You Keep Me Hanging On...

We’re still hanging in there!

As I type we’ve just beaten Middlesex in the T20 game at Lords. My goodness, that was tight in the end! Surrey set off at their customary gallop and this time managed not to lose any wickets, with Jason Roy and Steven Davies building an ominous platform in next to no time. It was a pity that both men got out when set, having just scored fifties, but credit to Middlesex for hauling things back the way that they did. At one point it looked as if Surrey would race to a tally over 200, but in the end they managed 182: still a decent target but certainly not insurmountable. The skipper made 18, which is 17 more than he would normally get if the cricket gods are angry, and de Bruyn (21) and Maynard (27) anchored the Surrey innings together at the end of the 20 overs.

Middlesex got off to a fairly awful start in reply, three wickets down in as many overs, and at that point it looked as if a Surrey win was a formality. That in the end they got to within 9 runs of the total is actually fairly shocking, but it was nonetheless an entertaining game, even if my stomach was churning at the end! Especially as my dad was standing over my shoulder listening to the commentary (I think in the vain hope that he would be able to laugh as Surrey threw it away)!

This means that Surrey are back in the hunt for the final qualification spot. There’s still a long way to go, and tomorrow they have to play the extremely impressive Hants side at the Oval. If by some miracle Surrey pulled off what would be a slightly unexpected win the group would be opened up like a can of sardines. If not...it’s going to go right down to the wire for that last place.

I may or may not be listening to the game tomorrow. I have the feeling things may be a tad hectic. I’m off to London for the Rampant Annual General Meeting, bearing more suitcases, cameras and bags than is good for one person. Oh, and a cake for Churchy.

Ideas on how to lug all this stuff on the train??? Anyone???

It's the final countdown!

So sung Bon Jovi some twenty odd years ago. I'm sure they won't object to my half-inching their song title for this blog post. And, just to try something a little different, today I am going to be blogging live and adding my thoughts as the game progresses, whilst keeping a keen-eye turned to the the Middlesex and Hants games. As two of our number aren't especially Surrey supporters - in fact not remotely - one a Middlesex fan and the other a Hants fan, it's going to make for an interesting afternoon! But, whatever happens in terms of that last qualification spot, at least somebody is going to be happy with the outcome today!

May the best teams win, and good luck to all!

But especially Surrey, Sussex and Essex... (sorry, couldn't resist)!

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Gladiators have been stuck in by the Lions. Symonds bowling first. Think we need to get Porterfield out quickly. Pitch playing slowly. 4-0 in the first over.

Middlesex 1-1 in their first over!

Tremlett gets Redmond!!! Woohoooo! 12-1 in the second over! He's a good boy, that Chris Tremlett.

Gidman looking frisky now! Both batsmen very dangerous. 22-1 at the moment. Wonderwoman has turned up in the crowd. Could do with her superpowers! Oh, and the Ghostbusters! I'm afraid I'd have to go dressed as the Stay Pufft Marshmallow Man.

Gidman swings the bat and the first 6 goes hurtling out of sight.

32-1 and Gladiators starting to motor a little. Need a wicket quick-smart.

And no sooner said than done! Gidman gone for 15! 36-2, and well done Mr Tremlett!

Nel aims at the stumps and nearly gets Franklyn. Think he's been taking my advice regarding lobbing grenades.

40-2 after the 6th over. Spriegel coming in to the attack. Come on the 'spin doctor'!

50 comes up in the 7th over. 51-2 and a good over for the Gladiators.

Shah has gone for Middlesex. They are 56-2 in the 6th over.

Porterfield is looking mighty good! Eeeeek! Surrey could do without this at the moment, but the Gladiators (I keep wanting to call them Gladioli) aren't going to lie down and die. 82-2 after 10 overs.

Middlesex 73-3.

I'm missing the trumpeter. I like the tootling to signal a change of bowler!

Yippppeeeee! Porterfield goes! 89-3, with Hamilton-Brown taking a good catch. Thank the lord!

Warner gone for Middlesex. Essex doing okay so far.

