Surrey win CB40

The Surrey Lions have beaten Somerset at Lord’s to win the Clydesdale Bank 40, by 5 wickets via the Duckworth Lewis method.

At 11:00, Rory Hamilton- Brown and Marcus Trescothick walked out to the middle for the toss. Trescothick called correctly and elected to bat. And he and Craig Kieswetter opened up half an hour later, and after a couple of tight overs from Matt Spriegel and Yasir Arafat, they started to play their shots. After driving Arafat through the off side for 4, Trescothick danced down the track and put Spriegel back over his head for 4. However, Spriegel had his revenge, and Surrey had their first wicket, when Trescothick came down again to Spriegel, but the ball gripped and turned, and Steven Davies whipped off the bails, the Somerset skipper gone for 15.

Things got even better for Surrey, when Kieswetter looked to pull Arafat, but could only top edge high into the air, and Davies took a steepling catch. 36-2, and looking to rebuild. Peter Trego and Nick Compton tried to do that, with the former playing his usual aggressive way, but on 16, he tried to pull Jade Dernbach, and could only find Zafar Ansari, who took a good running catch at fine leg.

Somerset were then on even more trouble when James Hildreth was bowled by Chris Schofield, with a ball that didn’t turn. And Somerset were 5 down for 79, when Arul Suppiah was trapped in front by Gareth Batty, and Surrey were looking to bowl Somerset out for a below par score. However, Jos Buttler had other ideas, playing sensibly with Nick Compton, but still knocking the score along at a good run rate.

However, Zafar Ansari then had his first wicket, when Compton went for the reverse sweep, but missed it and was bowled for 26. Buttler carried on though playing some delightful shots, but lost another partner when Craig Meschede was well caught & bowled by Gareth Batty. Somerset, 146-7, and struggling to get to 200. Buttler then brought up his fifty, with a cut off Ansari, which came off 48 balls, and was turning out to be a real gem of an innings.

Alfonso Thomas supported Buttler, until he was caught behind off the bowling of Jade Dernbach. Murali Kartik came to the crease and helped Somerset up to 200, before he was bowled by a Dernbach full toss. After hitting a couple more lusty blows, Buttler’s great innings ended on 86, when Dernbach bowled him. Somerset 214 all out, and Dernbach finishing with figures of 4-30.

Rory Hamilton- Brown and Steven Davies started the Surrey innings off quietly, in front of some tight Somerset bowling. And they lost an early wicket, when Davies looked to pull Kirby, but could only find Murali Kartik at midwicket. Jason Roy joined his captain at the crease, as the rain started to fall. It got gradually heavier, but the umpires let play carry on, to Roy’s dismay, when he was caught behind off Kirby. Adding insult to injury, the umpires immediately took the players off, with the rain seemingly not heavier than before the ball was bowled.

The players weren’t off long though, and Tom Maynard came to the crease hitting a boundary with just his second delivery. But the rain returned, with Surrey 46-2, and this time the break was longer. After various start times were announced, with the rain returning seemingly when the players were just about to go out, Surrey did restart at 4.45, with them needing 186 for victory, off of 30 overs.

After ticking the score on quite nicely, Maynard was caught behind for 17 off the bowling of Suppiah, with Surrey still needing 109 to win. Chris Schofield, as he has done this season, was promoted up the order, and was perfect foil for Hamilton- Brown, with them both finding the gaps with ease, and hitting the bad ball for 4, knowing the run rate wasn’t very high. Hamilton- Brown then brought up his fifty, which was fluent as always, and was a true captain’s knock,

However, with Surrey still 50 away from victory, Schofield looked to whip Thomas into the leg side, and was caught by Trescothick for a well made 26. Zander de Bruyn joined his skipper, and played sensibly as usual, with the run rate down at 5 an over. But, on 78, Hamilton- Brown was sent back by de Bruyn, after going for a single, and Buttler run him out with 39 still required. It was a truely fantastic innings from the captain, and had taken his sided close to victory.

Matthew Spriegel, as he has done so often in this competition this year, looked very good at the crease, and used the extra aggression he has added to his game, to take his side to victory. Needing 5 to win, Spriegel pulled Kirby for four, and very next ball, a thick outside edge flew to the boundary and the celebrations started.

Surrey had won their first Lord’s final for ten years, and it was truly fitting that Spriegel hit the winning runs, after the great season he has had, averaging 53 in the competition.

The win capped of a perfect week for Surrey, who now head into the winter, knowing  they will be playing division 1 cricket next season, and they are the reigning champions of the Clydesdale Bank 40.

Squad named for CB40 Final

Chris Adams has named a 14 man squad for the CB40 Final against Somerset on Saturday at Lords.

Jade Dernbach is the only addition to the squad from the semi final win against Sussex a couple of weeks ago. He will travel up from Cardiff Friday night, after playing in England’s final ODI against India at the Swalec Stadium.

Surrey have only lost one game in this competition, and will be looking to keep it that way. Obviously Surrey are a side full of confidence, with the right blend of youth and experience in the team, and packing the team with spinners, is the way they have gone for most of the tournament.

Marcus Trescothick is rated 50-50 to play and he will definitely make a massive difference in the opposition’s side, in the batting, as well as being the captain. Their side is also packed full of explosive batsman, like Peter Trego and Craig Kieswetter, and it will surely be an enthralling encounter.

