SURREY VS DURHAM SPECSAVERS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

SURREY HAVE NAMED A THIRTEEN MAN SQUAD FOR THE SPECSAVERS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH AGAINST DURHAM STARTING AT THE KIA OVAL ON SUNDAY.
Mark Footitt is unavailable for selection and will have an MRI scan for a suspected side strain that he suffered in the recent game against Somerset.
Jade Dernbach and Stuart Meaker are still on the treatment table and there is still no place in the squad for James Burke.
The Surrey squad to play Durham in the Specsavers County Championship at the Kia Oval on Sunday May 1st, Monday May 2nd, Tuesday May 3rd and Wednesday May 4th:
Gareth Batty (capt)
Zafar Ansari
Rory Burns
Tom Curran
Steven Davies
Matthew Dunn
Ben Foakes
Arun Harinath
Mathew Pillans
Ravi Rampaul
Jason Roy
Kumar Sangakkara
Gary Wilson
get the feeling davies will get one more chance so wilson and pillans to miss out imo.
over to you chaps

Thanks, JimBob.

I agree with you that Davies will be given another chance and so Wilson to again miss out. Then it's on a knife edge as to whether Dunn or Pillans replace Footitt. I'll guess Pillans (? greater control) to get the nod.

Not looking great for Burke if he can't even make the squad when Footitt and Sam Curran are unavailable.

One thing we need to cut out in this match is the no balls. We've bowled more than any other Div One side. Trust you'll be counting, JimBob!

Going along tomorrow.

Davies has enough credit in the bank for for another 2 or 3 low scoring matches IMO.

Wilson and Pillans to miss out for me.

guildfordbat wrote:

One thing we need to cut out in this match is the no balls. We've bowled more than any other Div One side. Trust you'll be counting, JimBob!

What has Burke done wrong!

At the ground. Dunn and Pillans play - no Rampaul!

Must be a batting day.

Guildford - go check the kitchen, is Ravioli staging a sit in protest over a bad breakfast?!

From the Surrey Twitter feed "Ravi Rampaul not available due to a minor ankle strain..."

Fair to say Onions and Rushworth are bowling 'tight' so far...

Guildford what's the new stand like?

Olly - new stand open for the first time today and looking good with a fair few people in it for a Champo game. Goes back further and higher than the old one with what appears to be decent legroom.

I'm watching in a small high up room behind glass in the members' pavilion immediatlely above the wicket - great view and actually warm unlike last week!

Very good cricket so far by both sides - it'll be a fine effort to get to lunch with only 1 down.

Right on cue Guildford

50 for the baron

111 for 2 at lunch now over to our wkt side reporter Guildford for a full update

Lunch 111/2. Fine morning's cricket. Pretty even imo. Individual honours to the Baron - gutsy and elegant.

50* partnership.  Davies already scored 43* off 48 balls.  Harinath digging in. 147 -2.

Guildford was that you singing you let your country down to stokes

Interesting that less than half way through day 1 Pringle has already bowled 9 overs - presumably of his off breaks.

JimBob - not me but a few jeering at Stokes as he starts to get ratty about having little luck. Particularly a bump ball catch and a yorker which the Baron only just got his bat down on and then squirted away for 4.

100* partnership. 193 - 2 from 49 overs. Sounds like good solid play since lunch.

One thing I really like about our batting line up is the mix of players, we have guys who can stay in and people can bat around which allows our natural stroke players to play their normal game

A really good balanced batting line up

Corporal - Davies the more aggressive since lunch but both he and the Baron playing well.

Yep, Pringle has bowled off breaks in 2 spells from each end. His first from the Vauxhall End was the best, got some tap in the second straight after lunch. Borthwick now bowling his leggies. Some turn available. Wicket a green top but intriguingly only in the middle, stops a couple of yards before each crease - ? Something for all bowlers.

Thanks, Guildford. Davies falls for 87, missing out on a century, after partnership of 135. Hopefully we'll get to tea without further loss of wickets... Anyway, good to see Davies back in the runs.

Interesting gone 13 short

Harinath goes 4 short

Harinath goes for 96  Great pity, as he's still got just the 6 first class centuries. Good innings....

At risk now of wasting our solid play during most of the day.

Yes, scoreboard now makes it look a lot more even contest and desrvedly so. Durham have bowled well today without much rewards until the last 15 minutes. Very fine batting from Davies and Harinath although the latter's dismissal was soft.

The end of that session has given me the

242-4 at tea

A great shame neither Davies or Baron made three figures

I'd say we're just shading it, but this final session will go a long way to deciding who is on top after our first innings

254 - 4 and a second batting point.

Olly - agree about shading it but a lot probably resting on the current 2 batsmen plus Foakes. A couple more quick wickets and the balance will noticeably change.

50 partnership

300 - 4 and garnering runs steadily against the spinners. Sounds like one of Roy's more restrained innings.

320 - 4 after 80 overs, and no doubt new ball being taken. Useful partnership of 80 during that quiet period.

