tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6825768764933091822024-03-13T19:11:58.878+00:00Surrey Fan BlogLewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.comBlogger215125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-56056160696845902772014-04-05T15:19:00.001+01:002014-04-05T15:20:12.305+01:00Ford names first Championship Squad<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8ODvHXPj7yoVkMVgCpE33oj4wq2lJo92c3VQYK1d98BKXAt1ENpyO3l-64GAJ8eh02Qze7uGsQyDRUF3vG1K1-QLOZVmgMGA1lkm7GWrMivxCJsTPRFZMlKAWpFrz2BA_RhbhiEGY1iv/s1600/Graeme-Smith-Surrey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8ODvHXPj7yoVkMVgCpE33oj4wq2lJo92c3VQYK1d98BKXAt1ENpyO3l-64GAJ8eh02Qze7uGsQyDRUF3vG1K1-QLOZVmgMGA1lkm7GWrMivxCJsTPRFZMlKAWpFrz2BA_RhbhiEGY1iv/s1600/Graeme-Smith-Surrey.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
Where have the last 6 months gone? It’s that time of the
year again where we prepare ourselves for the highs and lows of a county
cricket season, as the first squad for the opening game against Glamorgan has
been named. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There are no real shocks in the 12 that have been chosen
to lead our charge for promotion to Division One after relegation last term,
with the non-inclusion of Gareth Batty the main talking point. For the man who
was captain for a large part of last season he will be hugely disappointed, but
now that Zafar Ansari is available from the start of the season, having two
spinners at this time of the year would be a poor decision.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Here is the full squad and my predicted starting X1:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Graeme Smith (C)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rory Burns<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Dominic Sibley<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Steve Davies (WK)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gary Wilson<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jason Roy<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zafar Ansari<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Stuart Meaker<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tom Curran<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tim Linley<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Chris Tremlett<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Matthew Dunn <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That isn’t the team I would choose, as I would select
Dunn ahead of Tremlett, just for the fact that Dunn seems hungrier than Trem and
he really needs to show what he is made of this season. Tremlett had a poor
season in 2013 and it looks like he can only go downhill from now on, but it
does seem likely that he will get the nod tomorrow. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2stIKDNYXHzZvIeCHgpZS51YOIw-21tMT2yhj9Q31-KiC2lR-sYd24mzN5H_t1EQxzw9CwXXPq2Z7hViddmCWn5YiguQMGiZugAMdfkNJ1KHWBe3Vt9kdAwk4luJ0nEEdfNZW5RpiAH7/s1600/Curran.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2stIKDNYXHzZvIeCHgpZS51YOIw-21tMT2yhj9Q31-KiC2lR-sYd24mzN5H_t1EQxzw9CwXXPq2Z7hViddmCWn5YiguQMGiZugAMdfkNJ1KHWBe3Vt9kdAwk4luJ0nEEdfNZW5RpiAH7/s1600/Curran.jpg" height="166" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It looks as if Tom Curran will make a Championship debut
after making his First Class debut against Cambridge, and that is great to see.
He is a great prospect and while the Easter break is in full flight, we should
take advantage of his availability before he has to return to school. Known as
a bowling all-rounder, he is yet to showcase any ability with the bat in the
few games he has played, so it’s likely he will bat down at 9 in a rather long
looking tail.</div>
<br /><o:p></o:p>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That will put a lot of pressure on the top 7 to get the
bulk of the runs, but they have all shown reasonable form in pre-season. Smith
comes in at the top, meaning Sibley will drop down to 3 which is no big
headache to be honest, and hopefully he can continue from his last Championship
performance from which he scored that memorable double hundred. Solanki
continues to not be available with private family issues, which means an injury
or two early on would create some problems for new coach Graham Ford.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jade Dernbach misses out after being made to rest by the
ECB after the ICC World T20, and even though I don’t think he would have been
selected even if he was available, he will be a key player for us this year, as
he needs to prove his many doubters wrong. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Overall it looks positive heading into the opening game
tomorrow as Surrey embark on a new era under Ford. Question marks do remain in
some areas though, with Smith’s form for South Africa earlier this year worrying
to say the least, and as already mentioned Tremlett’s lack of pace and hunger
currently. But I believe that this season will be far better than last’s (well,
it couldn’t get much worse!) and if the youngsters are given a decent chance to
showcase their ability, we will be in a fine place come the end of the
campaign.<o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-47270777063358180592013-09-26T19:33:00.002+01:002013-09-26T19:33:49.978+01:00Dominic Sibley: Record Breaker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPG1mXdAYszq4bpO7rI0b72CdI5j20YgAvZ4TQnrzgztNJVW1MU_y8niF4Y62-AdIhg12X7GnOkzVLEX18u_mMjnJoo6SScpowywtcmqwqO1rO8A_f3UipLQsk32fWpoQZqofTzepbhMJD/s1600/Sibley+hundred..jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPG1mXdAYszq4bpO7rI0b72CdI5j20YgAvZ4TQnrzgztNJVW1MU_y8niF4Y62-AdIhg12X7GnOkzVLEX18u_mMjnJoo6SScpowywtcmqwqO1rO8A_f3UipLQsk32fWpoQZqofTzepbhMJD/s400/Sibley+hundred..jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
At the age of just 18 years and 21 days, Ashtead CC
opener and still-schoolboy Dominic Sibley has broken all sorts of records on
his way to an unbeaten 220 on a remarkable day at the KIA Oval.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmaTlNnbY99Oy6ZluCAvOdi-m2MSssM2vJ5S5oCdeja7RP1jCC-kZSPRmhTXgsa1USS68BKS4ITAlPyJf_bwjpuv31saxFkIKRppoBTzYYC_if7zrCxI7WGvDAL4KCGJ2ESrMW_x2A64N/s1600/Sibley+driving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmaTlNnbY99Oy6ZluCAvOdi-m2MSssM2vJ5S5oCdeja7RP1jCC-kZSPRmhTXgsa1USS68BKS4ITAlPyJf_bwjpuv31saxFkIKRppoBTzYYC_if7zrCxI7WGvDAL4KCGJ2ESrMW_x2A64N/s200/Sibley+driving.jpg" width="200" /></a>Starting the morning unbeaten on 81, after Surrey’s
highest opening partnership of the season between him and Rory Burns (82)
yesterday, Sibley, understandably nervous, took almost 100 minutes of the opening
session to register the 19 runs he needed to become Surrey’s youngest ever
centurion in First Class cricket. But when the moment finally happened, a full
toss from former England spinner Adil Rashid in which he swept to the deep
backward square boundary, emotions of the highest order exploded out of the
young man’s body as he realised what he had done.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
What is most impressive though is that not once did he
lose concentration, or if he did he did well to hide it, immediately focussing
back on his job by hitting Rashid for another boundary the ball after he went
to his ton. He was batting at the time with the world’s number 1 Test and ODI
batsmen Hashim Amla after nightwatchman Tim Linley had been dismissed, which is
a distant dream of most 18 year old’s who aspire to play First Class cricket.