The win would cap off a perfect week for Surrey, after already claiming promotion from the LVCC second division yesterday. However, they know that they come up against a Somerset side that are full of hurt after losing the last three cup finals they have been in, in the last two seasons. That might though, play into Surrey’s hands, because as well as knowing how to win cup finals, Somerset seem to know how to lose them.

The full Surrey squad to take on Somerset in the CB40 Final on Saturday is:

27. R Hamilton- Brown (c)

9. S. Davies (W)

58. Z. de Bruyn

55. T. Maynard

20. J. Roy

28. M. Spriegel

30. C. Schofield

13. G Batty

18. S. Meaker

12. T. Linley

29. Y. Arafat

22. Z. Ansari

16. J. Dernbach

14. G. Wilson

Surrey Promoted to Division 1

Surrey have been promoted from the LVCC second division after beating Derbyshire by an innings and 126 runs at The Kia Oval.

The morning started with Surrey knowing that 13 wickets would give them promotion, with what happening at Wantage Road, not affecting Surrey, if they win. Gareth Batty gave Surrey the perfect start when he had Tim Groenewald caught by sub Ansari. And Pragyan Ojha wrapped up the innings when he had Paul Borrington stumped for 87, and trapped Mark Footitt lbw first ball. Derbyshire 190 all out, trailing by 278.

Unsurprisingly, Surrey enforced the follow on, and Chris Jordan made the perfect start when he bowled Lineker for 16. And Derbyshire were 2 down, when Ojha trapped Wayne Madsen lbw for 8. Stuart Meaker got in on the act when he got Durston lbw, and just before lunch, Ojha had his second wicket of the day when he bowled Borrington with a fantastic ball, which turned and gripped, past the opening batsman. Derbyshire 59-4 at lunch, and Surrey sniffing promotion.

And straight after lunch, Ojha was at it again when he combined again with Ansari, getting Redfern caught for 13. Luke Sutton joined Ross Whiteley at the crease but it wasn’t long before Ojha had his fourth, when he bowled Sutton for 5. Jonathan Clare then was Ojha’s fifth victim, his second fifer for Surrey, when Maynard took the catch at slip. Derby 83-7, and in desperate trouble.

And it got worse when Meaker banged one in at Whiteley, and with a lot to do, Chris Jordan took a brilliant catch, and the young batsman went for 18. Groenewald didn’t give up, and along with Tom Knight, started to play some shots. Groenewald hit Ojha for a six and then hit two more maximums in a Gareth Batty over. However, Knight went, when he came down the ground to Ojha, and was stumped for 14. 10 wickets in the match for Ojha, and he has proved a fantastic signing for Surrey, playing a massive part in the last few games of the season.

And the moment came not long after, when Gareth Batty had Mark Footitt caught by Stuart Meaker and Surrey were promoted back to division 1. After winning their final 4 games of the season, Chris Adams and his staff and side should be hugely proud of this moment. A young team, with a young captain have had their critics, but they have achieved their target fantastically.

Surrey now head to Lord’s, for the final game of the season, the cherry on the cake some might say, if they can beat Somerset in the CB40 final on Saturday.

Promotion in Surrey's hands

Surrey had a very good day on the second day of the LVCC Division 2 match against Derbyshire at the Kia Oval, claiming 7 Derbyshire wickets, for 177 runs.

The morning started with Surrey in a good position, 400-8 and looking to add some vital runs to the total. Stuart Meaker and Tim Linley looked comfortable in front of the Derbyshire attack and began to frustrate the visitors. And they brought up the 50 partnership with the score on 432. Meaker was moving towards his first fifty of the season, but before he could do, Linley went for 21 stumped off the bowling of Wes Durston.

However, Meaker did bring up his fifty, off of 104 balls, shortly after Linley’s departure. Surrey were all out for 468 when Pragyan Ojha was caught off the bowling of Durston again. A good score for Surrey, now looking for bowling points.

And Surrey had their first bowling point before lunch when Tim Linley had Lineker caught for Maynard without scoring. And Linley had his second, when he had Wayne Madsen caught & bowled for 4. And in the last over before the break, Ojha had Durston caught once again by Maynard. Derbyshire 17-3 and struggling.

Things got worse for Derby when Dan Redfern was trapped lbw by Linley again, for 4, shortly after lunch. Whiteley joined opener Borrington, and they looked to rebuild the innings, with Surrey’s bowlers, bowling tight and not releasing the pressure. However, Whiteley went when Meaker had him caught behind for 24 and Derbyshire in trouble on 62-5.

The skipper, Luke Sutton, joined Borrington and frustrated Surrey, who were looking to bowl Derbyshire out for less than 100. Sutton used all of his experience and played the right shot at the right time, playing really watchfully in the circumstances. Borrington brought up his fifty off of 140 balls, not quick, but the right pace for where Derbyshire were at earlier in the day.

After his fifty was brought up, he began to frustrate Surrey more by ticking the scoreboard along quicker, with Sutton being the perfect partner for him. However, late in the day, Chris Jordan picked up the wicket of Sutton, caught behind for 32. Jonathan Clare came to the crease, and immediately started to play his shots, trying to knock the bowlers off of their line and length.

