surrey vs Northamptonshire county Championship division 2

First topic message reminder :

Chris Adams has named a thirteen man Surrey squad to take on Northamptonshire at Wantage Road in the LV= County Championship.
George Edwards replaces Matthew Dunn who is suffering with shin soreness in the only change to the squad that defeated Leicestershire last week at Grace Road.
The full Surrey squad to play Northamptonshire is:
Rory Hamilton-Brown (Captain)
Steven Davies (Wicket Keeper)
Mark Ramprakash
Zander de Bruyn
Tom Maynard
Jason Roy
Gareth Batty
Chris Jordan
Zafar Ansari
Tim Linley
Stuart Meaker
Pragyan Ojha
George Edwards
river should not even be in the squad in my opion
as for the last spot zaffer for me edges out (edwards) whom i'm sure guildford can tell us all about

Carrotdude wrote:I do wonder whether you actually read any threads before commenting on them, cricketfan. Meaker is very talented and very quick but his accuracy lets him down sometimes. He started this season on fire and took 20 odd wickets @ 18 in the CC before he got an injury. Since then he has been poor and failed to reproduce this form until yesterday when he took 5-37 including a triple wicket maiden.

Brilliant day for Surrey today, Davies finally found his form and now has over 380 runs from his last 3 innings! I really hope that we stick with him and Hyphen opening in all forms of the game for a good while as I have been very encouraged since the move to promote Davies in the CC.

Also, massive congratulations to the Viscount, amazing season!

Good post, Carrot. I'm sure all who read it will agree with it.

Surrey Close in on Victory. That'll be a draw then!

jbd - the Davies point is an interesting one. I have always maintained and believed that he is the next best WK/batsman in the country after Prior and could do a job in all forms of the game. I think he would be a better option than Kieswetter in the short forms but obviously Prior is never going to be displaced from the Test side unless he gets injured and rightly so. He would be my choice of backup WK for the winter tours because as you say he could be cover for the openers as well as Prior. However I'd be surprised if he did get selected.

Chris - the headline is "Surrey close in on victory". There is a strong tendency for over optimism on the Surrey web site - but for once with the pitch taking spin and one of Northants main batsmen unlikely to bat it seems a reasonable enough headline

i think davies should play t20, with kieswetter odi, and prior tests..

cricketfan90 wrote:i think davies should play t20, with kieswetter odi, and prior tests..

I agree... it would be good if Kieswetter played prior tests... then he would know what to do next time he played them...

im suprised ojha didnt play in the test series

More seriously, what about Buttler for T20 or ODI?

He can't be any worse than Luke Wright coming in at 6/7 to hit some boundaries, same with Stokes. We need someone in the mould of lower order hitter and they both have the potential to fit the bill, give them a go!

Well done Steve Davies the 2nd Surrey player to pass 1,000 first class runs for the season

I have him down as 951 runs in the CC, are the rest from a Lions game or something?

The CC averages are interesting this season, Davies up to 41 now, The Brain way out in front on 55 and Hyphen, Maynard and Ramps all averaging 38. Roy is trailing behind on 28 but today's was a bit of a sacrifice for the cause I'd imagin.

Sorry carrot saw it on the Surrey website don't tell me they have got it wrong

Carrotdude wrote:I have him down as 951 runs in the CC, are the rest from a Lions game or something?

The CC averages are interesting this season, Davies up to 41 now, The Brain way out in front on 55 and Hyphen, Maynard and Ramps all averaging 38. Roy is trailing behind on 28 but today's was a bit of a sacrifice for the cause I'd imagin.

Churchy was very confused by Davies' number of runs this season. The Public Address announcer at the ground congratulated Davies on 1,000 runs for the season during his innings this afternoon. Churchy was sure he hadn't got there yet. They were both right in a way. As you say, Carrot, Davies still needs 49 more runs to get to 1,000 first class runs for Surrey this season. However, he played a first class game for the MCC at the start of the season and his runs from that game do now take him over 1,000.

do you think davies is the best keeper batsman in england, if not what number do you think he is?

cf no 2

Just seen the highlights of day 3 on Surrey TV. The Viscount was very unlucky not to get a second wicket - the ball after his first - when the ball clearly hits the wicket and deflects off a stump but the bails stay put.

Yay - 119-6, Ohja 9-6-3-3...............how many years have we been crying out for a decent spinner?!............and (whisper it) Meaker looks back to his early season form! Come on lads, finish this before lunch please!