Amla was determined to catch Sibley up, with the pair putting on 236 for the 3<sup>rd</sup>
wicket; a record against Yorkshire. Despite Sibley being on 85 when the South
African walked to the crease, he only just managed to reach his 150 before his
partner, who did it remarkably quicker than the 18 year old. It was Amla’s
first century for Surrey after previously recording 4 half centuries, and he
raced to 150 off just 151 balls compared to Sibley’s 394.</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyDS2ychTs6vxj5k90H89q_KtRcOEQfXK-ZxF9cd4FFCDBpV4ZJfi5e1272N94SodcdTJ16my5SqipSsslpah92FVOAMYR3_NKc3f-5tvtNmE1FdTj5SP2_NVnfyfD5sbwgx2oWSqceBx/s1600/Dream+moment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggyDS2ychTs6vxj5k90H89q_KtRcOEQfXK-ZxF9cd4FFCDBpV4ZJfi5e1272N94SodcdTJ16my5SqipSsslpah92FVOAMYR3_NKc3f-5tvtNmE1FdTj5SP2_NVnfyfD5sbwgx2oWSqceBx/s200/Dream+moment.jpg" width="200" /></a>Amla fell for 151 and because of Sibley he will hardly
get a look in in tomorrow’s press, but don’t underestimate the impact he most
likely had on Sibley’s innings today. Sibley remained at the same tempo as he
had done for the previous day and a half, determined to make a double hundred,
whilst Vikram Solanki played as fluent as ever. He blasted 51 off 54 balls with
3 sixes, before he was caught on the fence looking to pass 1000 Championship
runs in the season with a six, meaning he fell just 5 runs short of the feat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Sibley kept going and moved more fluently than he had
done earlier in the day to reach his 100 and when he danced down the track to
Kane Williamson and hit him through the leg side for 4 when on 199, he created
all sorts of records for himself. He has become the youngest batsmen to hit a
double century in the County Championship since its inception in 1890. He is
the second youngest batsmen to hit a double century in First Class cricket in
England after the little known WG Grace. And he is also the 13<sup>th</sup>
youngest batsmen in the history of the game to hit a double century in First
Class cricket. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdUs67UIHJ5-NErQTXXdMwgQtZj4z8wCcCg_0raGVwB0-Pwow8WF6dyYCPIElzJBf82T1tCCFeMVWZYvUPgSNgx5OdwO8zjOQ720K4mQ8XRtE6yMB7k8md0Cly3TTgivrhSPEnW9GItQC/s1600/Pure+emotion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQdUs67UIHJ5-NErQTXXdMwgQtZj4z8wCcCg_0raGVwB0-Pwow8WF6dyYCPIElzJBf82T1tCCFeMVWZYvUPgSNgx5OdwO8zjOQ720K4mQ8XRtE6yMB7k8md0Cly3TTgivrhSPEnW9GItQC/s200/Pure+emotion.jpg" width="177" /></a>Just let those records sink in for a moment. Records for
a boy who was only playing because Whitgift School gave him permission to miss
four days of his A-Levels. Imagine when he goes back and all his mates ask him,
“Dom, why were you not here this week?” and he can give them the answer that anyone
would dream of. But no doubt they will all know of his wonderful achievement,
as it has quite rightly been plastered all over media outlets across the web
and most likely tomorrow’s newspapers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I first became aware of Sibley when he was just 15, as he
hit a double hundred for Ashtead in the Surrey Premier League against bowlers
such as Jimmy Ormond. It was obvious he had an incredible talent, and he hit
yet another double hundred for the Surrey academy last year, showing that when
he bats big, he certainly bats big!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
He played for the England Under 19’s earlier this year,
hitting a century in one of the games, but a deep cut in his leg suffered on
his YB40 debut kept him out of the Under 19 games against Pakistan this summer
that he surely would have played in. He only made his First Class debut a
couple of weeks ago, just after he turned 18, scoring 12 and 10 against
Somerset before registering a duck at Edgbaston last week.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
No one would have seen an innings of this magnitude
coming so soon and with Surrey 572-4, a lead of 138, he will most likely try
and add to his 220* tomorrow morning and try and add to the 9 hours and 41
minutes that he has spent at the crease.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
All that is left to say is, Dom Sibley: remember the name.<o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-45246414193296699802013-09-20T16:00:00.001+01:002013-09-20T16:00:36.032+01:00Bears victory confirms Surrey's relegation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnwTvL6GgLArYnLaw1I0TcAv_dn-20SpdH1RrfqekbhW0JqTbIf9wgsfcHXhDdqfx7MPT8RJ8n1L4inCUDRhm4KYxSkTnvnV6Xz9FteAmR4xSB287d8IsLNdceyd-ok-Lvv4sCff-hTCV/s1600/Alec+Stewart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnwTvL6GgLArYnLaw1I0TcAv_dn-20SpdH1RrfqekbhW0JqTbIf9wgsfcHXhDdqfx7MPT8RJ8n1L4inCUDRhm4KYxSkTnvnV6Xz9FteAmR4xSB287d8IsLNdceyd-ok-Lvv4sCff-hTCV/s400/Alec+Stewart.jpg" width="310" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
After giving Warwickshire a generous target on the final
day, the inevitable has finally happened as Surrey have been beaten and
therefore relegated to Division Two of the County Championship.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Two wickets last night kept us in the game, but our
inability to produce the goods when opportunities arise has once again
condemned us to defeat and a place in the bottom two of Division One. We could
only manage 2 more wickets today, as a century from Ateeq Javid and half
century from Chris Woakes meant that the hosts won the game by 6 wickets. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When Rikki Clarke played on to Tim Linley, after Stuart
Meaker had earlier had Laurie Evans caught, with the score on 126-4, there was
still a big chance that we could force home the victory that we needed
desperately. But, as I’ve said, we failed to take any chances we’ve had. The
pitch was still good to bat on today, but to only claim 2 further wickets is a
poor showing, especially as a couple more would have got us into a rather long
tail with Jeetan Patel at number 8.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
However, that wasn’t to be and to be honest, we do
deserve to go down. We haven’t been good enough when it matters this season and
have had far too many disastrous sessions, which, in Division One cricket, you
will struggle to get away with. The batting has failed all too often, with
plenty of innings where not one batsman took on the mantle and scored big. Our
bowling attack looks good on paper, but realistically in 4 day cricket it isn’t
as potent as many think. Tremlett has been poor, Meaker missed most of the
season due to inury, Linley has done what Linley does well but nothing too
dramatic and Jade has been really inconsistent when selected.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So, where do we go from here? I will discuss this in more
detail when I do an end of season review, but I might as well touch on it now. Many
think that Division Two will do us good as it will allow us to play our
youngsters, the likes of Sibley, Curran, Edwards, Dunn etc in an environment
which doesn’t have the pressure of relegation. It will hopefully allow them to
learn more about their own game, develop it and become better cricketers in the
long term, rather than having that pressure constantly on their backs every
time they step on the field.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I believe this squad is undoubtedly better than when we
last went down in 2008, but there is a lot to be worked on. The opening partnership
between Burns and Smith didn’t last long this year and Burns and Harinath
personally faded away quite considerably towards the end of the year after good
starts for them both. I would still stick with Burns at the top, but Harinath
is one who has been given plenty of chances over the last few years, so I do
wonder what will happen with him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It was announced today that Zander de Bruyn has been
released, so even though he didn’t perform this season, he needs to be replaced
as well as bringing in at least two more batsmen/batting all-rounders to
bolster that side of the game. That does of course come down to whether Jason
Roy stays at the club. I personally would give him chance at number 5 or 6 in
Division Two and allow him to learn how to play 4 day cricket, because he has
the talent without question.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It was also announced today that Chris Tremlett and
Gareth Batty had been given 1 and 2 year contract extensions respectively. That
was a surprise to me to be honest, as both have been poor this season and I
would much rather see our young bowlers be given a go ahead of them both when
it comes to Division Two cricket and trying to rebuild a squad. Graeme Smith
looks like he will be available for most of the 2014 season, so Batty won’t be
needed as captain as much, meaning his place in the side won’t be definite
anyway.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There are lots of things to discuss and as I said, I will
do so more in a couple of weeks or so. But, the bottom line of it is that,
despite the fight and commitment put in by the squad, we just weren’t up to the
standard of Division One cricket.<o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-33332992468071360082013-09-18T18:39:00.000+01:002013-09-18T18:39:21.773+01:00Solanki and Davies give Surrey a sniff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdaduzX9pIPX5RQlfhuWaOojWDtrbUSPCYCVIHygC8D4pIu6tctji2nWEBxAPtbqCsn4XlJQ-CUIl5huug0NLcngpjnFrbamD52Yia9SBkYWvpGr_Z1H4GcZSFkRtFgyuqNLM3lrIVoE3K/s1600/Solanki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdaduzX9pIPX5RQlfhuWaOojWDtrbUSPCYCVIHygC8D4pIu6tctji2nWEBxAPtbqCsn4XlJQ-CUIl5huug0NLcngpjnFrbamD52Yia9SBkYWvpGr_Z1H4GcZSFkRtFgyuqNLM3lrIVoE3K/s400/Solanki.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It has taken until the 15<sup>th</sup> game of a long LV
County Championship season for Surrey to put in a dominant batting performance,
to give themselves a slight chance of pulling off one of the greatest
relegation escapes of recent time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Going into the game we knew that we had to win at all
costs or we were (not mathematically) down and after the first day was
decimated due to the weather, a sumptuous century from Vikram Solanki has given
us a slim chance of pulling off an unlikely victory. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A wet outfield delayed the start of play even more and
with us continuing on a precarious 59-2, Solanki and Amla had to bat positively
once play got underway at 12:40. Bat positively is exactly what they did, as
they built a superb 166 run partnership in just over 40 overs together to take
us towards our first batting point in a couple of matches. The pair couldn’t
quite see us through to 200, as Amla yet again fell short of a century,
flashing at a Barker delivery when on 77.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Davies joined Solanki and once he got himself in, he
began to play an array of shots that we have been accustomed with since his
arrival from Worcestershire in 2010. It was clear that the target was to get as
many batting points as we could before pulling the plug, and just after
collecting our first, Solanki brought up his century in 155 balls.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The pair started to kick on even further but still batted
sensibly, as Davies moved past his half century and Solanki quickly reached 150
for the first time in a Surrey shirt. 300 was soon 350 as we picked up a 4<sup>th</sup>
batting point and Davies was in full flow, racing towards his second
Championship century of the summer. However, with the partnership on 182 and
Davies unbeaten on 99, Solanki was bowled for by Chris Woakes for 162. Davies’
century came up in the next over, off just 135 balls with 14 boundaries, and it
was great to see him back to his best.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
He was out next ball but he had already done a great job
and Zafar Ansari and Gary Wilson got together to hit the remaining runs needed
for maximum batting points, as we closed on 400-5.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I fully expect a declaration first thing tomorrow morning
to give us a chance of bowling Warwickshire out twice, but the weather forecast
isn’t the best, so it might be more like the afternoon than the morning. That
could prevent us from pulling off the unlikely, but at least we have given
ourselves a chance of doing it and let’s hope our bowlers can motivate
