SURREY VS LANCASHIRE LV=COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

SURREY HAVE NAMED A THIRTEEN MAN SQUAD FOR THE LV=COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AGAINST LANCASHIRE STARTING ON SUNDAY AT THE KIA OVAL.
Kevin Pietersen is included having recovered from the calf strain that kept him out of the knockout stages of the Indian Premier League. Ben Foakes is also named in the squad but Gary Wilson is unavailable after being selected in the Ireland squad for the Intercontinental Cup game against the UAE.
luke fletcher's back injury rules him out and will now go back to nottinghamshire.
there is still no place in the squad for the viscount
The Surrey squad to play Lancashire in the LV=County Championship at the Kia Oval on Sunday 31st May, Monday 1st June, Tuesday 2nd June and Wednesday 3rd June :
Gareth Batty (capt)
Zafar Ansari
James Burke
Rory Burns
Tom Curran
Steven Davies
Matthew Dunn
Ben Foakes
Stuart Meaker
Kevin Pietersen
Jason Roy
Kumar Sangakkara
Dominic Sibley
sibley and burke to miss out
over to you guys

Cheers, JimBob. Massively appreciated as always.

There has been some speculation on the wallpaper site about Foakes missing out once more and Sanga keeping but I can't see that happening. I agree with you about Sibley and Burkey being the two to most likely miss out. A chance I suppose that Curran could be rested but I think Stewart and Ford will want the best bowlers we can get on the pitch against leaders Lancs.

Stewie is doing a Q&A session before play on Monday which I'm attending. If no one else raises it (I suspect they will), I'll raise your point about Ansari bowling so much and still opening the batting.

If you or anyone else want me to ask anything else, feel free to flag it here. Can't promise I'll be able to - sometimes the number of questions is limited - but I'll do my best.

Btw, according to Spills (I still have faith although he dropped me and himself in it concerning Azhar!!) the Viscount and Trem are due to play in a 3 day second XI Championship match against Hants starting on Monday at Wimbledon as part of their comebacks from injury.

Strong strong squad that - the unbeaten 2015 run will continue

Ask Alec Stewart if he'd rather fight 40 duck sized horses or 1 horse sized duck Guildford

There be rain about according to the Surrey Twitter, inspection at 11.

Sounds a bowl first day

Going by the weather in my neck of the woods (25 miles or so south of the ground), doubt there will be any play before lunch at best. Sorry not to be more encouraging.

Lancashire win the toss and bowl.

Sibley and Burke miss out as expected

bad toss to lose you would think

jimbobgooner wrote:bad toss to lose you would think

Yeah but we're making a steady start. 22/0 off 9 overs. May not get people hammering on the gates to get inside the Oval but nothing wrong with that. Keep going boys ....

guildfordbat wrote:

jimbobgooner wrote:bad toss to lose you would think

Yeah but we're making a steady start. 22/0 off 9 overs. May not get people hammering on the gates to get inside the Oval but nothing wrong with that. Keep going boys ....

Kiss of death - Burns gone.

guildfordbat wrote:

jimbobgooner wrote:bad toss to lose you would think

Yeah but we're making a steady start. 22/0 off 9 overs. May not get people hammering on the gates to get inside the Oval but nothing wrong with that. Keep going boys ....

guildford

Somebody ban Guildford

Ok, try this. Lancs looking good to bowl 9 wicket maidens in a row ....

run rate 2 a over

kp gone rain dance needed

zafar gone

79-4 - just crept above 2 an over. Someone please propose to Stewart that Roy and Davies open - we are just so slow at the start of an innings otherwise.

4x4 by davies in that over

50 partnership

Anyone know how many overs are scheduled for today? 41 now bowled, thanks.

at the start it was 51 guildford might have lost a couple more going off for bad light

51 overs I believe Guildford

3 overs left

Cheers, guys. I also heard 51 mentioned before the players took tea. Suspect it may have reduced - I'll be happy enough if it has. I'll say why later, too scared of a jinx!!

Good man JimBob! Just caught up with your last post.

amazing what can happen when the sun comes out

Good recovery that - tough conditions to be put into but you suspect Lancashire will be disappointed not to have is 5/6 down

Half respectable score in the end.  Remarkable transformation in the scoring rate.  Here in west Kent a dank and gloomy day until late on when the clouds rolled back and the sun came out.  Credit to Davies, le Roi (and byes) for taking advantage of the easier conditions.  At one point Lancs conceded 10 byes in two overs.

Olly wrote:Good recovery that - tough conditions to be put into but you suspect Lancashire will be disappointed not to have is 5/6 down

My take on things. Agree with Olly but ... we are still in a tricky position. I so much wish we had only lost 3. If that had been the case, think we could have been regarded as winning the day's play. As things actually are, I reckon Lancs won it, albeit narrowly and by not as much as they would have hoped for when we were 74/4 and looking in big trouble.

As so often, a very important session coming up in the morning. If Le Roi and Interesting (a lot of credit to them for negotiating the closing overs and with some positive intent) can safely take us to lunch, we'll be looking very good and already hoping for more drinks with the Corporal in the mess. However, if they both go early doors (that's for Olly! ) it'll be another game of catch up and those sort of games don't normally have a happy ending!

Just looked at the Surrey and Lancs reports on the respective club websites.

Not surprisingly, Surrey concentrate on the latter stages as they headline their report,''Surrey Close Opening Day Positively''. The Lancs report more reflects my thinking above with the headline, ''Lancashire Edge Surrey in Rain Affected Day''. To be fair to the Lancs report, Kyle Jarvis is quoted acknowledging that they gave ''a little bit too much away ... in the last half-hour''.

Will be good opportunity for Ben Foakes tomorrow. He's had some reasonable but not spectacular scores for second team so far this season.

At the ground. Batting conditions seem fine. Clouds around but quie high and not above the pitch which is currently covered with sunshine. 5 overs gone and neither batsman troubled so far. Roy looking particularly good.

100 partnership

jimbobgooner wrote:100 partnership

Thanks, JimBob. I wondered why people were clapping a few minutes ago!!

50 for roy

guildfordbat wrote:

jimbobgooner wrote:100 partnership

Thanks, JimBob. I wondered why people were clapping a few minutes ago!!

50 for davies

First batting point.  Le Roi taking most of the strike and scoring most of the runs this morning.

3,000 first class runs for Le Roi

Roy taking on Kerrigan ....

I got the 150 partnership, JimBob!!

Good first hour for Surrey.  Worth noting that the overall scoring rate, which for long period yesterday was at a snail like <2 runs an over in difficult batting conditions, is now over 3.5.  

150 partnership at 5.5 an over.

Corporal - re scoring rate. 73 for Roy and 13 for Davies in first hour.

100 for Le Roi

After a short rain delay a second batting point...

200 partnership.  And le Roi has scored over 100 in the morning's play

Kerrigan back before lunch, switching to Pavilion End. Take care, boys ....

Not a bad mornings play that huh

Excellent morning for Surrey - no wickets lost and scored at good pace.  Guildford will no doubt have enjoyed a feast of boundaries from the dashing blade of le Roi Sounds as though Davies has played an ideal supporting role.

Brilliant morning for Surrey. Lancs weren't bad but seemed to lack inspiration and certainly had no answer to Roy who was sensibly supported by Davies. The best innings I've seen from Roy. The trademark powerful pulls but combined with plenty of cleverly placed singles having pushed the field back. For those who accused me of being a jinx yesterday, I did say after 5 overs today he was "looking particularly good"!!