SURREY VS SOMERSET SPECSAVERS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

First topic message reminder :

SURREY HAVE NAMED A 14 MAN SQUAD (guildford )FOR THE SPECSAVERS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH AGAINST SOMERSET AT THE KIA OVAL STARTING ON SUNDAY.
Zafar Ansari returns to the squad having recovered from the thumb injury he sustained in the game against Lancashire last season at the Emirates Old Trafford. Mathew Pillans in included in a Championship squad for the first time but Sam Curran is unavailable for selection having returned to school for the summer term.
There is no place in the the squad for james burke this time.
stuart meaker and jade dernbach remain on the treatment table.
The Surrey squad to play Somerset in the Specsavers County Championship at the Kia Oval on Sunday 24th April, Monday 25th April, Tuesday 26th April and Wednesday 27th April:
Gareth Batty (capt)
Zafar Ansari
Rory Burns
Tom Curran
Steven Davies
Matthew Dunn
Ben Foakes
Mark Footitt
Arun Harinath
Mathew Pillans
Ravi Rampaul
Jason Roy
Kumar Sangakkara
Gary Wilson
ravioli if not over ankle injury wilson and Pillans to miss out, if ravioli makes it then batty (which will please olly )
over to you chaps

Lovely delivery from ravioli to get rid of buck

Ravioli strikes again

Ravioli is making it really hard for me to dislike him by continuing to pick up wickets

Ah well I'll turn my anger towards Batty, who is playing as a specialist 9/second spinner apparently

Yeah, seconds for Ravioli! A wayward delivery down the legside according to Johnny Barran which Hildreth got the bat on and Foakes took an excellent diving catch.

He may be fat and he may be rubbish but he's taking wickets! That's what Alec Stewart said him about him at the AGM last week - well the taking wickets part anyway as Stewie acknowledged he (Ravioli) had his doubters.

Think you need someone new to pick on , Olly... Rampaul is your best bowler....!

158 - 4 and we've picked up some good wickets this morning, including Rogers and Hildreth.  Pleased to see Ansari get a bowl - and a wicket as well.  

Meanwhile, in West Kent we've had sleet showers....

50 overs into the innings and Gareth batty is yet to bowl a delivery....

This is an impressive showing from 10 men so far

3rd wkt for ravioli

Norah strikes! 233-6............the door is open

Batty gets bangers that's why he is playing olly

Batty has now bowled a few overs though why he is in the team is anybody's guess. I remember Mike Brearley being in the England team purely as captain as his batting didn't merit his inclusion. But Batty doesn't even seem to be a particularly good captain.

Just as I'm about to press 'enter' he takes a wicket - I must have magic reverse psychology powers.

In the unlikely event that Surrey run through the Somerset tail we would be in a very strong position. Still that's the second bowling point earned, and there's now a bit of pressure on the batsmen.

I don't think one wicket changes much re: selection - but I suppose I should wait until the end of day four to really lay into it...

Woo! And Ravioli strikes again! 239 - 7

As pre usual we can't get the tail out

Olly wrote:I don't think one wicket changes much re: selection - but I suppose I should wait until the end of day four to really lay into it...

That's the only reason I've been holding back today but I am with you on this, Olly.

Sleet, snow and thunder here now about 25 or so miles south of the ground. Fear it might be - That's All, Foakes!

Year in year out - always the same. Our tail rarely get any runs; the opposition jack, queen and king put on hundreds.

My weather obviously hasn't reached the Oval although some might have hoped it had! Footitt getting a bit of tap - in Olly's language #unconvinced

Stat to wind up JimBob -
Footitt and Ravioli so far have each bowled 4 no balls. Footitt wins it with a wide as well!

5 wkts again for ravioli

guildfordbat wrote:Stat to wind up JimBob -
Footitt and Ravioli so far have each bowled 4 no balls. Footitt wins it with a wide as well!

at least ravioli can get wkts Guildford

Batty strikes again.

2nd wkt for Batty happy olly

Footitt off with a side strain - that decision to not pick a 4th seamer my word...