12 overs for 4 runs only and 3 wkts amazing

14 overs 4 wickets for 5 runs.

Pragyan Ojha and the team performance

''Boy, does this open up the Championship race now!'' - Churchy.

make that 16.3 overs 6 wkts for 8 runs

6 fer 8 !!!!???

Absent hurt?
What an anticlimax!

corporal get the drinks ready

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:Sounds relatively straightforward then - we crush Northants, win a couple of other matches, and then rely on Chris from Stroud to put in a special request for selection of Jon Batty for the last Gloucs game who then gives one of his marathon performances batting for 6 hours for 80 before the rains come down to save Gloucs ....

Stage 1 complete then Definitely not what I was expecting.....!

Meanwhile Gloucs are limbering up nicely for their starring role in the climax of this drama....

23 points behind Northants with a game in hand.
Now who wants to stay in division 2 for another year?!
Come on, make your mind up!

What a win - the fat lady will have to wait!

Jimbob - the bar is open

Does Mrs Gooner also support Surrey?

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:Sounds relatively straightforward then - we crush Northants, win a couple of other matches, and then rely on Chris from Stroud to put in a special request for selection of Jon Batty for the last Gloucs game who then gives one of his marathon performances batting for 6 hours for 80 before the rains come down to save Gloucs ....

Stage 1 complete then Definitely not what I was expecting.....!
Meanwhile Gloucs are limbering up nicely for their starring role in the climax of this drama....

ChrisfromStroud needs to go and consult the table, the fixture list and some tea-leaves before deciding on his team selection....

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:Jimbob - the bar is open

Does Mrs Gooner also support Surrey?

i've been told to tell you she lives in surrey that's as far as it goes

jimbobgooner wrote:

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:Jimbob - the bar is open

Does Mrs Gooner also support Surrey?

i've been told to tell you she lives in surrey that's as far as it goes

JimBob - aha, a lady of mystery - and obviously the utmost good taste as well having carefully set her eyes on your good self!

Anyway, hope to see you both and the Corporal for a few s in the mess!

Will that include an OJ? Ha!

A great win and part 1 of 3 of the Great Improbable Late Season Run for Promotion is on! 3 days ago I said:

"...our best bet of gaining very unlikely promotion is still open. We need a maximum points win or thereabouts against Northants, then 2 more wins, while Northants then must get no more than a high scoring draw in their last game.
Very unlikely but we're not out of it yet. If - ok, it's a huge if - we do the first bit and wallop Northants, then doubts might creep in to their minds and anything might happen. May I remind people that when the 40 over comp took its mid-season break, Northants and we were both p5 w5. We went on to finish 10 and 1 with a no result, they finished 6 and 6."

We are on a roll, Northants are on the slide and - despite ChrisfromStroud's lot whupping Glamorgan today, we are still very much in the mix. Two maximum point wins and we are up.

If you think that's outrageous, what price would have given four days ago on us beating Northants, who had only lost one CC game all season, by 300 and plenty?

That would be the difference between us yokels and you sophisticates:
ChrisFROMStroud, but SimonOFSurrey!

It's all going to be down to who has the best sports psychologist.
Or maybe captain.

You said it Chris. But surely you're a (country) bumpkin - I didn't think there were any yokels east of Somerset?

By the way, mathematically I think it's now got to be 2 from Middx, Northants, you and us to go up. Realistically, however, I think it's Middx plus 1 from 3. Here's to a cracking end of season and may the cricket, not the weather, have the last word.

Cheers!

ChrisfromStroud wrote:
ChrisFROMStroud, but SimonOFSurrey!

(Without casting nastursiums as to the respective characters of the two honourable gentlemen ) "Simon of Surrey" does have a certain ring to it - sounds a bit like a character from Robin Hood!

Not only do the Surrey team have the best nicknames, their supporters have the best usernames; perhaps you deserve to be promoted!

Will research relative merits of yokels and bumpkins...

From cricinfo England v India commentary today:
3.45pm Bob asks: "BTW, what HAS happened to Steven Davies? Has looked in pretty good form this year. Davies's name was not mentioned ONCE in Strauss's book on the Ashes Downunder, the only member of the squad to be airbrushed from the records. Any ideas?"

Is there a conspiracy?

'SimonofSurrey' gives you my (genuine) first name, where I hail from and where my loyalties lie - and there's a nice alliteration to it. If that doesn't deserve promotion, i don't know what does.