50 to Roy.

100 partnership

Jason

350 up

Stokes gets son of Boris can the tail wag for once?

Whilst it's a shame nobody made three figures, a very good performance by the batsman today

Solid contributions all round - let's hope we can get over 400+ now with the tail

Dear oh dear Tom should drop down to 11

Get the 29 runs off the 14 overs is the first objective tomorrow

371-7 at the close of play

I'd suggest that's Surrey's day just (60% Surrey's day) - not a definitive first innings score, but one that sees us on top at the moment

By the sounds of it Durham kept going well all day

Look forward to finding out more about the match and whether my assumptions are correct from Guildford

On train now which is running late for Mrs Bat's roast beef - not too clever to be late for that or her!

Olly is more upbeat than me but there again he normally is (apart from when it comes to Norwich!). I'll add to that later.

Olly wrote:What has Burke done wrong!

Olly - no one I spoke to at the Oval today knew the answer to that. He and Aneesh Kapil were bowling on the outfield at lunchtime.

James100 wrote:From the Surrey Twitter feed "Ravi Rampaul not available due to a minor ankle strain..."

Yes, that was the reason given. I'm sure that's the case but it did seem odd to see Ravioli jogging on and off the pitch as twelfth man to bring out drinks, gloves, etc. I would have expected ankle in ice or foot up and resting.

Olly wrote:371-7 at the close of play

I'd suggest that's Surrey's day just (60% Surrey's day) - not a definitive first innings score, but one that sees us on top at the moment

By the sounds of it Durham kept going well all day

Look forward to finding out more about the match and whether my assumptions are correct from Guildford

So where I do think we are now?

I would go along with Olly to the extent that it was Surrey's day but I would add very narrowly - more like 52% than 60%.

On the plus side, 4 of our batsmen played well and we've got runs on the board which can't be taken away. Davies was the most stylish and seemed back near to his best, Harinath held the first 2 sessions together, increased responsibility from Roy and another solid knock from Ansari. Just a shame both Harinath and Roy fell to soft dismissal after doing so much of the hard yards.

However, it's a good batting track currently* and there's a short boundary on the Gas Holder side. There are runs to be had, no question. I would also flag that Durham have Collingwood listed on the scorecard at number 7 - that suggests their top 6 aren't exactly mugs.

It's disappointing that whilst we've done a bit better than alright (my opinion), we haven't gone on to make our position ''formidable'' (opinion of Andrew Miller in his cricinfo report and again also mine). The old Boycott maxim of ''The batting side should look at the scoreboard and then add two wickets before getting carried away with how well they're doing'' was so true today. The garden appeared really rosy when we were 344/4 off 85 overs with Roy and Ansari in charge. From there to stumps, we lost 3 for 27 in the remaining 11 overs. If not quite levelling it, that brings Durham back into the game and gets their tails up. We're probably now going to need to rely on Foakes and leg byes (!) if we're to get to 400 and a 5th batting point - that often looked as if it was going to be there for the easy taking. Now we may get it or we may not. We could also still end up with a first innings lead although, if so, I doubt it'll be commanding.

Miller on cricinfo refers to ''Durham's refusal to yield''. Bang on. They stuck at it all day and never gave up. Craft and cunning from Onions and Rushworth followed by aggression and enthusiasm from Stokes and Carse. They deservedly shared the wickets around. Young Carse getting Sanga was celebrated like a group lottery win!

* The wicket is interesting. Green top in the middle but not near to either crease. Maybe intended as a result wicket to help all bowling types. It has already showed signs of taking spin, particularly when off spinner Pringle bowled from the Vauxhall End. That may help Batty and Ansari, particularly in the 4th innings.

Thanks Guildford - I do think durhams bowling is very good also which is part of my Surrey are on top summation

Interesting note about the pitch - a good toss to win then? Hopefully we can go onto 400+ tomorrow and give Zaf/Batty something to bowl with

Stokes with a short boundary worries me though!!

Hi Olly - yes, definitely a good toss to win. Durham clearly wanted to bat as they opted for the toss and didn't elect to field. I would say that the Zaf/Batty combo is better than Pringle/Borthwick anyway and with our duo bowling 4th dig there will hopefully be something there for them to capitalise on.

Yes again as regards Stokes and the short boundary, could be a worry. Pretty sure there weren't any sixes today, that was surprising.

With the quality of Durham's bowling attack, I'd usually be very happy with the position we're in but missing a couple of front-line bowlers, a few more would be nice.

Hopefully Foakes can push on, but he's not really the scoring quickly alongside the tail type. He seemed more suited to the no. 4 position last year.

James100 wrote:With the quality of Durham's bowling attack, I'd usually be very happy with the position we're in but missing a couple of front-line bowlers, a few more would be nice.

Hopefully Foakes can push on, but he's not really the scoring quickly alongside the tail type. He seemed more suited to the no. 4 position last year.

maybe batty can get a 30 to help out