SURREY VS LANCASHIRE SPECSAVERS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

First topic message reminder :

SURREY HAVE NAMED A FOURTEEN MAN SQUAD FOR THE SPECSAVERS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AGAINST LANCASHIRE AT THE KIA OVAL STARTING ON TUESDAY.
Ravi Rampaul returns to the squad after playing in the recent Caribbean Premier League and Amar Virdi is named in a Championship squad for the first time.
Jason Roy is unavailable for selection having joined up with the England squad for the One Day Series against Pakistan. Zafar Ansari is unavailable due to a back injury sustained during the Championship game against Warwickshire.
Gary Wilson returns from ireland duty.
There is no place in the squad for Jade Dernbach or James Burke and sadly Matt Dunn remains on the treatment table.
The Surrey squad to play Lancashire in the Specsavers County Championship at the Kia Oval on Tuesday 23rd August, Wednesday 24th August, Thursday 25th August and Friday 26th August :
Gareth Batty (capt)
Rory Burns
Sam Curran
Tom Curran
Steven Davies
Ben Foakes
Mark Footitt
Arun Harinath
Stuart Meaker
Ravi Rampaul
Kumar Sangakkara
Dominic Sibley
Amar Virdi
Gary Wilson
very difficult to choose the three to miss out so i'll go for Wilson,Ravioli and Footitt
unless sibley is the second spinner virdi has to start
Over to you chaps

438 - 7 and lead reaches 150. Another useful partnership building, of 20*.

Century for Arum Lily with his offbreaks  

Sam into the nervous 90s!

Curran falls for 96!   Superb innings,    but just misses out on maiden first class century.  

Oh Sam!

30 mins to lunch. May make sense for Batty (who should have his eye in by now) to throw the bat. If Surrey quickly all out that would give Lancs an awkward few overs before lunch.

Early lunch taken on 468 - 9.  Excellent morning for Surrey, with the last four wickets putting on 114 at a good pace.

Yesterday, batting conditions seemed much easier in the morning than later in the day - let's hope that is replicated today.

Lancashire closing in our lead

Game starting to slip away

Peterson out - Lancs still trail by 26 runs with 7 wickets in hand

Crucial hour coming up - if we can nip another two out before close we will be in command, if Lancs get through it unscathed you'd think a draw is nailed on

There's one of them olly

jimbobgooner wrote:There's one of them olly

And the crucial one of Proctor! Mark Footitt is on fire!

5 wkts for Footitt

2 more wkts needed for the bar to be opened

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Peterson out - Lancs still trail by 26 runs with 7 wickets in hand

Crucial hour coming up - if we can nip another two out before close we will be in command, if Lancs get through it unscathed you'd think a draw is nailed on

Fair to say we won that hour

Lancs finish on 203-8, a lead of 10 runs

A fabulous day for Surrey - fantastic effort from Sam Curran with the bat and a scintillating spell from Mark Footitt with the ball

Should be a simple win tomorrow

Just come back in - wow, that was a superb day for Surrey!    

Great credit to both Currans for their batting at the start of the day, which turned a useful advantage into a commanding one. And a magnificent effort later in the day from Footitt.

Btw the bar is open at lunchtime tomorrow.  Hope it will be needed.

Fabulous effort from Surrey, the end of the season is a complete contrast to the early 'form'. And we are getting contributions from all quarters. I know I'm jumping the gun a tad, but this victory should guarantee our Div One status, and hopefully on Sunday, we can get to a one day final, although getting to the semi final has been a decent achievement

Only one team has ever been relegated with over 150 points from division one

As we sit on 143 points, with three games left - I'm going to pronounce us safe

6th wkt for Footitt 1 to go

7th wkt for Footitt 38 needed to win

Career best figures for Footitt

Exceptional stuff

Excellent performance by Surrey over all four days.    Day 3 was exceptional, and days 1, 2 and 4 were very proficient.
Tbh in this heat feels like a day for a few mugs of  rather than

Spot on Corp. It's a good time to be a Surrey supporter. The turning point(s) of our season were the return of Sam, fast bowlers leaving their sickbeds and, probably, the psychological up of the return of Sanga. We are all but safe now in CC1 (which looked mighty unlikely after the gut wrenching 1 wkt loss to
Somerset just weeks ago) and in fine fettle for this
w/end's almost bonus semi against Yorks. If that goes our way, I may well try to visit that other London ground for the final with SOS junior - but let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet.
PS Happy birthday and well played First Degree - 1000 CC1 runs this season - Lions selectors, are you watching...?

Indeed echoing above comments, Surrey certainly turning on the style and I'm trying hard not to dwell on what might have been.....that defeat by Somerset, the first match loss to Noots and that draw against Middx which could h save gone our way....all in all, a brilliant return to form by Surrey these last few weeks...and plenty to be hopeful for the future too...really enjoyed the 2nd day at the Oval....the 3rd day looked even better, judging by the highlights....in hindsight I was probably a bit too harsh on Sibley and Burns when they got becalmed...that 160 opening partnership certainly laid the foundations for the later Curran partnership....just again to emphasis what we all know...Sangskarra is pure pure class! Corporal, please save me a few for later....now back to work!

As Simon has noted, Burns has done really well this season in this competition. He's just topped 1000 cc runs at an average of 41.7.  Only one century but 7 half centuries. Tbh I don't think the lack of centuries matters that much if he's overall got plenty of runs at a good average - and a good strike rate. I can't really see him as an England batsman - but again that doesn't matter - it's an achievement to be a good county player, and hopefully to win a few more trophies.

It's an interesting question who Ansari will come in for assuming he's fit next match. You could make a decent case for Harinath or any of the five bowlers. I'm guessing Harinath to miss out but I don't think any of the six would be a 'wrong' decision.

Ansari will come in for The Baron I suspect

Agree with all that Burns has done well - considering by all accounts from those who have watched all year, he was terribly out of nick earlier in the season, to be able to grind out a few scores along with some more fluent knocks is a good trait to have