themselves and put in a strong performance. <o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-23962457505607682592013-09-16T16:18:00.002+01:002013-09-16T16:19:30.067+01:00Another must win awaits at Edgbaston<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-sDuIby01W60F2sgWQGW0kYLOXXWF2RrNYs3TvKfrbWm3GkpCR73w3YR6A40gLOEJmeqKOpax9KIgsqA3Q6Zk11n6WxXBmBKgjAjVTYXZQ_tituNtv0_voGx5ECdB8nAJtGZn4XkNYAmC/s1600/166143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-sDuIby01W60F2sgWQGW0kYLOXXWF2RrNYs3TvKfrbWm3GkpCR73w3YR6A40gLOEJmeqKOpax9KIgsqA3Q6Zk11n6WxXBmBKgjAjVTYXZQ_tituNtv0_voGx5ECdB8nAJtGZn4XkNYAmC/s400/166143.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Any sane person would say that Surrey’s Division One
status is gone now, but I am still holding onto the slim hope that if we can
somehow collect two big victories in our final two games we can stay up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In all seriousness, I do agree with the majority that it
does look very unlikely, but let’s not give the players an easy way out. They
have put us in this position, not down to lack of quality in most cases, but
down to periods of brainless cricket, lapses in concentration and failure to
take control of opportunities that arise. It is their responsibility to put in
their upmost to pull us out of the desperate position we find ourselves in,
right until we our officially relegated to the second tier.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The first of the two sides we must beat is current
champions Warwickshire at their home ground of Edgbaston and the same 14 man
squad which was named for Taunton last week has been named today. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Here is the squad and predicted line up:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rory Burns<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Dom Sibley<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Hashim Amla<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Vikram Solanki<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zander de Bruyn<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Steve Davies (WK)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gary Wilson<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gareth Batty (C) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tim Linley<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Chris Tremlett<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jade Dernbach<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zafar Ansari<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Stuart Meaker<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gary Keedy<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That might be what I think the team will be, but isn’t
exactly what I would go with. The top 3 would be same, despite either of them
scoring a big score at the start of an innings of late. I’ve spoken so much
about Zander de Bruyn over the season that I think I will be wasting my breath banging
on about him again, because you know my opinion on him. I would go with Solanki
5, Wilson 6, Davies 7. Some would say that 7 is too low for Davies, but he has
struggled for runs in this format for a good few months now and is far too
inconsistent at the current time to be in the top 5 or 6.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37LMrzeW5oa6Tz10CqoAlGRUNlrF-44OLRBd9Ybo823RPEI05-pipDA_-H3_X2Yp8y8ccQ8jM2flYL_g2fZhRLOl8f7JLl8b1TZePK2ctB2Vv9ysE6DrTebttM-chsZMbwKjUANsWfKA6/s1600/Zafar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37LMrzeW5oa6Tz10CqoAlGRUNlrF-44OLRBd9Ybo823RPEI05-pipDA_-H3_X2Yp8y8ccQ8jM2flYL_g2fZhRLOl8f7JLl8b1TZePK2ctB2Vv9ysE6DrTebttM-chsZMbwKjUANsWfKA6/s200/Zafar.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Some of you may have noticed I have missed out number 4
and I would give that role to Zafar Ansari. You can argue that he hasn’t posted
any score of note at all this season, so why does he deserve a place in the top
4 of our championship side? Well, whenever he has come in at number 7 we have
always been in some sort of crisis. He then turns into ultra-block mode, doesn’t
try to score runs and then gets out when batting with the tail. There has been
lots of talk about Zafar on how much potential he has, with Chris Adams saying
he will be captain of Surrey one day, but he is yet to make a big contribution,
like a century or taking a 5 wicket haul. There is undoubted talent there but
we are yet to really see it in the 4 day game apart from a couple of innings
opening last season, so he should be given the chance up the order to prove to
the fans what he can do.</div>
<br /><o:p></o:p>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When it comes to the makeup of the rest of the side, I
would consider dropping Batty as he doesn’t offer much apart from captaincy at
the moment, being very reluctant to bowl himself at Taunton last week. If he
didn’t play however, that would leave our tail very long with Meaker at 8, even
if he did find some form with the bat last week, but even he has been
understandably rusty in the games that he has been back.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Anyway, it’s probably too late to be discussing team
selections as the damage has already been done this season. I will always hold
hope with Surrey, and we have proved miracles over the last couple of seasons,
but I have to admit it looks a far tougher task than 2012. <o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-47690312162846992442013-09-12T17:44:00.001+01:002013-09-12T17:45:12.759+01:00Lower order gives Somerset the edge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEGwhGMYf-eYpgWaZ5jGrJr4u8hOjGe0Yu5wmFSFC7s54Fvpfzie0X2Vh0UyEZKPbuhePCOfiajjbwP_e37F33Qo8rsHTt_MgzShCyM-mkmktlZ6tfE2eDuwFrmneALeTgjTBJUIrRM7nx/s1600/Dernbach+celebrates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEGwhGMYf-eYpgWaZ5jGrJr4u8hOjGe0Yu5wmFSFC7s54Fvpfzie0X2Vh0UyEZKPbuhePCOfiajjbwP_e37F33Qo8rsHTt_MgzShCyM-mkmktlZ6tfE2eDuwFrmneALeTgjTBJUIrRM7nx/s400/Dernbach+celebrates.jpg" width="276" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Somerset have taken a first innings lead of 65 to put
themselves on top after Day Two of the vital County Championship match at
Taunton. 3 wickets from Jade Dernbach and Zafar Ansari helped dismiss the hosts
after Surrey’s poor display with the bat on the first day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The first port of call this morning was to reach 200 and
a first batting point, however that wasn’t to be as both Tremlett and Dernbach
fell without a run added to succumb us to what seemed like a below par 195. I
know it’s not the role of the last 2 batsmen to get runs, but it would be nice
for once if they could help us out a bit.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But Jade and Trem did give us the perfect start with the
ball, as the former made Trescothick play on without scoring and the latter had
fellow opener Chris Jones caught behind an over later. Tremlett was keeping it
tight from one end, but just like against Middlesex, the other bowlers were
leaking runs left, right and centre with Nick Compton especially looking
fluent. Meaker had gone for 11 in his first 5 balls but with his final ball of
his opening over had James Hildreth LBW to reduce Somerset to 46-3.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The runs didn’t stop there though, as Kieswetter played
in his usual manner, scoring well over a run a ball, punishing some wayward
bowling. But de Bruyn got his wicket just before the lunch break to keep us
within touching distance in the first innings. Compton was still looking good,
until he played on to Dernbach for 66 and five balls later Dernbach had Alex
Barrow LBW as Surrey scented a first innings lead. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But Somerset bat deep and Peter Trego and Craig Meschede
put on a partnership of 68 to take their side into the lead, before Zafar
Ansari removed them both in the space of 3 deliveries just before tea and a
spot of bad light. It wasn’t over yet for Surrey though, as they still had to
comprehend bowling at a number 10 in Piyush Chawla who has a First Class
average of over 30 with 4 hundreds and he started to hit his side into a great
position and really put Surrey to the mill. Once again a lower order partnership
was troubling us after we had managed to get ourselves back into a good
position.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Batty and Ansari finally managed to see off Chawla and
Gregory, but not before the lead had reached a level that could prove plenty in
the context of this game. Bad light delayed our start to the innings, but in
the play that we did get, Burns and Sibley saw it off to close on 13-0. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If you would have asked me at the beginning of the day if
I would have taken today’s outcome I would have probably said yes, but we had
opportunities when they were 6 and 8 down to have a firmer hold on the game,
but as usual we failed to take them. There is still two days left to play, so
no need for the batsmen to try and do anything stupid, but there is a high
possibility that rain will play a part tomorrow, which could scupper a chance
of victory for either side.</div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-56343716069545089702013-09-11T17:21:00.000+01:002013-09-11T17:21:31.810+01:00Batty and Meaker add respectability <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqVu5_dotOKcWZqwTKiBM8wS59lzOWfjHpUgedDyx8TW5F2U2JZmKpe08pI44ZjRg9cy8lVa21WxGHFLSukRdZVFL-07R0kII4mKnwZNTWGYOEAKD-OLKH-oI1f8EkLYJtwG-J2Cqdo1O/s1600/Batty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjqVu5_dotOKcWZqwTKiBM8wS59lzOWfjHpUgedDyx8TW5F2U2JZmKpe08pI44ZjRg9cy8lVa21WxGHFLSukRdZVFL-07R0kII4mKnwZNTWGYOEAKD-OLKH-oI1f8EkLYJtwG-J2Cqdo1O/s400/Batty.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A 9<sup>th</sup> wicket partnership of 64 between Gareth
Batty and Stuart Meaker has added some respectability to Surrey’s Day one
exploits at Taunton, after the batsmen failed once again.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s about time our tail gave us some runs and even
though we shouldn’t have to rely on them, today Batty (39) and Meaker (30*)
produced the goods just at the right time to keep us in Day One.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rory Burns and debutant Dom Sibley gave us a slow, but
solid, start to the game after we chose to bat first, but an hour into the day’s
play our top order collapsed. Losing a few wickets for not so many runs has
been an all too frequent occurrence this season and today we fell from 31-0 to
31-3 in the space of a couple of overs, with Sibley (10), Amla (0) and Burns
(21) losing their wickets to Meschede and Thomas. Sibley will take some solace
that he scored more than the world’s best batsmen in his opening First Class
knock, but it was very disappointing that none of the top 3 could score big.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And when Solanki went to Chawla in the last over before lunch
for 14, it capped off a terrible session for Surrey at 61-4, and showed why we
are scratching away at the bottom of the first division with only one win to our
name in 13 matches. Zander de Bruyn once again got a start and moved onto 30
after the lunch break, before he was trapped LBW to give Meschede his 3<sup>rd</sup>
wicket. For a man of the age of de Bruyn to keep getting starts and not converting
is a worry and is why he shouldn’t be picked in the side ahead of Wilson, for
example.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Then followed a strange period of cricket, where Steve
Davies was joined by Zafar Ansari and they batted extremely slowly. Ansari
especially had turned into extreme-block mode, as it took him 42 balls to get
off the mark. I don’t mind it too much if Ansari took his time and then
converted his start into a big score, but he was removed by Trego for a 70 ball
8 shortly after. In a game that we need to win Ansari was playing particularly negative
and he didn’t seem to look to score runs. He has played like that whenever he
has got a chance in this format this season and that needs to change if he is
to become a firm fixture in our line up. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We lost our 7<sup>th</sup> wicket just after the tea
interval when Davies was caught for 38, as it continued to look bleak for us on
the first day of a County Championship match yet again. However, Batty and
Meaker decided to play more positively than the previous batsmen and it paid
off with 11 boundaries coming up in the stand between the pair, including one
six by Batty off Chawla. The captain went just before bad light brought a
premature end to the day’s play, but he did a good job.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Somerset will without doubt be the happier of the two
sides to keep us to 195-8 after we chose to bat first, but we could easily have
been bowled out for under 150 if our tail had been up to their usual standards.