Taylor gone for 1! That's two in the last two overs. Fab-u-lous, as Craig Revel-Horwood would say. 91-4 for Surrey.

Dent bowled for 1! 97-5! Unfortunate for Dent: looks like his bat got stuck in the turf and the ball went between the bat and pad, hitting the stumps. Very good news for Surrey!

Hants have lost Jimmy Adams, this is even better for Surrey!

98-6! Snell just gone! Well done Nella!

101-6 in the 14th over. Nails are being bitten.

Good outfield cricket from Surrey. 108-6 in the 15th.

Franklyn gone for 33! Run out! Good arm from Wilson. 155-7 now.

Andre Nel does a pirouette. Rampants may start 'Gunther for Strictly' campaign.

Oops...Spriegel has a ball bobble on him and it goes for 4. Dawson going nicely now.

134-7 in the 18th over. This might be a tricky ask for Surrey after all.

143-7. Not what Surrey would have wanted. Hope RHB and Davies have their batting heads on today.

Lewis gone for 13. 144-8. Tremlett strikes again!

Kirby goes first ball, run-out by Tremlett!

147-9 posted by the Gladiators: 148 for the Lions to win. Middlesex have posted 173, which will take some catching by Essex! Time for a cup of tea!

***********

Scary biscuits time: hold on to your hats folks! Here goes with the Surrey reply.

RHB only knows one way to play...hoping it works for him today. He won't die wondering, that's for sure! 6-0 after the first over.

Hampshire looking ominous, especially given that Sussex have not done so well in their last few games. 196 for Sussex to win.

Davies nearly gone but it just snuck past Porterfield. And now hits a six to clear his mind.

20 off the second over! Surrey need Davies to stay forever, basically, and help get that run-rate down.

Ramps not playing, btw. Sad for the Rampants, but I guess it means we can listen to the game without tensing up like a coiled spring! Davies hits another 6: he's got the bit between his teeth and no mistake!

And again! 39 without loss! Sixes gallore!

Free hit...where's the skipper putting this? Swing and a miss. Oh, well! Let's not be greedy!

The 50 comes up without loss in the fourth over.

54 without loss. The skipper beginning to get his head down. And then a further boundary! So far, it's a dismantling in the powerplay. 60 without loss.

67 without loss after five overs! Wow! Uh-oh...here come the spinners. And I'm not talking about the 70s folk group. Even I would face up to them.

Good point made by Churchy and JB: Surrey have nothing to lose. All they have to do is win, and win in the best way they can. They can do nothing about the other results, and they are indeed playing without fear. It's the only way to do it.

78 without loss at the end of the powerplay is very good indeed!

'Demolition Davies' brings up a fabulous fifty with a six! Wooohooo!

Why the flip did we not play like this against the Gladiators at the Oval?!?

RHB and Davies are having a contest to see who can hit the longest six! 99-0!

Hundred up in the 8th over! 106 in fact. Davies will surely find himself in the England team opening the batting at some point. This is a really classy display! At this rate we might not get to find out if the team is missing Ramps in the middle order.

RHB winning the battle of the sixes at the moment. Rory, size isn't everything! And as I say that, he's lbw for 48. Pity he didn't reach his 50. Now, Roy or Symonds next?

Jason Roy comes on next. Will it be a good day or a bad day for him?

Answer: bad day. 112-2. Roy gone second ball. Ooops.

Symonds dropped by Snell. Hoping Symo the animal has turned up today. We could do with him in a rampaging mood!

Symonds goes for 4. 123-3...please get Davies on strike!!! Please!!!

Johnny Barran wins first prize for non-gratuitous use of the word 'humping'.

Not looking good in the other games for Surrey. Essex struggling, Sussex struggling. And now it's raining for good measure.

Only 13 runs required, and then they have to sit and twiddle their thumbs to see what happens elsewhere.

Davies gone for 73.

Wilson clubs a meaty six with his first ball. Only 6 required now. Wilson gets 4 more...

