Kent In The Mahmood...

Ah, now where were we?

I’ll come to the main event, the championship game against Kent, in a later post. Firstly, it’s time to make a comment on Surrey’s progress – or lack of it – in the T20 contest. There were three scenarios going in to that penultimate game against Kent: a victory, which would see us straight into the next round, a loss, which would mean we would have to face Sussex looking for a win, or losing both games in quick succession and making no further appearance in the competition.

I’m not a pessimist by nature. Not even when we’re talking about a Surrey team capable on paper of total greatness or in contrast a collapse bigger than a Chipperfield tent. Even so, as we faced a rejuvenated Kent team I had, to quote Han Solo, a “bad feeling” about it.

Annabel and I were lounging around in our hotel room listening to Churchy, or rather that should read trying to listen to Churchy via my new smart phone. For reasons known to itself the little beggar was not living up to its reputation of being ‘smart’. In fact it lost connection to the internet and refused to link up to anything. It was fine at the Dr Who Experience earlier that day but I think its trip into the bowels of the Tardis possibly left it stuck in the vortex for a few hours. Not what you’re wanting when you need to listen to the cricket. I was all set to ‘exterminate’ something when finally, after hours of trying, the perisher decided to spring back into intermittent action. Note it waited until I was drying my hair to do so.

So, there I was, hair dripping wet, not daring to switch on the hair dryer for fear of missing the action. We caught the last few overs of the game. Just in time to hear Surrey falling short of the target set by Kent. I can’t tell you how I sighed to hear the loss, because I absolutely knew in my heart that Surrey were not going to beat Sussex in their next game. When the likes of Mahmood take on their old team you just know there’s going to be fireworks, and with that victory a resurgent Kent had manoeuvred themselves into a very nice qualifying position. Surrey on the other hand...

I could have had money on Sussex winning. And I could have had money on Murray Goodwin being the despicable object that caused the most problems for Surrey. I have to put my hand on my heart and say that whilst Muzza is one of the best county pros around he isn’t my favourite player. Then again, I’ve not met him, so who am I to judge? Sport’s a funny old thing, though. Be it cricket, football, tennis, golf or horse racing, we all have our likes and dislikes. Most of them probably based on not very much at all.

Still, whilst admiring what he did in the game I can’t say the result made me like him any more than I already did!

So, that was it for Surrey. The end of the T20 line for 2011. In many ways it was a shame, because there were moments of brilliance from them, and yet Surrey continue to be frustratingly inconsistent in all forms of the game. You can sense the ability bubbling underneath, and yet it bursts forth so sporadically that it’s more like a muddy geyser plopping away to itself rather than a lava-filled pyroclastic flow.

It would have been good to see the team progress, but there will be other days. There’s still the CB40 and the Championship to scrap for. Let’s hope the more sedate and dignified pace of both competitions will suit Surrey better!