The batsmen will be disappointed with their efforts, but as always you don’t
know how good the pitch is until both batsmen bat on it, but Batty and Meaker both
showed that run scoring is certainly possible.<o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-9543815266655695732013-09-10T18:22:00.001+01:002013-09-10T18:22:53.620+01:00Surrey head to Taunton for crunch game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLc2N9H2P3o5ILXJKVVJkHn7BePxiVIvui0sLe9DoppJ837CTZMh0d9S9ehqJ7uMlFHKDJYANGdYEmIcVm8udm1n6I_8GgMmyl3jpKovUQVOup-a67y0yhwTUUvkpoIS0npxa2xxfajBl/s1600/Batty+celebrates+Trescothick's+wicket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjLc2N9H2P3o5ILXJKVVJkHn7BePxiVIvui0sLe9DoppJ837CTZMh0d9S9ehqJ7uMlFHKDJYANGdYEmIcVm8udm1n6I_8GgMmyl3jpKovUQVOup-a67y0yhwTUUvkpoIS0npxa2xxfajBl/s400/Batty+celebrates+Trescothick's+wicket.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Surrey can’t be officially relegated this week, but they
can go a long way to doing so if they don’t collect a victory at fellow
relegation rivals Somerset in the crunch LV County Championship match starting
tomorrow. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Many Surrey fans believe that relegation may suit us and
allow the younger players to learn their trade in the first X1 without the
pressure of the possibility of relegation, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want
them to win, as I will be over the moon if we can somehow get out of the mire
we currently find ourselves at the foot of the table. Presently, there are only
really 3 teams in the fight to stay in Division One; Derbyshire, Somerset and
ourselves, but a good win this week for us could pull Nottinghamshire into the
situation if they fail to beat Middlesex at Lord’s, which would help our
chances of staying up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But we have to win our game first before worrying about
other sides and to do that we need our best players at our disposal. Back into
the squad comes Chris Tremlett after being rested last week in the demoralising
defeat to Middlesex, Zafar Ansari is available after his thumb injury and Gary
Wilson is back from international duty.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Here is the squad in full and predicted line up:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rory Burns<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Dom Sibley<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Hashim Amla<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Vikram Solanki<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zander de Bruyn<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Steve Davies<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gary Wilson<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gareth Batty (C)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tim Linley<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Chris Tremlett<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gary Keedy<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Stuart Meaker<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zafar Ansari<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jade Dernbach<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNChop0FPQU-CKMD79GUMlHWBRBEa_rs7yEesANMxqfhizkcKlAWWdD56UlZUDCu4clMtjTCwZUs5x3I9gDDKgvCdpCT2dYq9m0LVcEil8Qb6zKw4CpygjBWXHB3xwJT4kWFBdtI0KZOR8/s1600/Burns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNChop0FPQU-CKMD79GUMlHWBRBEa_rs7yEesANMxqfhizkcKlAWWdD56UlZUDCu4clMtjTCwZUs5x3I9gDDKgvCdpCT2dYq9m0LVcEil8Qb6zKw4CpygjBWXHB3xwJT4kWFBdtI0KZOR8/s200/Burns.jpg" width="200" /></a>18 year old batsman Dom Sibley will make his First Class
debut and will open the batting alongside Rory Burns in place of the out of
form Arun Harinath. It’s a great opportunity for him but straight away there is
lots of pressure as this is a massively important fixture, so let’s hope he can
thrive on such an occasion. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Even though Ansari is back in the squad I can’t see him
being picked, with Gary Wilson likely to accommodate that number 7 role. If it
was down to me I would drop Gareth Batty and have Ansari as the second spinner
alongside Gary Keedy, but even though Batty hasn’t been in the greatest form,
he is the captain and gives a different option to Keedy’s left arm spin which
performed against Middlesex. It will no doubt be a turning pitch as Somerset
have once Surrey-bound leg spinner Piyush Chawla in the ranks, who almost took
them to victory over Derbyshire last week.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQMnovIlh-l1LClVT4BbVGAKL2BtbipV95mE2iSmnZ8Rw8tX7T4qkg33dUIqcfc9oqmJ4M83bFTORMG3GMbbvCN6wyWd-zaItqa2-M2QElG5F2W4oplDCDVxnvDwwowdimtW2j5jnWqbvo/s1600/Wilson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQMnovIlh-l1LClVT4BbVGAKL2BtbipV95mE2iSmnZ8Rw8tX7T4qkg33dUIqcfc9oqmJ4M83bFTORMG3GMbbvCN6wyWd-zaItqa2-M2QElG5F2W4oplDCDVxnvDwwowdimtW2j5jnWqbvo/s200/Wilson.jpg" width="200" /></a>Another option I would consider is picking Ansari ahead
of Zander de Bruyn and having Davies, Wilson and Ansari occupying 5,6 and 7 in
whatever order, but that would then only leave two seamers in the side and with
Trem being one of them, that’s unlikely. That means that Mr Undroppable will
keep his place in the side unless a third seamer is selected ahead of either
Batty or Keedy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When it comes to the bowlers, I don’t think Tremlett will
be left out after the form he has shown recently, despite his position at the
club looking doubtful for next year. And Linley has performed better than
Dernbach and the returning Meaker of late, so if they were to go with a 2 man
seam attach plus Zander, Trem and the Viscount will probably get the nod.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
But whatever side Stuart Barnes and Gareth Batty pick,
they need to make sure they start the game off well. Make sure you are still in
the game after Day One, because too many times this year we have been out of
games before we know it and it is then too late to pull things back.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If we can win this game I believe we have a good chance
of staying up, but anything other than a win then I’m afraid to say we will
probably go down. Good luck over the next four days lads and bring back the
points.<o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-51522678743599178922013-08-28T15:10:00.000+01:002013-08-28T15:10:30.223+01:0013 named for must win game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKD4ZHQVkJOTnq8uBmsZw7IQr-GUYrEyzUGd4sKmTqG5jNdhWCzONWwUmIVlO4yMmahO5grQ3n-QNrWQ6VHb66H0Xafj2o_hrVbioaVxQhMFIjfyis1Dc4fsZ7p8MHCnhVZzcr8PKVy0Wt/s1600/Tremlett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKD4ZHQVkJOTnq8uBmsZw7IQr-GUYrEyzUGd4sKmTqG5jNdhWCzONWwUmIVlO4yMmahO5grQ3n-QNrWQ6VHb66H0Xafj2o_hrVbioaVxQhMFIjfyis1Dc4fsZ7p8MHCnhVZzcr8PKVy0Wt/s400/Tremlett.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If Surrey are going to have any realistic chance of
staying in Division One of the County Championship, then they must beat one of
their rivals for the drop, Derbyshire at the Kia Oval starting tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
However, that is going to be a far from easy task, as
Derbyshire have won their last two Championship games and are “buzzing”
according to coach Karl Krikken. Surrey fans know well that when a team start
stringing results together (end of 2011 and 2012 seasons), they are very hard
to beat, so we will have to be at the top of our game this week to overcome a
rejuvenated Derby side.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Here is our squad and probable line up for tomorrow:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rory Burns<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Arun Harinath<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Hashim Amla<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Vikram Solanki<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zander de Bruyn<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Steve Davies<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zafar Ansari<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tom Curran<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gareth Batty<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Chris Tremlett<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tim Linley<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Dominic Sibley<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
George Edwards<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There are a couple of omissions from the squad that
travelled to Durham last week. Jon Lewis hasn’t been selected and will play for
the Second X1, alongside Gary Keedy. Gary Wilson will also play for the Second
X1 before he heads off on international duty and Jade Dernbach is playing for
England in the T20 tomorrow evening, hence his unavailability. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUKK4ehCLxMuXivOKaYX0K-6T5ptpDF7MWmgFwt8LRj59UgzqRSG4eQPH6UQuF4DGhYKHQKYifcBBWqQiGv5TlAyGmT-RPMWTKEBX8KY-4mx-pRCjWAKibayHQt_k0e98jCInlbypwz-q/s1600/Roy+out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwUKK4ehCLxMuXivOKaYX0K-6T5ptpDF7MWmgFwt8LRj59UgzqRSG4eQPH6UQuF4DGhYKHQKYifcBBWqQiGv5TlAyGmT-RPMWTKEBX8KY-4mx-pRCjWAKibayHQt_k0e98jCInlbypwz-q/s200/Roy+out.jpg" width="165" /></a>Jason Roy has once again been left out which points to
the opinion that he may be allowed to leave at the end of the season. Don’t get
me wrong, I love Jason Roy and would be disgusted if the club let him leave,
but he isn’t getting any sort of game time in the Championship and he doesn’t
seemed to have progressed over the last 2 years. And with his contract running
out this winter, who knows what will happen, but I really hope he stays.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There are a couple of new faces in the squad, with tall
fast bowler George Edwards and batsman Dominic Sibley being named in the party.