And after bowling for most of the afternoon session, Ojha had his rewards when he trapped Clare lbw for a quickfire 21. Derbyshire closed on 177-7, with Surrey collecting 2 bowling points.

And Surrey go into tomorrow, knowing that Northampton are close to victory over Gloucestershire, and that victory is the only way to gain promotion. However, if Surrey win this game, claiming all the bowling points, then they are promoted, and possibly as champions, if Middlesex draw with Leicestershire. 

Maynard Century takes Surrey to Maximum Points

Surrey enjoyed a good opening day of the final LVCC Division 2 match of the season, against Derbyshire, at the Kia Oval, collecting all 5 batting points.

Rory Hamilton- Brown won the toss and elected to bat, and he walked out to the middle with opening partner Steve Davies, knowing that Surrey needed all the points they can get if they wanted promotion. Start was delayed by 15 minutes, but when play got underway, Hamilton- Brown went early when he was caught by Wes Durston off the bowling of Mark Footitt for 6. And Derbyshire had an even better start when Tim Groenewald bowled Mark Ramprakash for 0. Surrey 12-2, and in trouble.

Surrey’s leading scorer of the season, Zander de Bruyn, joined Steve Davies, and the pair began to rebuild the Surrey innings, fighting against some tight Derbyshire bowling. They began to play more fluently as the morning went on, and Surrey went to lunch on 103-2, the partnership 91.

After lunch, they continued to play well and within quick succession, the pair brought up their 50’s. First was de Bruyn, whose came up off 89 balls, followed by Davies, 1 ball less. But with the score on 132, Footitt had his second wicket, when de Bruyn was caught behind for 61. Tom Maynard joined Davies and the pair began to build another partnership, until Davies fell for 73, off the bowling of Durston.

Jason Roy and Maynard once again looked in good form, with the former hitting a six early in his innings, and the latter, playing less attacking than normal, knowing he had a job to do. They began to control the Derbyshire bowling, with Roy batting at a run a ball, hitting another six in the process. Maynard brought up his 50 from 66 balls, playing more fluently as his innings went on.They were taking Surrey towards tea in a good position, but just before the break, Jason Roy was run out for 45. Gareth Batty joined Maynard, and Surrey went to tea 270-5.

Not long after Tea though, Gareth Batty went when he was trapped in front by Groenewald, for 13. Chris Jordan, after his back to back fifties last week, joined Maynard and was the perfect foil for the Welshman, who was playing shots all around the ground. And Maynard moved to a brilliant hundred with the score on 333-6, and passing 1000 first class runs this season, in the process.

However, after Maynard passed his hundred, Jordan went when he was bowled by a good inswinging ball from Footitt for 14. Surrey 356-7, still needing 44 more for maximum batting points. And Footitt thought he had his 4^th wicket of the innings when he bowled Stuart Meaker with a brilliant Yorker, but it was a no ball, and Meaker was reprieved.

However, not long after, Maynard went for a brilliant 123 when Jonathan Clare had him caught behind, with Surrey still 18 runs short of 400. And Footitt was at it again when he had Meaker caught at leg slip, but once again it was a no ball, Surrey scraping their way towards 400.

And after a couple of nervous overs, Tim Linley brought up the maximum batting points with a pull into the leg side, and Surrey closed on 400-8.

A good day for Surrey, recovering from the couple of early wickets they lost, and have done all they can do at the moment, with the maximum batting points potentially ever so crucial. And Surrey know that if Northamptonshire fail to reach 350, they are 316-9 overnight, and Surrey win their game, as well as taking all bowling points, then they are promoted.

Unchanged Squad Again For Derby

Chris Adams has once again named an unchanged squad from his side’s win at Chelmsford last week, for the final LVCC Division 2 match of the season against Derbyshire, starting tomorrow.

Chris Jordan will go into the game after twice beating his previous best first class score in the victory over Essex last week, and claiming best bowling figures of 4-57 as well. Tim Linley and Stuart Meaker will also be looking to take their good form back to the Kia Oval, where Surrey haven’t played a Championship game for 2 months.

Surrey go into this game knowing that if they win, and come out of the game with at least 2 more points than Northamptonshire, then they are promoted to division 1. However, Surrey don’t have to win for promotion. If Northamptonshire draw to Gloucestershire, Surrey still only need 2 more points than them in the game to go up. This means if Surrey draw, or even lose with some bonus points, they can still go up. However, Gloucestershire can still go up if they beat Northampton at Wantage Road, so Surrey then will most likely need to beat Derby.

So, with many possibilities, the most unrealistic is Surrey winning Division 2. The leaders Middlesex are ahead of Surrey by 12 points, and with the London Rivals travelling to bottom side Leicestershire, defeat is very unlikely.  But anything can happen, and with the hurricane coming over the country, weather might play its part at Grace Road and Wantage Road, and that could play into Surrey’s hands.

The full Surrey squad to take on Derbyshire this week, from 12^th-15^th September, is:

27. R Hamilton- Brown (c)

9. S. Davies (W)

77. M. Ramprakash

58. Z. de Bruyn

55. T. Maynard

20. J. Roy

13. G Batty

11. C. Jordan

18. S. Meaker

12. T. Linley

32. P. Ojha

22. Z. Ansari

G. Edwards

Jordan bowls Surrey to Promotion Contention

Surrey have given themselves a real chance of promotion after beating Essex on the final day of the LVCC Division 2 match at Chelmsford.

