SURREY VS GLOUCESTERSHIRE LV= INSURANCE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

SURREY HAVE NAMED A SQUAD OF 13 FOR THIS WEEK’S LV= INSURANCE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURE WITH GLOUCESTERSHIRE AT THE KIA OVAL.
Hashim Amla will lead the side in the absence of Club captain Rory Burns. Burns and Ollie Pope have joined up with England’s Test squad ahead of the upcoming series with New Zealand. Ben Foakes will miss that series after tearing his left hamstring.    
Australia international Sean Abbott replaces Kemar Roach as our second overseas player and could be in line for his Surrey debut. Roach has returned to the Caribbean to prepare for West Indies’ upcoming Test series with South Africa.      
Jordan Clark has a tight hamstring and will sit this match out as a precautionary measure.    Reece Topley is rested as his return to first-class cricket is managed.
Laurie Evans, Ben Geddes & Ryan Patel have been named in the matchday squad for the first time this season, with Geddes to make his first-class debut should he be selected. Matt Dunn returns to the squad after figures of 6/30 in the recent Second XI fixture with Hampshire.
ECB contracted players Sam Curran, Tom Curran and Jason Roy will now return to training ahead of the upcoming Vitality Blast season and England white-ball matches next month.  
There is still no place in the squad for Gus Atkinson, Jade Dernbach, Conor McKerr or James Taylor.
FULL SQUAD:
Hashim Amla (C)
Sean Abbott
Rikki Clarke
Matt Dunn
Laurie Evans
Ben Geddes
Will Jacks
Daniel Moriarty
Jamie Overton
Ryan Patel
Jamie Smith
Mark Stoneman
Amar Virdi
Don't understand the IPL boys only returning to training now when baby face was clearly seen at the Middlesex game last week  
Probably Moriarty and Geddes will be sharing drink duties, would love to see Geddes get a start but the experience of Evans will probably get him the nod.
Have to say with no Roach or Topley I worry about our bowling Attack, lets hope Abbott hits the ground running and Guildford's boy brings his form from the last game.
Over to you chaps  

Update the pitch is the same as the Middlesex game so Maybe two spinners now

Well done, JimBob! I see the Club kept you waiting for the squad this week.

I tend to agree with you about Moriarty and your lad Geddes missing out. That's unless we've tried to produce a spinning track in which case Moriarty could partner Virdi with Dunn left on the bench.

As you suggest - utter nonsense that all the IPL guys have to miss out.

We actually have a good weather forecast for this match making things more suitable for the slow bowlers and, as I'm going tomorrow, me having to dig out the sun cream!

guildfordbat wrote:Well done, JimBob! I see the Club kept you waiting for the squad this week.

I tend to agree with you about Moriarty and your lad Geddes missing out. That's unless we've tried to produce a spinning track in which case Moriarty could partner Virdi with Dunn left on the bench.

As you suggest - utter nonsense that all the IPL guys have to miss out.

We actually have a good weather forecast for this match making things more suitable for the slow bowlers and, as I'm going tomorrow, me having to dig out the sun cream!

Looking like your boy will miss out again Guildford would rather leave out Overton

Cheers Jimbob, been busy at work for a few weeks and not been able to follow as much as I'd have liked, though from what I can tell I'd mostly have been following the rain.

Will Macpherson in the Standard reckons there's a good chance of Moriarty pipping Dunn. He's usually well connected so I'd imagine they're at least considering it.

It can be a simple game. Two things to do today. Win the toss and bat all day.

Cheers Jimbob, well part one achieved Guildford, slow start, but that's fine for now 27-0

Solid first session with the bat, now no collapsing like last week please

I know the live stream isn't exactly in line with the wicket, but unless Ryan Higgins can somehow get a ball to hoop massively away from a left hander around the wicket in the last yard it has to travel to the stumps...Stoneman's LBW was very not out to this viewer

1st batting point but 5 down

2nd batting point

100 for Amla

50 for Overton
Hard to believe some people wanted him left out for Dunn

A decent day for Surrey in the end, especially as Gloucs are no pushovers. Their bowlers largely kept it dry and they fielded well. Sorry JimBob but I doubt we'll get more than 3 batting points. That won't matter too much though if we get the all important win.

Lot resting on Virdi and Moriarty bowling on the same track as last week. A few eyebrows raised about that but, tbh, I reckon that's smart rather than underhand.

Amla was both skilful and savvy. Blimey, we needed him! Great credit as well to Overton. As Olly has said before, he's a biffer by nature. That was evident at times but he also showed good judgement throughout the final session and played some fine shots into the covers.

Patel also did better than many expected and got us off to a handy start. He was a tad unlucky in how he got out - smashed a boundary into the fence, the ball was then changed and he was out the next delivery.

Going again today.

Life getting in the way means I haven't followed county cricket, hence Surrey CCC, as much for a few years but I must say that the quality of the Surrey stream is fantastic given the limited budget I'd imagine it gets down for. Occasionally they will zoom in a bit far on the seamers as they run in which narrows the view once the batsman plays a shot but overall it's absolutely terrific.