I’ve always liked the look of Edwards but injuries have hampered his chances of
being selected any earlier. When he picked up 5 wickets on his Championship
debut against Worcestershire last year, I thought we had a very good bowler on
our hands, but we haven’t seen much of him since. I don’t think he will get a
game though, as 18 year old Tom Curran is likely to make his First Class debut.
He has impressed in the YB40 this past month, and would have played earlier in
the season according to Chris Adams on Twitter if he didn’t have a “bout of
serious illness.”</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhLjRfhIX-CBVn1idddvfm_JFc3rPSehvPyhaU-RPde_QExo8Ddm1UlTxb-ort1YAn8eFxbz1Q4JPP351TGEfmm2Hrob0UBMsYf0rFXXjw1z-asRqQ2Xj7JRZ6qjlTMi_Qc-NL9hgcrsg/s1600/145432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVhLjRfhIX-CBVn1idddvfm_JFc3rPSehvPyhaU-RPde_QExo8Ddm1UlTxb-ort1YAn8eFxbz1Q4JPP351TGEfmm2Hrob0UBMsYf0rFXXjw1z-asRqQ2Xj7JRZ6qjlTMi_Qc-NL9hgcrsg/s200/145432.jpg" width="139" /></a>However much I would like him to, Sibley probably won’t
make a First Class debut tomorrow, with the old head of Zander de Bruyn
amazingly keeping his place in the side. If de Bruyn’s averages were round the
other way (He is averaging over 60 this season with the ball and 25 with the
bat), then I could see why he is being picked, but by looking at those figures,
surely it is worth giving someone else a crack.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s a blow that Jade isn’t available for such a big
game, especially as Linley had a particularly poor return at Durham last week.
However, we have to fight through it and with the help of an in form Chris
Tremlett try and claim 20 wickets for only the second time this season, and the
first at the Oval. If the pitch we are going to play on tomorrow is anything
like the test match strip, then it may be hard for either side to force a
result, but hopefully whatever the England players did to it on Sunday night
spiced it up for us!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If we win this game then we would probably go above
Derbyshire and possibly above Somerset, depending on how they get on against
Middlesex, and we would still then have a game in hand over both teams. That
may prove vital come the end of the season as there isn’t many points between
the 3 sides, and victories do really help the cause dramatically at this point
in the campaign.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Derbyshire have been depleted slightly, with both Chesney
Hughes and Tim Groenewald missing the game due to the birth of their first
child and the likes of Dan Redfern injured, so maybe this is a good time to be
playing them.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
However, as I said before, they are on the up at the
moment and if we want to maintain our position in the First Division, we must
produce a performance that warrants that status, by beating our rivals. <o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-82208282297577016692013-08-16T11:30:00.001+01:002013-08-16T11:30:39.701+01:00Finals Day awaits for Surrey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27ajhZplubMpynJHO-HwG69HYCos0IA-zRptM9PNbjAh0OOD2LlNoodsLpUqeANfI8y_zR8FJkdPYaefjqL8qk1pQ56OjtnJ2IzXf6RKVsYDDuArJh1ChDlfbcCI5CJ1mlW4sf0C63fxf/s1600/Lewis+celebrates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27ajhZplubMpynJHO-HwG69HYCos0IA-zRptM9PNbjAh0OOD2LlNoodsLpUqeANfI8y_zR8FJkdPYaefjqL8qk1pQ56OjtnJ2IzXf6RKVsYDDuArJh1ChDlfbcCI5CJ1mlW4sf0C63fxf/s400/Lewis+celebrates.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Finals Day is almost upon us and a 14 man squad has been
named for our Semi Final against the Hampshire Royals, with Glenn Maxwell
returning to the fold.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We are overwhelming underdogs heading into tomorrow as we
come up against winners of two of the last 3 English T20 competitions and a
side who have only lost once so far in this year’s competition. However,
anything can happen in Twenty20, and we could well find ourselves champions
come 10pm tomorrow evening.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Here is the squad that has been selected and probable
line up:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jason Roy<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Steve Davies<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Vikram Solanki (C)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Glenn Maxwell<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gary Wilson<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Azhar Mahmood<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zafar Ansari<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zander de Bruyn<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jon Lewis<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Chris Tremlett<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jade Dernbach<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tim Linley<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tom Curran<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rory Burns<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That is how I see the team shaping up and it is probably
what I, and many Surrey fans, would select. Some would argue that after Rory
Burns’ recent performances with the bat in List A cricket and Tom Curran’s
effort with the ball that they should be selected, but to pick such
inexperienced T20 players for a massive game like a Semi Final is a big gamble,
and something that won’t happen unless an injury occurs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6gR_tEPYyW5ZD55OceQ7nYKdqveH9pQuwSE9ts4YHeQhKpHkDjEyJXXTFH1QWxkFrv5DgLXcnXTYJLYXAk1B9SkTMecDvPXiC8Pd9Eeg1HjaW97dp-aA03aiNuM7nkmhZeOGx0CyXKig/s1600/Roy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6gR_tEPYyW5ZD55OceQ7nYKdqveH9pQuwSE9ts4YHeQhKpHkDjEyJXXTFH1QWxkFrv5DgLXcnXTYJLYXAk1B9SkTMecDvPXiC8Pd9Eeg1HjaW97dp-aA03aiNuM7nkmhZeOGx0CyXKig/s200/Roy.jpg" width="200" /></a>I sound like a broken record when I say that the batting
hasn’t really fired in the competition, but it really hasn’t. Our top scorer,
Jason Roy, has 272 runs in the tournament, well over 200 less than Hampshire’s top
scorer Michael Carberry (496). Hampshire have hit 8 half centuries and 1
century compared to our 5 50’s and zero 100’s in the 11 matches so far. But
there is the argument that Hampshire are over reliant on Carberry at the top of
the order and if he doesn’t fire, they may struggle.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In some regards that is the case. He has hit 4 of their
half centuries and of course that superb hundred against Lancashire last week
in the quarter final, so if you get him out early you have a far better chance
of victory. Don’t underestimate their other batsmen though. James Vince, who
has played a couple of explosive innings Live on Sky of recent weeks, has had a
relatively poor competition from his standards with just 256 runs, but we all
know what he can do. Neil McKenzie has quietly gone about his business this
year, hitting 296 runs in just 7 innings, showing that he has still got what it
takes and Sean Ervine and Liam Dawson showed what they could do last night.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Whatever happens, Hampshire will have quality batsmen for
our bowlers to deal with and will be able to post a competitive score or chase
a competitive total if required. Therefore our batsmen need to step up and
produce the goods. Despite being our top scorer, only 1 50 from Roy is not good
enough in 11 matches, so surely he is due a big one tomorrow. Davies has hit a
couple of typical Davies innings but has all too frequently got out early
playing innocuous shots, almost throwing his wickets away. Whatever people say
about how well Wilson and co have done getting us out of trouble in those
middle overs, Davies and Roy are our quickest scorers and if either of those
bat 15+ overs, then we are in for a great score. If not, then we may struggle
to set up a score, or chase what Hampshire put in front of us.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There is the million dollar man though, who has found
some form for Australia A over the last few weeks. He hit 155 in a First Class
game before a 145* off 79 balls and 93 off 56 balls in a couple of One day
games. After only scoring 87 from his 6 innings for us in the group stage, let’s
hope that he can continue in that vein and pull off an innings against his old
team tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When it comes to the bowlers, I don’t think that there
are many better attacks than ours in the country. However, without Batty we are
seriously depleted as he fires the team up when they are having a bad few overs
and gets his fair share of wickets too. Our other spinners, Ansari and Maxwell,
don’t pick up wickets as regular and go for far more runs per over than Batty.