When the players took to the field at 10:30, Surrey new that all they needed to do was take 5 wickets, to keep promotion a possibility. And Tim Linley gave Surrey the perfect start when he trapped Ryan ten Doeschate lbw in just the second over of the day. Graham Napier joined Foster in the middle and the pair looked to frustrate Surrey, who were hunting for quick wickets, in case the rain came.

Then, Chris Jordan had his first wicket of the game, when he had Foster well caught by Gareth Batty at second slip for 27. And Jordan followed that up by getting Masters caught off a leading by Mark Ramprakash in the gully. Essex 186-8 and close to defeat.

However, Graham Napier had other ideas when he went on an assault of the Surrey bowlers, hitting shots all around the ground, and out of it, and brought up a brilliant fifty of just 46 balls. Surrey knew that an hour more of Napier, and they were in trouble. But after hitting some more big shots, Surrey had their man when Napier looked to hit Jordan for another maximum but could only find Mark Ramprakash on the cover boundary rope. And very next ball, Tom Craddock tried to guide Jordan behind square, but could only find Ramprakash, who held on to a fantastic catch at the second time of asking.

So, Surrey winning the game by 109 runs, with Chris Jordan picking up career best figures of 4-57. Surrey now know that if they win their final game at home to Derbyshire, starting Monday, with at least two more points than Northamptonshire, then they are promoted. It is definitely, the biggest week for Surrey in years, with the CB40 Final against Somerset at the end of it.

de Bruyn and Jordan put Surrey in control

Surrey go into the final day at Chelmsford, in the LVCC Division 2 match against Essex, needing 5 more wickets for victory, after being bowled out for 286.

The morning started with Zander de Bruyn unbeaten on 40 and Jason Roy joining him after the loss of Maynard off the last ball of day two. The pair started the morning well with Roy playing in his usual mode, hitting Graham Napier onto the commentary box roof for six. But Roy didn’t last much longer when Napier had him caught behind for 16. And after scoring just 1, Gareth Batty was adjudged lbw off the bowling of Masters and at 128-6, Essex had got off to the perfect start.

However, Chris Jordan joined de Bruyn, with the latter bringing up his fifty shortly after Batty’s wicket, off of just 58 balls. As in the first innings, Jordan looked accomplished at the crease playing in a more aggressive manner as his innings went on. And as the score went past 178, the 50 partnership was brought up, a vital won for Surrey to get a decent first innings lead.

The pair didn’t stop there though, playing an array of shots around the ground, taking Surrey to lunch on 227-6, with de Bruyn on 96. However, Jordan was first to bring up a milestone, his second fifty of the match off of 82 balls, considerably quicker than his 111 balls in the 1^st innings. And de Bruyn brought up a fantastic hundred, his 4^th of the season, off of 121 balls with 12 fours and 2 sixes, and Surrey were leading by over 300. However, de Bruyn failed to add any more to his total before he was bowled by David Masters. Stuart Meaker came to the crease and looked positive straight away, leading his team towards a lead of 350.

But Meaker went for 13 when he was bowled by Tom Craddock and Tim Linley followed for 0 when Masters bowled him for his sixth wicket. Jordan wasn’t finished and went past his highest first class score, which was set in the first innings, and was on 79 when number 11 Pragyan Ojha was run out without scoring. Surrey 286 all out and 349 for Essex to win.

Tim Linley and Chris Jordan opened up and found their line and length straight away, not allowing Godleman and Westley to get off to a quick start. And Linley got his just rewards when Westley attempted to leave a ball and was bowled for 16. And not long after, just like the 1^st innings, Linley produced a brilliant ball to bowl Owais Shah for just 8 and Essex were in trouble, heading into tea on 50-2.

After bowling tightly before tea, Pragyan Ojha had his first wicket of the innings, 20 minutes after the resumption, when Jaik Mickleburgh looked to whip the Indian into the leg side, but found a leading edge and Gareth Batty took a good catch at deep mid off. And Ojha had 2 in quick succession when he trapped Adam Wheater lbw for 1. Essex 78-4, and in danger of losing tonight.

And it got worse when  Tim Linley replaced Stuart Meaker, and immediately found the edge of Billy Godleman’s bat, who played patiently for his 38. Surrey, looking for more wickets, came up against the skipper, James Foster, and Ryan ten Doeschate, who batted well for the last ten overs of the day before bad light ended the day with Essex on 142-5, needing 207 more to win.

Surrey will be happy with the day’s play, and know that early wickets are the key tomorrow, but need to be wary of Essex, who have nothing to lose.

Meaker's five gives Surrey advantage

Surrey will go into day three at Chelmsford in the LVCC Division 2 against Essex, with a lead of 166, with six wickets remaining.

Essex started the day 6-0, with Billy Godleman and Tom Westley at the crease. The pair batted sensibly in face of some tight bowling from Tim Linley and Zander de Bruyn and latterly, Stuart Meaker, on a pitch which showed yesterday, if you get in, you can get a good score. Despite all of the efforts of the bowlers, Surrey struggled to make a breakthrough and Godleman and Westley began to settle in to their innings.