I've been under the weather (non covid, thankfully!) the last couple of days so have watched a fair bit of this game and have loved it.

Amla's innings was an absolute masterclass.

It's a fashionable, hence completely unoriginal observation but I really love how Gloucestershire play their cricket. Lots of cricketers who seem to be getting the most out of their talents, field well and play as a unit. Chris Dent does an excellent job for them as skipper.

When David Payne stays fit he is a terrific opening bowler.

It's the first time I've really seen Jamie Smith with the gloves as well and I must say he looks fairly handy there as well as with the bat.

Arghhh. As I type they leave the field due to rain!

Moriarty potentially dropping the game off his own bowling letting Braithwaite get off with an easy chance

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Moriarty potentially dropping the game off his own bowling letting Braithwaite get off with an easy chance

just seen it

king_carlos wrote:Life getting in the way means I haven't followed county cricket, hence Surrey CCC, as much for a few years but I must say that the quality of the Surrey stream is fantastic given the limited budget I'd imagine it gets down for. Occasionally they will zoom in a bit far on the seamers as they run in which narrows the view once the batsman plays a shot but overall it's absolutely terrific.

I've been under the weather (non covid, thankfully!) the last couple of days so have watched a fair bit of this game and have loved it.

Amla's innings was an absolute masterclass.

It's a fashionable, hence completely unoriginal observation but I really love how Gloucestershire play their cricket. Lots of cricketers who seem to be getting the most out of their talents, field well and play as a unit. Chris Dent does an excellent job for them as skipper.

When David Payne stays fit he is a terrific opening bowler.

It's the first time I've really seen Jamie Smith with the gloves as well and I must say he looks fairly handy there as well as with the bat.


Arghhh. As I type they leave the field due to rain!

Hi Carlos - sorry you've been under the weather, hope you're on the mend soon. As usual, a top post with several good points.

At the recent AGM (it should still be on Surrey twitter and YouTube for anyone sufficiently sad wanting to watch it), CEO Richard Gould said it cost circa £1k a day for the live streaming. That was in response to a member querying whether it should be behind a pay wall. Gould went on to explain the main purpose of the free streaming, saying that viewing figures were monitored and provided to the ECB in an attempt to demonstrate that (significant?) interest remains in the 4 day game. Gould added that Sky's daily costs were in the region of £50k.

Yep, tremendous role successfully undertaken by Amla. Not just his own innings but also the immensely valuable partnerships along the way. 104 with Overton, 61 with Abbott (looked a proper batsman on a first sight) and 72 with Clarke. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have scored the runs they did without Amla alongside them. Never overly demonstrative but every now and again a quick word to his batting partner.

Although Higgins ended with a fourfer, Payne - with just the three - was the best Gloucs bowler on show. Absolute beauty to start the day and get Overton cold. He deserved more but Higgins - who had earlier often veered wide of leg - reappeared towards the end to splatter the stumps of Clarke and Moriarty.

Until a late assault by Clarke, the Gloucs bowlers continued to keep it fairly tight and fielded tigerishly throughout. Although that now won't be enough to win them the game, it may enable them to draw it. Given their position in the table, a draw would suit the visitors but not us. We surely have to win to have any chance of qualifying for the top group. To win, we'll almost certainly have to be in a position to enforce the follow on and do so.

So we have to get Gloucs out for 323 or less. I desperately wanted two wickets last night. We should have had them as well even with the blasted rain ending play early. No-one sets out to drop a catch and especially off their own bowling but, as Olly suggested, an awful fumble by Moriarty to give Brathwaite another life. At least he clung onto one from Dent off Virdi, the worst ball he bowled!

You've been waiting for this Carlos, my cyber friend, ... day 3, moving day. Get 'em in a second time by the close and we should win. If we don't, we won't.

PS Mainly for Olly - you know I know it but just to confirm ...

... we should have declared when Rikki was out and given 'em two overs before tea! That was the last thing that canny skipper Dent and Brathwaite would have wanted. Instead, they had 20 minutes over tea to shower and have a brew before going out better prepared.

I hope to have an opportunity to ask Stewart why he didn't practice what he so regularly preaches!

Great report Guildford...the spin twins are working through them now, 90-5 should have them back in by tea today at this rate!

Moriarty makes amends for the dropped catch
and Jacks with a Warne tribute

Couldn't have gone any better today with 14 wickets, we've played this really well, just 5 to take with plenty of time to do it on day 4

guildfordbat wrote:PS Mainly for Olly - you know I know it but just to confirm ...

... we should have declared when Rikki was out and given 'em two overs before tea! That was the last thing that canny skipper Dent and Brathwaite would have wanted. Instead, they had 20 minutes over tea to shower and have a brew before going out better prepared.

I hope to have an opportunity to ask Stewart why he didn't practice what he so regularly preaches!

Excellent reports Guildford - sounds like you had a couple of cracking days, I think Stewart will be expecting that question!!!

Great day today - taking advantage of the conditions. Time to finish it off tomorrow morning

Great win, well done lads