Hopefully we open the batting with Roy - a low risk high reward strategy with a lead of 100+

Batty wraps up the innings - 353. First innings lead 110. Tricky little period now for Surrey to negotiate. It's likely to be very difficult to force a win on this pitch, and there isn't much in it for Surrey to offer Somerset a sniff of victory.

3rd wkt for Batty and to think some people didn't even want him to start

Olly wrote:Hopefully we open the batting with Roy - a low risk high reward strategy with a lead of 100+

I really don't think that's a good idea Olly. The time to mess around with the batting order may be when we are 200+ ahead with not many wickets down.

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:

Olly wrote:Hopefully we open the batting with Roy - a low risk high reward strategy with a lead of 100+

I really don't think that's a good idea Olly.  The time to mess around with the batting order may be when we are 200+ ahead with not many wickets down.

Only way we're gonna win this game is if we have Roy come off at the top of the innings and we can build a big enough lead to declare at lunch tomorrow

With only 4 bowlers left a draw is the only option left

jimbobgooner wrote:With only 4 bowlers left a draw is the only option left

Isn't Batty gonna spin us to glory?

And that's stumps ravioli and Batty the pick of the bowlers

Well rain has put pay to my theory it appears

Olly wrote:

jimbobgooner wrote:With only 4 bowlers left a draw is the only option left

Isn't Batty gonna spin us to glory?

I'm with the Corporal. Not enough of a first innings lead or sufficient time left in the game for us to go gung-ho and declare tomorrow with the aim of bowling them out a second time. Disappointing but feel that's realistic. Our best chance came when the Cider men were 7 down for 230 odd but, as King Dave suggested, we allowed that to get away.

So Batty doesn't barely bowl for 60 overs, then bowls 15 in the next 40 and takes 3-50

Would be genuinely intrigued to hear why he is holding himself back - especially as he was effective when he came on

Quite an impressive shot of snowfall at the Oval! Hats off or maybe it should be woolly hats on to those brave spectators.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/36141843

guildfordbat - having Sangakkara in the side makes up for a long tail (re Rampaul, Dunn, Footitt). Anyway Rampaul has 2 f/c 50s. The batsmen get the runs and the bowlers the wickets. Some tailenders can hang around with a batsman. Remember once when Read was on 12 and Footitt came on in his debut match for Notts. He was still there when Read got his 100.

Jetty - personally I don't disagree. However, I think it may be a (small) contributory factor as to why Dunn isn't being chosen.

Morning all. Quite disappointed to see the Somerset score after we had them at 230ish for 7. Thought we might be able to force the follow on with a wearing, snowy 4th day pitch to bowl on. We'll just have to settle for a highish point scoring draw and move on to Durham this Sunday

Morning Goochie and all - yes, not capitalising on the 230 odd for 7 was where we blew our main chance.

Although we'll take maximum points available for a draw, it's irritating that Somerset will only get 1 point less. We gifted them some wickets on Monday morning to give them a third bowling point and then allowed them to get 4 batting points by making 350 plus. Their getting max bowling points is just about understandable on the basis that we were trying to push on at the time and get the win. However, those extra batting points is another matter.

I appreciate King Dave Eagle wasn't exactly at the front of the queue when kindness and understanding were given out but he does have a point when he suggests our failure to bowl out the opposition tail happens too often.

Play held up for a few minutes as just before the first ball of the day is bowled, a giant pigeon does a giant poop on the wicket! Sorry about that but I'm sure JimBob will like it!

Surrey going for safety-first at the start with Burns and Harinath opening.

Morning Guildford.  Was thinking that P G Wodehouse would like your turn of phrase:  "I appreciate King Dave Eagle wasn't exactly at the front of the queue when kindness and understanding were given out"

Do we reckon we can build enough of a lead to give ourselves about 50 overs to bowl Somerset out?

I think we gotta at least give it a shot, considering Somerset are likely competition for relegation with ourselves

Baron gone

Only two results possible draw or a Somerset win let's hope for the former

Third degree gone

18 - 2 Burns falls. Time now for Davies to demonstrate his England credentials....