-energised Tremlett, hyped up after yesterdays win no doubt, and then the massive wicket of Trescothic fell to Spriegel for 4, with de Bruyn falling almost immediately afterwards to Schofield for a duck! In T20 it is so difficult to pull that kind of thing back. A brief word of praise for Mr Meaker, who took his first ever T20 wicket, made all the sweeter no doubt by whose it was! *cough* Pollard *cough*

When Tremlett got Hildreth for 10 it was Surrey’s game to lose. Young Buttler played excellently and for a time looked like he was holding things together for Somerset, but the mounties always get their man and eventually Wilson had him stumped for 29. It was pretty much game over at that point, leaving Surrey fans in the crowd to bask in what was an inevitable win.

Suppiah made 13, Phillips 5, whilst Kartik (16no) and Turner (11no) were left trying to keep an eye on the run-rate situation. With so many teams bunching in the table behind Sussex (who lost to Middlesex) these things might well determine who gets a qualifying spot and who doesn’t.

And what of Pollard, I hear you ask?

Well, he made 19 with the bat, swaggered around in the field, made lots of errors and nearly fell down the stairs as well. He played very well for Surrey, overall. Pity he didn’t do so well for Somerset!