Re S Davies. It's very odd how he seems to have fallen completely from the selectors' radar screens. Maybe not a copnspiracy, but whatevere he did to get himself dropped so unceremoniously from the one day side doesn't seem to have been resolved or forgiven. The talk now seems to be of the next generation of 'keepers, notably J Bairstow.

I think the treatment of Davies over the winter was directly responsible for his poor form in general this season, especially early on. He is without doubt in my mind the second best keeper/batsman in the country all round and the best option for ODI and T20. I hope he hasn't been discarded and that if he keeps getting runs they will pick him again. Either way, England's loss is Surreys gain, especially with his form of late!

As for today. Wow! Can we have Ohja for all of next season please Mr. Adams? Next season could be very interesting with Viscount and Lewis sharing the new ball and Meaker/Dernbach as 1st/2nd changes and Ohja to rip through the rest. Sounds pretty potent to me, now if only the batting could find some consistency which it should after a full season for Roy and Maynard and also with The Brain and Ramps as the old heads.

I still don't think we'll go up but I'd love it if we did!

I never doubted the veracity of the "Simon" or the "Surrey", it was the "of" that particularly impressed me.

It should be noted that Gloucester's wonderful run of one-day form coincided with Jack Russell being in great form but out of favour with England. Perhaps the same will happen with Davies.

To be fair to be a successful county side you need 7/8 very good players who either won't be selected by England for whatever reason. At Surrey we do have the makings of this - I see Hyphen as becoming a very good county player but unlikely to play for England, similar with Maynard and with Davies out of favour he is a massive asset for us. The bowling depth England have means that Meaker is unlikely to be selected in the forseeable future and Lewis and Viscount are in the 'county pro' category that obviously won't be looked at. Ramps and The Brain for obvious reasons also fit into this category but are both absolutely quality batsman at this level.

Wow just seen the result and the figures of 6 for 8!!!

Name change is surely just around the corner!!

Anyway back to the pool

depressedsurreyfan wrote:Wow just seen the result and the figures of 6 for 8!!!

Name change is surely just around the corner!!

Anyway back to the pool

how the other half live

Carrotdude wrote:To be fair to be a successful county side you need 7/8 very good players who either won't be selected by England for whatever reason. At Surrey we do have the makings of this - I see Hyphen as becoming a very good county player but unlikely to play for England, similar with Maynard and with Davies out of favour he is a massive asset for us. The bowling depth England have means that Meaker is unlikely to be selected in the forseeable future and Lewis and Viscount are in the 'county pro' category that obviously won't be looked at. Ramps and The Brain for obvious reasons also fit into this category but are both absolutely quality batsman at this level.

Good thinking Carrot.... Likewise, there are a good number of up and coming young batsmen around the counties and so le Roi might well progress well without necessarily breaking into the England team....

Gramps is unlikely to extend his playing career beyond next summer I would guess!

Corporalhumblebucket wrote: and so le Roi might well progress well without necessarily breaking into the England team....

I'll let that go for now, Corporal ....

On 30 August, when Middx were going well and apparently consolidating a top 2 spot alongside N'hants, I wrote:

"But our best bet of gaining very unlikely promotion is still open. We need a maximum points win or thereabouts against Northants, then 2 more wins, while Northants then must get no more than a high scoring draw in their last game.

Very unlikely but we're not out of it yet. If - ok, it's a huge if - we do the first bit and wallop Northants, then doubts might creep in to their minds and anything might happen. May I remind people that when the 40 over comp took its mid-season break, Northants and we were both p5 w5. We went on to finish 10 and 1 with a no result, they finished 6 and 6."

Middx look up now, as they lead CC2 with a game against Leics to come. But in the 11 days since my post above, we've reached the 40 over Final and won 2/2 in CC2 to move in to 3rd place, just 1 point off a top 2 finish. With 2nd and 4th due to play each other in the last round of CC2 games this week (please make their pitch a flat track bully's paradise), any takers now for an outrageous Surrey double this week? We live in interesting times

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:Personally I think Spriegel would have merited a go after several recent excellent efforts in the CB40.

Following Guildford's line of argument I think one of Ansari or Jordan will play otherwise we have very long tail. So one of these two plus Edwards will miss out.

One of my better posts!

One of my worst before start of Northants match was to suggest it was pretty much out the question for Surrey to get promoted!