Gary Wilson smashes a total of 12 off three balls. Lions win by six wickets! Well done boys, whatever happens. 150-4! You were meteoric today!

********

So close in the end. Surrey did all they needed to do, but so did Hants. We shouldn't have to rely on other teams to do us favours, although Sussex have been rubbish in the last few games compared to how they started, so it shouldn't surprise us. So, congrats to Hants and hard luck to Surrey and Middlesex.

Now it's back to the county championship next week!

Finding the positives

I only caught little bits of tonight’s T20 game against Middlesex due to ‘technicals’ (a computer that decides to switch itself off without prompting doesn’t help matters) but I have to say under the circumstances it’s probably for the best. In short, we got thumped.

And in fairness you can’t really argue with the result because we were outplayed in nearly every respect. That we actually made it to 120 in the end came as something of surprise given the rather grisly start Surrey got off to. It was a rather unfortunate game for the Rampants, in that (due to more technicals) when the commentary cut in, Ramps was immediately run out without a score on the board. Not the best start. And when Roy went for 0 as well, it sort of set the tone for the game.

As I’m not really in a position to relay what happened in either innings, and because I prefer to be positive in adversity (following on from half an hour of superstition-led ‘mea culpas’ and banging my head off the desk), let’s just say the better team won on the day, just as Surrey were the better team against Middlesex at Lords. However, make no bones about this: our chances of qualifying for the next round of the T20 has gone from ‘possible but difficult’ to ‘oh look, there’s a whole squadron of Gloucester Old Spot flying over the OCS stand...’

On a personal and selfish level, I am a little disappointed. Not with the fact that we won’t qualify but because I do love the idea of beating Middlesex in London derby’s. Oh, well...there’s a championship game coming up in the near future. *rubs hands*

And I’m sooooooooo not reading any on-line papers for a week, or visiting Oval World or indeed the rather amusing Middlesex forum either. If I want to be depressed I’ll watch the EastEnders omnibus.

I challenged myself to find a positive after tonight’s drubbing and I’ve managed to come up with one: we got to hear Michael Brown in the commentary box again! If there was a T20 for commentary the Surrey boys would win hands down. The Rampants are rather taken with Browny. He fits in very well with Churchy.

He’s honest, loquacious and likes a slice of jam sponge.

*************

Okay, next morning and feeling a little more positive than yesterday. It's Friday, the boss isn't in, and I've made a few decisions regarding the trip to the Oval in September that were weighing on me a little. Feeling much happier than before and can only attribute last night's uncharacteristc angst and gnashing of teeth to the uncertainty of this past month. Going to just chill out and listen to the game tonight. Qualification is a virtual no-no, but as one of the Rampants said "the fat lady ain't singing yet."

She is frantically polishing her trident before she goes on stage, however!

Crash, Bang...Whimper! We've won!

Do you know what? That game was weird!!!

No crash, no bang, and only the merest hint of wallop. This was the T20 game that felt like an old fashioned Pro 40 match, albeit one with its legs cut off. The atmosphere was a little bit muted despite the fact the Pantherettes and the Lionesses were high kicking and flashing gussets with the best of them. Actually, I wondered if at any point we were going to be in for a catfight, but alas it was all rather civilised. A pity, really. I think the crowd would have paid good money just to see that!

Of course, the main reason for the somewhat stilted atmosphere was the fact that Surrey managed to trounce Middlesex at Lords, and the home crowd probably hadn’t banked upon that given both teams recent form. With Middlesex coming off the back of two straight wins, and Surrey with one win and a narrow loss in their previous encounters, form tended to suggest the Oval posse would have their work cut out. Ever since Gilchrist took over the reins Middlesex has been resurgent and it has to be said a mighty fine team to boot.

I missed the first three wickets on account of having to tackle a mountain of dishes rising up, Godzilla like, from the sink. So it was with considerable relief that I discovered Warner had gone for 15, Dexter for 14 and Gilchrist for 12! It seemed as if Surrey’s bowling was back to where it was when systematically dismantling Somerset a few games back. However, I did come back just in time to hear Malan falling for 2. There was considerable Rampant excitement at that point amongst the Surrey supporting contingent. Being a superstitious sort of person, and remembering how well it had worked previously, I thought perhaps I might try my hand at begging for some more wickets...