As lunch approached, Surrey continued to struggle and when the clock hit 12:30, Essex went back to the pavilion 91-0. However, not long after lunch, Surrey did finally make the breakthrough when Godleman edged behind off Linley and the former Middlesex man went for 43. And after reaching 7, Owais Shah was bowled by Linley and Surrey were back on track.

Things got even better when Linley trapped Jaik Mickleburgh in front for 5, as he tried to leave a ball, 116-3, and Surrey in control.  And after reaching his fifty, Westley drove Linley, who could only find Jason Roy. A well made 57 from the Essex opener. And Pragyan Ojha had his first wicket of the match when Adam Wheater looked to whip the spinner into the leg side, but could only find a leading edge which found its way to Gareth Batty at mid off.

Ryan ten Doeschate joined James Foster in the middle and the pair began to rebuild the Essex innings with the Dutchman playing his useful aggressive self. However, with the score on 197, Meaker delivered a brute of a delivery which rose on Foster and brushed his glove on the way to Steven Davies. And Meaker backed that up when he had Graham Napier plum in front, without scoring. And Meaker had his 3^rd wicket when he got a ball to come back to David Masters, who didn’t offer a shot, and clipped the top of the off stump. 205-8 and Essex still a long way off Surrey’s 315.

And after playing a few more bludgeoning shots, ten Doeschate was Meaker’s 4^th victim when he was adjudged lbw. And Meaker had back to back fifer’s when he bowled Tymal Mills for 7. Essex 253 all out, a lead of 66 for Surrey.

But Surrey got off to the worst start when, with the score on 2, Davies drove David Masters and could only find ten Doeschate in the covers. Rory Hamilton- Brown then started off his innings in typical fashion but then he tried to cut a ball to close to him, and played on, for 23. Napier’s 7^th wicket of the match. And Surrey lost another wicket when Ramprakash was caught at leg slip off the bowling of David Masters for 11.

However, Zander de Bruyn and Tom Maynard got together and played at over a run a ball to try and knock the Essex bowler’s off their line and length. The partnership went past 50 and Surrey looked like they would be going into the third day 3 down, but that all changed. With what turned out to be the last ball of the day, Maynard was stuck on the back foot, and Masters had his third wicket, when the umpire rose the finger.

Surrey will be the happier of the two teams, but Essex will take optimism from the late wicket and will be looking to stop Surrey get a lead of 250+.

Jordan's best helps Surrey post total

Chris Jordan struck a career best 71 as Surrey enjoyed a good first day at Chelmsford in the LVCC Division two match against Essex, despite being bowled out.

The day started with James Foster winning the toss and electing to field first. Steven Davies and Rory Hamilton- Brown made their way to the middle with Davies in fantastic form after his 2 hundreds in his last two matches. However, with the score on 29, Davies was caught by James Mickleburgh off the bowling of Graham Napier for 11. And not long after, Mark Ramprakash, who has just turnerd42, was bowled by Napier for just 1.

And Surrey were in trouble when Zander de Bruyn was caught in the slips off the bowling of Tymal Mills for 2. 54-3 and needing a recovery. But they didn’t recover when Hamilton- Brown, who passed 1000 first class runs this season in this innings, was bowled once again by Mills, for 32.

Tom Maynard and Jason Roy got together and took Surrey towards lunch playing in a typical attacking manner. But Maynard went when he was trapped in front by Ryan ten Doeschate for 19. Roy and Gareth Batty did manage to take Surrey to lunch at 141-5. However, straight after lunch, Jason Roy edged to Westley for his second catch of the day, this time off the bowling of Graham Napier, for a run a ball 43.

Chris Jordan joined Batty and the pair began to repair the innings in difficult conditions for the batsman, in front of some good Essex bowling. They played sensibly in the situation as well as playing the odd aggressive stroke when needed. The partnership had reached 81 before Gareth Batty was caught by Ryan ten Doeschate for Graham Napier’s 4^th wicket of the innings, 1 short of his fifty. Chris Jordan and Stuart Meaker took Surrey to tea at 244-7.

And straight after tea, Chris Jordan brought up his first fifty for over 2 years, off 111 balls with 3 fours. The young pair began to play more aggressively with Meaker hitting Craddock back over his head for six, and Jordan playing some Caribbean style drives. The partnership had moved to 69 before David Masters had his 1^st wicket of the innings when he bowled Meaker for a well made 38. 298-8, 2 runs away from a 3^rd batting point.  And a Tim Linley single brought up the 300, and from being 148-6, it was a fantastic performance from the lower order.

Not long after, though, Chris Jordan was caught behind for a career best 71, a fifth wicket for Napier, but a great innings from Jordan in the circumstances, taking Surrey to a good score. And after hitting Masters for a massive six, Napier had his sixth wicket when Linley top edged a hook and was caught by Adam Wheater. Surrey all out for 315, and even though they cannot reach a promotion place this week, as they didn’t get maximum batting points, Surrey will be very happy with their 1^st innings score on a difficult track.