However, with Jade, Azhar, Trem and Lewis, we have 4 very experienced bowlers
who will be trying their upmost to lead us to victory, as it is unlikely that 3
of them will play at Finals Day again in their careers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySt8POTlsngr1-OG9dX-RNcysH9q22RvOES9qoocbR7HpJmsbiE71GtV0Am7cEXMuxN3BXa07QQGDl8DxSoqunExKac_x54OOQZbeTr9iS7EylpZgLKDBdFJvU1k2JFnYjxYZydfQikzt/s1600/Jade+celebrates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySt8POTlsngr1-OG9dX-RNcysH9q22RvOES9qoocbR7HpJmsbiE71GtV0Am7cEXMuxN3BXa07QQGDl8DxSoqunExKac_x54OOQZbeTr9iS7EylpZgLKDBdFJvU1k2JFnYjxYZydfQikzt/s200/Jade+celebrates.jpg" width="200" /></a>A key battle will be between Carberry and Dernbach, but I
would be inclined to open with spin against Carberry to try and prize him out
early. Another interesting battle will be between Roy and Dimi Mascarenhas,
with Roy hitting him to all parts at the Oval a few weeks ago before Dimi
bowled him with a slower delivery.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Whatever happens, we have done extremely well to get to
Finals Day, but we can’t head into tomorrow with that attitude or we will come
away with nothing. We have to use our underdog status to our advantage, with
most of the pressure on the Royals, and put in a performance to make themselves
and our travelling support proud.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Good lucks lads, and bring home the trophy.<o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-60033948471893577802013-08-06T10:07:00.002+01:002013-08-06T10:10:08.659+01:00Surrey aim for Finals Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoM4pVwNPS4QEsAZlE6VxMPT9392I_jyck86OicOrU4OQe_kTzwFuwP75Xr5gcXJ-tLdZe3IILXXmbgJBhySvVryfetKOha964nEuYZp1g622RUcwy8dGDl9WGmm4ng8HPX71IM58GEBX7/s1600/Celebrate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoM4pVwNPS4QEsAZlE6VxMPT9392I_jyck86OicOrU4OQe_kTzwFuwP75Xr5gcXJ-tLdZe3IILXXmbgJBhySvVryfetKOha964nEuYZp1g622RUcwy8dGDl9WGmm4ng8HPX71IM58GEBX7/s400/Celebrate.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
This is the first time we have been in a Twenty20 quarter
final since 2006, so it is without doubt our biggest game in the competition
since then. On that occasion we heavily beat Gloucestershire at Bristol before
falling at the Semi Final stage against Notts. In fact, we have never lost a
T20 quarter final in the 4 times we have managed to reach one, qualifying for
Finals Day on each occasion. That must be a good omen, yes?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Well let’s hope so and with the squad of players that we
have, I believe we have the ability to produce a performance to beat any
opposition on their day. How often that performance comes around though is the
big question. In 2 of our last 3 games we demolished both Middlesex and Essex
by posting a decent score before allowing our bowlers to roll the opposition
over. Oh how much I would love that again tonight!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Here is our squad to play Somerset:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gareth Batty (C)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Steve Davies<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jason Roy<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Vikram Solanki<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gary Wilson<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zafar Ansari<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Azhar Mahmood<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zander de Bruyn<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jon Lewis<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Chris Tremlett<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jade Dernbach<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rory Burns<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tom Curran<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAcKJEGSRIAfnBnqv4hkNJ_4I6wecOqtt0GsZKar2fM-K0M-rLNt1et6RLmBaMx7hCCac6J4Tqn-tG8WUvD9foXHyp5njJWbjDfwSmgD75pxixwtrQa0SX1xIur4C_arvJbainMcc4uziV/s1600/Azhar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAcKJEGSRIAfnBnqv4hkNJ_4I6wecOqtt0GsZKar2fM-K0M-rLNt1et6RLmBaMx7hCCac6J4Tqn-tG8WUvD9foXHyp5njJWbjDfwSmgD75pxixwtrQa0SX1xIur4C_arvJbainMcc4uziV/s200/Azhar.jpg" width="140" /></a>Tim Linley<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Coincidently there is only player in the squad for
tonight who played in our last quarter final, Azhar Mahmood, and he could be a
key man with both bat and ball as he has shown over the years. This could be
his last game for us if we lose, I don’t know the arrangements of whether he
will stay for the YB40 of next year’s T20, so he will want to make sure that isn’t
the case and put in a starring role tonight. In this year’s competition he has
either bowled or batted well in each match but has struggled to put the two
together, so hopefully tonight is the night.</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NrQjkZwgpxFBdQu0e6XFRg-R5wfbZ2evYjivkiTYnyGbwfsNJZZheALdM2857VEd1N2S7GD7uIVnX4KQVNLCKxeb1sk8IlHFyPNlMQkjCQvwEQwZfLrxqYNfrB1kbHlH_wrk6lNI0J7t/s1600/Davies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NrQjkZwgpxFBdQu0e6XFRg-R5wfbZ2evYjivkiTYnyGbwfsNJZZheALdM2857VEd1N2S7GD7uIVnX4KQVNLCKxeb1sk8IlHFyPNlMQkjCQvwEQwZfLrxqYNfrB1kbHlH_wrk6lNI0J7t/s200/Davies.jpg" width="145" /></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I think it is about time we had a big score from a
batsman, an 80 or a 90 to set up a large total, and hopefully that can come
from either Jason Roy or Steve Davies. If either of those two bat the majority
of an innings then Surrey fans know that we would be in a great position to win
the game, but that has been an all too infrequent occurrence this season. Davies
has a <o:p></o:p></div>
couple of half centuries, with Roy getting just 1 from 10 innings, and as
a pair they haven’t batted long periods of time together with at least one of
them getting out in the early stages. If that can change then we have a great
chance tonight.<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
However, if they fail then once again we have to rely on
the likes of Gary Wilson and Zafar Ansari, who have done a splendid job at
times in the competition. Wilson is such an experienced T20 player and is very
much underrated by some Surrey fans and county followers. Also Ansari’s
partnership with Azhar at Kent was so vital, because we may not be in this
situation if that didn’t occur.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I don’t worry about our bowlers anywhere near like I do
with the batsmen, because they have shown that when given a reasonable total
defend, they can do it. Jade, Trem, Azhar and Lewis have wealth’s of <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nyc-0yiEEEVagyz4w6bSyEGP5zsbCraZ8Q-Cwr1LC8zMxQMw1a2Go4ErZMXc69mFIcuTeLbrf5ZNcLBqMo1VbG7D0nyXjX5op18BMFcXB8vdVkCn_iFsfsciyGDWGLLEa_ouktqW31t0/s1600/Jade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4nyc-0yiEEEVagyz4w6bSyEGP5zsbCraZ8Q-Cwr1LC8zMxQMw1a2Go4ErZMXc69mFIcuTeLbrf5ZNcLBqMo1VbG7D0nyXjX5op18BMFcXB8vdVkCn_iFsfsciyGDWGLLEa_ouktqW31t0/s200/Jade.jpg" width="161" /></a></div>
experience
and T20 nous, supported by de Bruyn who has had a good competition and Batty
and Ansari in the spin attack. I doubt that there are many better bowling
attacks than ours in the competition.<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
However, it’s not just bowling where you win T20 games,
with our opposition tonight looking frighteningly good in all facets. They have
a possible top 6 of <i>Trescothick,
Kieswetter, Trego, Petersen, Hildreth, Buttler </i>who are all capable of
producing innings of the most explosive kind. If we bat first we must score a
total of at least over 160, because anything lower will be knocked off by
Somerset, as at least one or two of that top 6 will produce.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So then, just a few hours to wait for this huge game. We’ve
done well to get this far and let’s hope we can put in a performance that the
guys and fans will be proud of. If we put in a strong performance and still
lose it will be disappointing, but there would be plenty of positives to take
than if we lost heavily.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Good luck guys and show us what you’ve got. Come on the
Rey!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-27224042451077712872013-07-21T11:37:00.002+01:002013-07-21T11:57:33.583+01:00Where do we go now in the T20?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YhOesQnZIJk_XoeiT2STSTE5K-8hoVfC2iUXofIUXnkxfB5lJcBH4VGA1JScUgNuFoz037hTzFDanrI69H6HqnhDsU5qe2Hw2w9C9V6qGhGz-kt1ESRNHkEkzVrYqJyF17etudc0gjzE/s1600/Ricky+Ponting+Surrey+Lions+v+Middlesex+Panthers+8dHCJHUCCcFl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2YhOesQnZIJk_XoeiT2STSTE5K-8hoVfC2iUXofIUXnkxfB5lJcBH4VGA1JScUgNuFoz037hTzFDanrI69H6HqnhDsU5qe2Hw2w9C9V6qGhGz-kt1ESRNHkEkzVrYqJyF17etudc0gjzE/s400/Ricky+Ponting+Surrey+Lions+v+Middlesex+Panthers+8dHCJHUCCcFl.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; padding: 0px;">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With just 3 games remaining (hopefully not!) in this
year’s Friends Life T20, I thought that I would write a blogpost on where we
are at the moment, and how we should rediscover the form we showed
pre-Nottinghamshire game.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With 4 wins out of 5, we certainly looked in a great
position to qualify for the quarter finals for the first time since 2006, with
3 wins needed to all but seal our place. However, 2 games later we still sit on
8 points, now requiring a victory in our final 3 games to have a realistic
chance of going through. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So what’s been going wrong in the last couple of games?