Scott Newman? Check! Gone for a quacker.

And then this little piece of Miah-style witchyness:

“Please Lord...can we get rid of Berg now? What chance a run-out with Shah later on?”

Followed shortly by Berg being run-out by...Shah.

Okay, I’m blowing my own vuvuzela here (at the risk of sounding vulgar!) but I’m beginning to get a reputation as a first class hexer! Not really in the spirit of the game, methinks, but to be honest most people could have seen that coming without relying on the almighty for divine intervention. Shah does have some previous where his running – or lack of – between the wickets is concerned.

Oh, and then I (or rather Gareth Batty) got Smith out for 2. I have to say my figures were very good today! Three wickets for 18 runs! Well done me!

On a more serious note the rest of the innings followed with Udal going for a duck, Murtagh for 6 and Pedro Collins managing to hang on in dogged – and exhausted – fashion for a noble 2 not out, with Shah holding the Middlesex innings together with 44. I have to say I was disappointed he didn’t run himself out. This also isn’t in the spirit of the game but I was feeling a bit bloodthirsty for a Surrey win at this point, especially one against their arch rivals!

I always think saying ‘arch rivals’ makes the opposition sound like Davros in Dr Who or some such. Some fiendish nemesis that just won’t lie down and die no matter how many times you take it on. However, unless Middlesex swap their candyfloss shirts for black leather and mobility scooters that’s probably where the Davros comparison ends. And, given the slightly tame innings from the boys in pink, with Shah turning down singles repeatedly just to keep himself on strike (the right thing to do as it turned out), mobility scooters probably were the order of the day for a squad that were simply not at their best. It seems that Gilchrist has assumed a Rampresque status, in that if you get him early the rest of the team suddenly seem to be left scratching their heads, trying to remember exactly what to do!

128 for 9 wasn’t an especially good score. Middlesex knew it, the crowd knew it and Surrey knew it was well. Yet for all that it looked a fairly easy target, Surrey’s ability to chase down scores of any description is somewhat dubious. With that in mind the two openers went at a steady pace rather than going at it all harum skarum, with the skipper looking especially as if he were setting his stall out for the evening. The opening two had perhaps less pressure on them than in previous games and looked very comfy, although Davies again managed to get out when just into the 20s.

The Gareth Batty experiment with the third position, which again sounds a little naughtier than it probably should for a plain old match report, has now stopped, thankfully. Pinch hitting is a good idea, but it helps if you hit in the first place! Normal service was resumed and Mr Ramprakash came to the crease at his former ground, which is usually good news for Surrey. I think he averages something like four hundred and twenty against Middlesex in all forms of the game?

As it happens there were no big alarms at all. RHB played a lovely, confident captain’s innings and Ramps just kept ticking merrily along at the other end, with the runs being hoovered up at a consistent pace. It became quite clear from some way out that even given Surrey’s ability to collapse, wickets weren’t going to fall in time to prevent a Surrey win. And so it proved, with RHB on a fine 73 not out and Mr R on a very good 36 not out. It was a curious game, but if it gets Surrey a win then I don’t care if they bat wearing roller skates and bowl on pogo sticks...

So, well done boys. A victory against Middlesex at Lords. Three fine wickets for me, a confident if unspectacular run chase from Surrey which leaves them still clinging on to the possibility of further progress in the competition should a few more wins come their way. As for Middlesex, it just wasn’t their day, that’s all. They didn’t play the way they could and Surrey bowled very well. A word here for Dernbach who worryingly seems to have picked up a side injury. I hope it’s not too troublesome, because we can’t really do without him.

There was one triumph for Middlesex, however. Mr O’Brien, assisting Kevin Hand, Mark Church and Johnny Barran on the radio commentary was an absolute delight. Especially at the end when he inadvertently gave out that David Warner was likely to start in their next game!

Nice one Ian!