Essex had two overs to bat at the end of the day, and Billy Godleman and Tom Westley survived them finishing on 6-0, but Surrey had the spoils on day one, and now looking for early wickets in the morning.

de Bruyn signs 2 year extension

Zander de Bruyn has signed a two year extension to his contract at Surrey after having a fantastic summer for Surrey with bat and with ball.

Despite only scoring 2 in today's championship match at Chelmsford, he is Surrey's top scorer with 1222 runs, also chipping in with match winning performances in the FLt20 and the Clydesdale Bank 40, notching up 275 and 311 in those respective competitions.

The South African has also taken 27 wickets in all forms of the game, proving himself as a highly important part of the team, which he has been ever present since his move from Somerset at the end of the 2010 season.

This is a fantastic piece of news for Surrey, who rely on de Bruyn as the glue of the batting line up, to hold the innings together, in case the aggressive batsman fall cheaply, which he has done many times this season.

Zander will now be with Surrey until the end of the 2013 season, until he is at the age of 38, with maybe some more years in him, as we've seen with the 42 year old, Mark Ramprakash, who has only just started to struggle after a serious knee injury last season.

Adams names unchanged Squad for Chelmsford

Chris Adams has named a thirteen man squad to travel to Chelmsford this week, to play in the penultimate LVCC Division 2 match against Essex, starting Wednesday.

The squad is unchanged from the one which beat Northamptonshire at Wantage Road last week by 333 runs. That means young seamer George Edwards retains his place in the squad and after his match winning performance last week, Pragyan Ojha is once again preferred to Yasir Arafat.

If Surrey fail to win this game, their promotion hopes are all but gone, but win it and with maximum bonus points, they would, overtake Northampton in second place, who play their final game next week.

Surrey will be looking to take momentum from last week’s win and the semi final win against Sussex on Sunday, but will be up against a strong Essex side, which contains the division’s leading wicket taker, David Masters. The experienced bowler has taken 86 wickets this season, 15 more than his nearest rival, Tim Murtagh.

Essex themselves, cannot be promoted, but for sure, will put up a fight and try to finish the season on a high, with 4^th place still a possibility.

The Full Surrey Squad to take on Essex at Chelmsford this Week is:

27. R Hamilton- Brown (c)

9. S. Davies (W)

77. M. Ramprakash

58. Z. de Bruyn

55. T. Maynard

20. J. Roy

13. G Batty

11. C. Jordan

18. S. Meaker

12. T. Linley

32. P. Ojha

22. Z. Ansari

G. Edwards

Surrey thrash Sussex to reach Lord's Final

Surrey are through to the final of the CB40 after beating Sussex by 71 runs today at Kia Oval, in a rain affected match.

The toss was delayed by 10 minutes but Rory Hamilton- Brown won it and elected to bat first.  However, the rain came and continued to frustrate the players, with heavy showers or persistant drizzle throughout the afternoon. But when it stopped, the groundsman did a brilliant job, and play started at 3.45pm, with the match reduced to 24 overs per side.

Rory Hamilton- Brown got off to a flier and along with Steven Davies, got Surrey off to a quick start. The captain played some brilliant shots but went in the 4^th over for 24 when he was caught behind off the bowling of Liddle.

It was the turn of Roy and Davies to turn up the heat, with the former hitting Parnell for a big six and the latter taking 19 off a Yardy over. But, in that over, Davies tried to flick Yardy into the leg side and was bowled. Sussex began to build pressure on the Surrey batsman and Jason Roy was bowled by Monty Panesar in the 12^th over for a well made 31. 110-3, and Schofield and Maynard, needing to rebuild.

And in the next over, Maynard hit a big six off of Nash over the leg side, continuing to tick Surrey along. And in Nash’s next over, Maynard repeated the shot, once again hitting the ball into the Peter May stand. And Maynard hit is 3^rd six of the day, this time off Panesar, putting the spinner into the OCS Stand, fifteen rows back. But in the same over, Schofield tried to slog sweep Panesar, but was bowled. Surrey 150-4 after 16 overs.

Zander de Bruyn joined Maynard and the pair, as they have done a lot this season, began to build a partnership as well as ticking the scoreboard along. Maynard then hit his 4^th six, over the Peter May stand, which brought up his 50 off of just 28 balls. And, Zander de Bruyn brought up the fifty partnership, as well as the Surrey 200 of the last ball of the 21^st over. But in the next over, Maynard tried to pull Liddle, but could only find Wayne Parnell who took a good catch. Maynard gone for 60 off just 33 balls.

And along with Matt Spriegel, de Bruyn took 17 off of the 23^rd over, with the former hitting the South African over midwicket for 6. But de Bruyn was bowled in the final over for a fantastic 43, by Chris Liddle. And after Matt Spriegel was lbw for 7, Surrey posted 228-7, off of their 24 overs.

Matthew Spriegel and Yasir Arafat opened up for Surrey and started well, only going for 10 in the first 2 overs. And after hitting a 4 of Spriegel, Prior looked to hit over the top but could only find Jason Roy at extra cover, and Surrey had made the perfect start.  And Spriegel was at it again in his next over when he took a great catch off of his own bowling, dismissing the dangerous Murray Goodwin.