Well, I don’t think you can look too far past the batting efforts that we have
put in those games. We haven’t performed with the bat at all in the competition
so far, but I felt the Essex and Hampshire defeats this week were particularly
poor. Before the mid-competition break, which I personally feel didn’t help at
all, the bowlers won us the game in at least 3 of the 4 victories we acquired,
with Kent the one exception, but we cannot keep relying on them to pull us out
of the mire. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Hampshire and Essex both have very strong batting line
ups, both better than their bowling in my opinion, and will chase down modest
totals which we set them. In both of the games last week the bowlers didn’t do
a bad job, but were not helped by inept performances from most of the batsmen.
Ponting did well in the Essex game, but apart from that there was no one who
hit a score of substance in either of the games.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As has been mentioned previously we rely a lot on our
openers, usually Jason Roy and Steve Davies, in limited overs cricket and if
they don’t fire, then we struggle to post decent scores. You can’t really argue
with that in my opinion as the one time one of those two really fired in this
year’s competition was when Davies hit an unbeaten 90-odd against Kent, our
highest team total in the tournament. However, apart from that innings, Davies
has been very disappointing in the games that he has played, often getting out
in an innocuous fashion and not even making a decent start, let alone a big
innings.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jason Roy at times has looked the world’s best batsmen at
the crease, especially with shots such as the reverse sweep for 6 off Dimi
Mascarenhas, but he has also failed to make a large impact. He has had a better time of it than Davies, but he would
be annoyed at the way he gets out sometimes, especially after he took 10 off of
Mascarenhas’ first two balls in an over before being bowled looking for another
big hit next ball. Alec Stewart and most Surrey fans will know that Davies and
Roy are our two gun players in this competition, and if they don’t find form,
we will struggle.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We shouldn’t have to rely on two players however, but the
others have failed to apply themselves to the situation in front of them.
Ponting has had one good game, Maxwell didn’t really have any, Mahmood has been
a real disappointment after the form he showed in the IPL and Ansari has also
been a tad frustrating at times. Gary Wilson obviously has been invaluable at
times, and got us to competitive totals, but he won’t blast you to victory with
his style of batting I don’t think.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So what’s got to change? I would make several changes to
the team/ batting order. I would stick with the top 3 because they are our best
3 and should stay there. Azhar shouldn’t really be batting in the top 7 I don’t
think, and either Burns or Solanki should be brought into the middle order to
firm it up. De Bruyn should be taken out of the side because I don’t think his
bowling warrants a place in the team, and either Tom Jewell or Tom Curran
should be given a go down at 8. Jon Lewis shouldn’t be playing as his little
medium pace dobbers have been played relatively easily of recent times, and
Tremlett should be backed to perform in this format. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Other than that, there aren’t many other changes I would
make to the team because there aren’t many other options pure and simply! I
knew at the beginning of the season we were a batsmen or two light, and when
the ones you do have hit a bad run of form, it puts you in a spot of bother. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So, overall, to win our final 3 games we must post better
scores. Two of our 3 games are away from the Oval, at Lord’s and Chelmsford
where the boundaries are relatively small, so hopefully we can use that as an
advantage and produce the goods when it matters.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-87587207437255435932013-07-08T18:55:00.000+01:002013-07-08T18:55:53.930+01:00Can we go back to playing T20, please?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwukK1yjm04PvrX7ho0NlnZeDSpCFky73Mk1Ozd4X4PsH2bI3h3B7-vPF2fmBcaqGAbe6mM6h0wg6nmiBqTDbyMbPVbEllQVlWIZ5mASTIpLzyQLeKN63ef5DPWhDeBH9_-pRc1-yDtHcn/s1600/Davies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwukK1yjm04PvrX7ho0NlnZeDSpCFky73Mk1Ozd4X4PsH2bI3h3B7-vPF2fmBcaqGAbe6mM6h0wg6nmiBqTDbyMbPVbEllQVlWIZ5mASTIpLzyQLeKN63ef5DPWhDeBH9_-pRc1-yDtHcn/s400/Davies.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I never thought
that I would say this, but I would much prefer us to be playing T20 than the
County Championship at the moment, after another very poor day for us.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Despite half
centuries from Rory Burns and Steve Davies, we were knocked over for just 198
and then failed to pick up a wicket with Notts closing day one on 50-0.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With the sun
beating down and without a cloud in the sky, Gareth Batty had no hesitation in
batting first when he won the flip of the coin. Team news was that Rory Burns
was fit enough to play, which meant that, alongside Tim Linley, Dominic Sibley
missed out.<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1iS31M-pAxOCNAyqA5SUguBJG92mkK4aZ0XxHXNc7P80AGUOYL7ZslWv6UMMkNcKGxtqvOSxdNBVneHDTV51NTNfY3iH4oyWf5-OMnobpvrc9gkps1-NHRwyUgoES91X1IxpZnumSapY/s1600/Burns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH1iS31M-pAxOCNAyqA5SUguBJG92mkK4aZ0XxHXNc7P80AGUOYL7ZslWv6UMMkNcKGxtqvOSxdNBVneHDTV51NTNfY3iH4oyWf5-OMnobpvrc9gkps1-NHRwyUgoES91X1IxpZnumSapY/s200/Burns.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Burns started
positively as he worked Harry Gurney for 4 in the first over, but lost his
opening partner when Arun Harinath edged to Samit Patel at slip. Burns
continued to play an array of stunning shots, especially straight down the
ground, but the other batsmen weren't as comfortable as the Banstead 'keeper,
as Vikram Solanki fell to an in-swinging Andre Adams delivery for 7.</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That wicket
brought Ricky Ponting to the crease on his final first class game, and he and
Burns had a rebuilding job to do. Burns moved to another Championship half
century with a flick off Gurney, but in yet again the last over of a session we
lost a wicket, when Burns could only tickle a leg side ball to Read behind the
stumps. A disappointing way to end a very good 57 from Burns, and Notts were
very happy with us going to lunch 3 down for 93.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And they would
have been cock-a-hoop when Ponting edged onto his pad and into the hands of
short leg on 29 just after the break. Zander De Bruyn managed to work his way
to 16 until he flashed at Shahzad and was caught behind, leaving Steven Davies
and Zafar Ansari with a big job on their hands. Davies played in his typically
fluent manner, but Ansari struggled to tick the score along and in the
penultimate over before tea (!) he firmly pushed Graeme White to Rikki Wessels
at short leg and he held on at the second attempt. 175-6 read a very poor
picture after choosing to bat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It didn't get
much better after tea as the last 4 wickets fell for just 23 runs, with the
last 4 batsmen all registering ducks. Davies was the only one to put up a
fight, as he was stranded on a very well made 65. 18 fruitless overs were to
follow, where Wessels and Steven Mullaney made batting look far easier than we
did, as the closed less than 150 behind with all their first innings wickets
still intact. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So after the
joys of the last week or so in the T20, any thoughts of transferring that form
and confidence into the Championship seem to have been distinguished. It often
happens after some T20's that a side gets rolled over easily when they return
to 4 day cricket, but the way the batsmen performed today, they can have no
excuses.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Burns and Davies
were the only two who seemed to adjust to the apparent very good conditions to
bat in, with the others getting out to some rather poor shots or some very good
bowling and fielding from Notts. Burns' wicket was key as he was looking better
than ever today, but the others need to take a look at themselves.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We won an
important toss but failed to capitalise, and if we can't find some wickets in
the morning session tomorrow, we could be in for a very long couple of days
indeed. <o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-8353641814362466722013-07-07T18:25:00.000+01:002013-07-07T18:25:23.402+01:00Sibley may make debut in Ponting's last game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHx5dfeBdd1A0VwvuLVjrbUvXI_w0iWB9oUCfDD-xk7lcS24qcS8xy2O6Th83_bYU8tH1842COa0wSMkSPl-BYi2BjPHVLrO6GikqZ7qfHl98uTy_GBz2MeGcgRp7QxQFgNoxWkT03G_h/s1600/Sibley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHx5dfeBdd1A0VwvuLVjrbUvXI_w0iWB9oUCfDD-xk7lcS24qcS8xy2O6Th83_bYU8tH1842COa0wSMkSPl-BYi2BjPHVLrO6GikqZ7qfHl98uTy_GBz2MeGcgRp7QxQFgNoxWkT03G_h/s400/Sibley.jpg" width="340" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As one of the great batsmen of all time plays his final
First Class game, a 17 year old prodigy has a chance of making his debut in the
County Championship match against Nottinghamshire this week.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ricky Ponting first played a First Class game back in
1992, 3 years before Dominic Sibley was born, and after 288 games, with almost
24,000 runs, Punter is bowing out of the game. Sibley, born in 1995, was just 3
months old when Ponting made his test match debut and now has the chance to