Chris Nash and Ed Joyce got together and used all their experience to rebuild the innings as well as hitting boundaries at regular intervals, taking 14 off of Tim Linley’s first over. And the 50 partnership was brought up by Joyce off the last ball of the 9^th over, Sussex 75-2. But Batty had his revenge when in his next over, had Joyce trapped in front, and the Irishman had gone for a very good 47.

Michael Yardy and Chris Nash began to knock the spinners around for singles and two’s with the latter hitting the odd big shot.  But when the batting powerplay was taken in the 14^th over, Arafat returned and with the final ball of the over, mishit a slower ball and Hamilton- Brown took the catch at mid on. And in the next over, Gatting looked to hit Batty into the OCS stand but could only find the safe hands of Chris Schofield. 115-5 off 15 overs, requiring 114 more off 54 balls.

And things got worse for Sussex when Ben Brown was stumped off a Chris Schofield wide and Surrey were on top, but with Nash still there, anything can happen. And Nash brought up his fifty in the next over off just 36 balls. But Nash didn’t last much longer when he looked to hit Schofield over long, on but could only find Jason Roy who took a great catch.

And Schofield then thought that he had Amjad Khan stumped, but he wasn’t, it was counted as run out, but they all count and Surrey has almost won, with Sussex 143-8. And the match was over when Schofield got two in two balls, bowling Liddle and trapping Monty lbw first ball.

Sussex all out for 157, Surrey winning by 71 runs, and will now face Somerset in the final at Lords on Saturday 17^th September, looking for their first one day silverware since the Twenty20 cup in 2003.

Ojha's 6 spins Surrey to victory

Surrey wrapped up victory over Northamptonshire by 333 runs at Wantage Road before lunch on the final day, with Pragyan Ojha claiming 6 wickets.

The morning started with Northampton 103-4 with the nightwatchman Lee Daggett and the skipper Andrew Hall at the crease. Stuart Meaker and Pragyan Ojha opened the bowling and both started up with maidens, putting pressure on the home side with a succession of balls beating the outside edge of the bat.

It only took 20 minutes for the breakthrough, though. Stuart Meaker banged one in at Andrew Hall who tried to pull but could only find a top edge which was fantastically caught by a diving Steven Davies. Niall O’Brien on a king pair survived his first ball, but in the same over, Pragyan Ojha had his first wicket of the day when the Irish wicketkeeper tried an outrageous reverse sweep and was caught at silly point by Gareth Batty without scoring.

James Middlebrook joined Daggett at the crease and the pair worked hard in difficult conditions against the spin of Ojha and the pace of Meaker.  They batted for half an hour playing the odd aggressive stroke off Meaker but could hardly get a run off Ojha. And just before 12 O’clock, Ojha brought an end to the partnership when he bowled Daggett for 16.

Gareth Batty replaced Meaker at the Lynne Wilson end of the ground and continued to add pressure on Middlebrook and the new batsman Chaminda Vaas. Ojha then had his first fifer for Surrey when he had Middlebrook caught at silly point by 12^th man Zafar Ansari, on for Tom Maynard. The score 149-8 and Ojha’s figures 5-5 of 15 overs.

Then, a couple of overs later Ojha trapped Dave Burton lbw and Surrey had won the game as Stephen Peters didn’t bat. 152 all out and Ojha had picked up figures of 6-8 off his 16.3 overs.

21 points is what Surrey have collected and even though they still sit in third place, promotion is in their own hands as they trail Northampton by 23 points with a vital game in hand.

Surrey now turn their attentions to tomorrow where they face the Sussex Sharks in the CB40 semi final at the Kia Oval, starting at 12:45pm. You can find the preview and the squad here http://bit.ly/rdGRXg

13 man Squad named for Semi Final

Chris Adams has named a 13 man squad for their CB40 semi final against Sussex on Sunday.

The one change to the squad from the game against Durham is Yasir Arafat has replaced Pragyan Ojha, as Surrey's seam bowling attack looks weak, as Jade Dernbach and Chris Tremlett are both unavailable.

Surrey would like to get revenge over Sussex as they were the team who knocked the Lions out of the FLt20 group stage at the final hurdle. However, Sussex will be no pushover and with the likes of Matt Prior and Murray Goodwin in their team, it will be a tough task for the hosts who boast the best record in the competition this year, losing just once.

The winner of this match will play either Somerset or Durham in the final on Saturday 17th September at Lord's.

The full Surrey squad to take on Sussex Sharks is:
27. Rory Hamilton- Brown (c)
9. Steven Davies (vc) (wk)
20. Jason Roy
55. Tom Maynard
58. Zander de Bruyn
28. Matthew Spriegel
30. Chris Schofield
13. Gareth Batty
22. Zafar Ansari
29. Yasir Arafat
18. Stuart Meaker
12. Tim Linley
14. Gary Wilson

Davies and de Bruyn put Surrey in command

Centuries from Steven Davies and Zander de Bruyn put Surrey in an excellent position on Day three of the LVCC match against Northampton at Wantage Road. Pragyan Ojha also took two late wickets to put the hosts in trouble at 103-4.

Day 3 started with Surrey resuming on 115-3 with Steven Davies unbeaten on 41 and Zander de Bruyn on 2. Davies started the morning the way he finished last night playing watchfully but putting nearly every bad ball to the boundary. Davies quickly brought up his fifty and along with Zander de Bruyn, began to build a solid partnership.

De Bruyn brought up his fifty 20 minutes before the lunch break. A typical de Bruyn fifty, full of high concentration and some beautiful shots. And just before lunch, Davies brought up his second championship century in as many games. The hundred was off 188 balls with 20 fours and 2 sixes. At lunch Surrey were 239-3, a lead of 314.

After lunch, de Bruyn and Davies continued where they left off 40 minutes previously, ticking the scoreboard a long at a good pace and beginning to build a massive lead. Davies brought up his 150 off 223 balls, his third  fifty coming up off just 45 balls. However, not long after, Davies was caught behind off the bowling of Chaminda Vaas for 156. The partnership had been broken on 216. Surrey 321-4.

Tom Maynard came to the crease and was in his usual mode, attacking from ball one. He began to build a partnership with Zander de Bruyn, leading the South African towards his century. But on 36, after hitting 3 fours and a six, Maynard was run out and Surrey were 392-5. Jason Roy joined de Bruyn at the crease and almost immediately, de Bruyn had his 3^rd championship century of the season, coming up off 213 balls. He then hit is 1^st six of his innings in the next over and after Roy departed for 9, tea was taken and Surrey declared on 410-6.

486 was the target for Northamptonshire and after Newton and Coetzer had got their teams off to a quick start, Linley struck. He had Newton caught in the gully by Mark Ramprakash for 14 and Surrey had got off to the perfect start. Another wicket for Linley, his 100^th first class in his career. Wakely came to the crease and first ball, Linley thought he had bowled him. The ball clearly hit the stumps but it failed to dislodge the bails. Linley horrified and Wakely relieved.

Wakely put it behind him and began to build a partnership with Coetzer in difficult conditions for the batsman as Surrey began to build the pressure. The pair put on 55 until Wakely was bowled for 22 by Pragyan Ojha. Northampton 83-2 and still a few overs left. Ojha then picked up his second wicket when he got David Sales caught at short leg for 5.

Lee Daggett, in as nightwatchman, joined Coetzer and the pair looked to see out the day only 3 down. But they couldn’t and Surrey got the man they wanted in the penultimate over of the day. Meaker steaming in got Coetzer caught behind for a well made 54. Northants 97-4.

A fantastic day for Surrey with Northamptonshire finishing the day 103-4, still needing 384 more runs to win. Surrey look favourites to win this game especially with Stephen Peters looking unlikely to bat again because of a back problem.

Career best for Meaker gives Surrey 1st innings lead

Stuart Meaker claimed career best figures of 5-37 to help Surrey bowl the LVCC Division 2 leaders Northamptonshire out for 194, 75 behind Surrey's 269, on day 2 at Wantage Road.

The day started off with Northamptonshire 4 without loss, after Surrey's disappointing 269 all out on day 1, on a pitch which if you get in, big scores are there to be made. However, Zander de Bruyn opening up, gave Surrey the perfect start when he trapped Kyle Coetzer lbw second ball of the day without scoring. However, Surrey failed to capitalize on their early breakthrough and Alex Wakely joined joined Rob Newton and both batsman batted with relative ease.

But with the score on 67, Stuart Meaker made the breakthrough when he had Wakely caught behind for 29. David Sales came to the crease and the Northants batsman took their team to 112-2 at lunch.

10 minutes after lunch, Tim Linley took his 98th first class career wicket, when he trapped David Sales plum in front. Surrey would of then thought to have kicked on and taken a couple more quick wickets but Andrew Hall had other ideas. In a partnership of 53 with Rob Newton, Hall scored 36 in a typically aggressive manner to help Northants to within 100 hundred of Surrey's total.

But with the score on 178, Meaker struck. On the second ball of his over, Meaker had Hall caught behind and then very next ball bowled wicket keeper Niall O'Brien. Meaker couldn't complete his hat trick but on his third ball, James Middlebrook edged to Zander de Bruyn at slip, and Meaker had a triple wicket maiden. He then followed that up with getting Rob Newton caught behind once again for a well made 80. 4 wickets for Meaker in 7 balls, conceding no runs. That wicket completed Meaker's 4th first class fifer.

Chaminda Vaas was then caught at short leg by Jason Roy for Pragyan Ojha's first wicket of the match, and Tim Linley cleaned up Dave Burton 13 runs later. Northants 194 all out, a vital lead for Surrey which at the start of the day looked far off.

Rory Hamilton- Brown started the Surrey innings in typical fashion, pulling a Dave Burton bouncer over deep backward square for six, and playing Chaminda Vaas behind square for another boundary. But the very next ball, on 22, RHB drove once too many and a thick outside edge found Niall O'Brien behind the stumps. Surrey 29-1.

Steven Davies and Mark Ramprakash lead Surrey brilliantly using experience in the situation as well as the odd attacking stroke. However, Ramprakash fell 5 overs before the close, on 38 when Andrew Hall trapped him in front in the skipper's first over. Tim Linley, in as nightwatchman, was then cleaned up by James Middlebrook in the next over, leaving Zander de Bruyn a tricky period to survive, which he did, with Steven Davies. Surrey finishing a very good day, 115-3, a lead of 190.