play with a batsman that he grew up watching.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Here is the squad in full:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gareth Batty (C)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Arun Harinath<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rory Burns<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Vikram Solanki<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ricky Ponting<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zander de Bruyn<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Steve Davies<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zafar Ansari<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Dominic Sibley<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Chris Tremlett<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jade Dernbach<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tim Linley<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gary Keedy<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s not a certainty that Sibley will get a debut,
however, as that rests on the shoulders of whether Rory Burns is fit enough
after a hamstring injury he sustained in a second X1 match last week. Burns
retired hurt and later wrote in his column for the Surrey Mirror that he had
torn his hamstring, but I think if that was the case he would be out for a
while, so hopefully he only tweaked it. We obviously need a win in the
Championship and we want our best players available for the game, but if Burns
wasn’t to make it, then it will be some occasion for Sibley.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The Ashtead CC opener is a graduate of the Pemberton
Greenish Academy and doesn’t turn 18 until the 5<sup>th</sup> of September, the
same birthday as a certain Mark Ramprakash, and has been talked about for a
while. I first head of Sibley a couple of years ago when, at 15, he struck a
double century in a Surrey Premier Division match against bowlers such as Jimmy
Ormond, and since then I have been waiting to see him come into the side. It
would be great to see him play tomorrow, but if he doesn’t, the experience for
him would be vital for when he eventually does get a go.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbS-y7hAax1u-g-Z0mYOmGvRZ5UUj4bw_gAylTm9gIxifhT67SQMs3tr-iK40uYCOJNfKiKyilRhIqT4OtGs_wqlKROJZ6xBEa6Qp5nx7QrDHIDPbFq371iU4RX_epxH8Qn3lx1uNRimUB/s1600/Ponting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbS-y7hAax1u-g-Z0mYOmGvRZ5UUj4bw_gAylTm9gIxifhT67SQMs3tr-iK40uYCOJNfKiKyilRhIqT4OtGs_wqlKROJZ6xBEa6Qp5nx7QrDHIDPbFq371iU4RX_epxH8Qn3lx1uNRimUB/s200/Ponting.jpg" width="200" /></a>What can I say about a man who is 21 years older than
Sibley? Ponting will go down as one of the greats and it is a privilege that
his last First Class match will be for Surrey at the Oval. He hasn’t had the
best of times at our ground, obviously losing the Ashes in both 2005 and 2009
there, but hopefully he will bow out by providing us with one more superb
innings. He will carry on to play in the T20 for us and in the Caribbean T20 in August, but this is the format that made Ponting who he is today.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When it comes to the bowlers named in the squad, there is
a bit of a selection headache for Stewart and Barnes. 3 seamers plus de Bruyn
have been named in the squad and two spinners plus Ansari, so there are plenty
of options. Notts’ attack is much reliant on their seamers so I would presume
that the groundsman would be told to try and produce a turning wicket, which
may mean that Keedy, who took a 7-fer in his last game, will play alongside
Batty. Another option is to not play Keedy and have Ansari and Batty as the two
spinners and therefore play Trem, Jade and the Viscount. I’m not sure which way
they are going to go.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So this is a massive game for us as we still look for our
first win of the season. However, we have won 4 in a row in the FLT20 which
could only prove beneficial for us when it comes to the Championship, because
when you get that winning feeling, you don’t want to give it up easily.</div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-34222265651547080732013-06-25T16:13:00.001+01:002013-06-25T16:13:19.307+01:00Batty returns for T20 opener<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGd753XqV9XxCRQvWAWFMvJNkBgH86d8JAf5m6w6LR6HUeU5zAuwkJL2Ibtu_V0hyphenhyphenXmWHQvB5TJ8J9QLsW4iHCoj4FV_-wMg_Gqul5nm4XeVJt9kFYHZm-wrn0H0zZ1AyHM4ac_ygENpM/s1600/Batty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGd753XqV9XxCRQvWAWFMvJNkBgH86d8JAf5m6w6LR6HUeU5zAuwkJL2Ibtu_V0hyphenhyphenXmWHQvB5TJ8J9QLsW4iHCoj4FV_-wMg_Gqul5nm4XeVJt9kFYHZm-wrn0H0zZ1AyHM4ac_ygENpM/s400/Batty.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gareth Batty has been named in a 13 man squad to take on
the reigning champions Hampshire Royals in the opening FLT20 game of the summer
tomorrow at the Ageas Bowl.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
After missing for over 3 weeks due to a side strain, it
is great to have Batty back in the squad and he will take over the captaincy
from Vikram Solanki. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Here is the squad in full:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gareth Batty (C)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jason Roy<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Steve Davies<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Vikram Solanki<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ricky Ponting<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Azhar Mahmood<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Glenn Maxwell<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zander de Bruyn<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zafar Ansari<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gary Wilson<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jon Lewis<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Chris Tremlett<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Matthew Dunn<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s obviously not just his captaincy that we have missed
over the last few weeks, with his bowling proving vital at times, and he had a
successful Twenty 20 campaign last season which led him to being named in
England’s provisional squad for the World T20 in Sri Lanka. Alongside Batty’s
off spin is Ansari’s slow left arm and Maxwell’s off breaks, so it looks like
we will field 3 spinners in most of the games this campaign, but Gary Keedy is
left out of the party probably due to the fact he isn’t particularly quick in
the field and is not the best with the bat shall we say.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIaRuJHIWVprVxeImVaPMmluKs2p5r03Mpk9gSz3leh86EuzYoZLhI7XXYw-fKi2doBE7h_ct0FMdPnYMHFWxZAdQrkfkhubf11l4VdRzyZGkl-l_OwxCOuG6wyX3gwxaO6OEyEoU9m0y/s1600/christremlett-1332412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIaRuJHIWVprVxeImVaPMmluKs2p5r03Mpk9gSz3leh86EuzYoZLhI7XXYw-fKi2doBE7h_ct0FMdPnYMHFWxZAdQrkfkhubf11l4VdRzyZGkl-l_OwxCOuG6wyX3gwxaO6OEyEoU9m0y/s200/christremlett-1332412.jpg" width="200" /></a>When it comes to the seam bowlers, there are 5 named in
the squad, including Matthew Dunn. It’s great to see Dunn named in a first team
squad for two consecutive games but I don’t think he will make the final X1. It’s
a massive blow that both Dernbach and Meaker are unavailable for the start of
the competition due to different reasons, as it means that we will most likely
field Jon Lewis as well as Tremlett which, along with Azhar Mahmood, means that
there are 3 fielders who are less fleet-footed in the field than the younger players.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When it comes to the batsmen, it looks like the most
explosive line up we have had in years. I presume the top 6 will be something
like this: <i>Roy, Davies, Ponting, Solanki,
Azhar, Maxwell</i>, all of whom can score at a rapid tempo and clear the ropes
at regular intervals. That is something we have missed over the last few
seasons of T20. We usually have a top 4 who can smash the ball out of the park,
but it now looks like we have 6 who can do that role, and with 2 of Wilson, de
Bruyn and Ansari at number 7 and 8, it is a very long batting line up. I
personally would play Wilson ahead of de Bruyn as he had a superb time in the
T20 last year and I don’t think Zander’s medium pace is required after his
showing at Guildford against Lancashire.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRfC38lBxv9wHqxAS7Q3-tkABgZQoxjL47saq0XhCrJcmTgBiCT-Z3BlR-eeCI-lXL4DmwoF5FZnIaDfwfACv-DR-txWj5RT77s8E6mfFsTax2vWBo3BeIk6MPtP9C0BKEqkdrOMI3iml/s1600/Roy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRfC38lBxv9wHqxAS7Q3-tkABgZQoxjL47saq0XhCrJcmTgBiCT-Z3BlR-eeCI-lXL4DmwoF5FZnIaDfwfACv-DR-txWj5RT77s8E6mfFsTax2vWBo3BeIk6MPtP9C0BKEqkdrOMI3iml/s200/Roy.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A special mention for Jason Roy who had a difficult time
of it in the Championship when he played, but since the Guildford festival he
has worked hard and found some form. In his last 9 innings for Surrey second X1
and Reigate Priory he has scored: 127*, 124, 48, 13, 90, 6, 32, 78, 79. Some
may say that the standard is nothing like first team professional cricket, but
at least he has scored the runs. He could have easily gone back to the second
X1 and Reigate and not put in 100% and not got many runs, but he didn’t do
that, he put the effort in and hopefully he can have a good T20 campaign.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So, it all starts tomorrow against a strong looking
Hampshire side. It’s important to get off to a good start and with 3 away games
this week we must register a win as soon as possible, because as we have seen
over the 7 years since we have qualified for the quarter finals, once you get
off to a poor start, it’s very hard to produce that winning formula.</div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-74869969676445366832013-06-25T10:07:00.000+01:002013-06-25T10:07:06.893+01:00Surrey's greatest T20 X1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtxUGO2suPIOBpe9_s_VJO4RhdjhaEJkyBRMvyT6mWrsUw9d677iN0padpWN5PIDfFWjJ1FT4KKTI5Ni7bf5NLGee_EXJNetb4sKJllycAl2vS0NJ6fAWOYooQsxxOeSET42dtznkEkrc/s1600/2003+winners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtxUGO2suPIOBpe9_s_VJO4RhdjhaEJkyBRMvyT6mWrsUw9d677iN0padpWN5PIDfFWjJ1FT4KKTI5Ni7bf5NLGee_EXJNetb4sKJllycAl2vS0NJ6fAWOYooQsxxOeSET42dtznkEkrc/s400/2003+winners.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With it being 10 years since we lifted the inaugural
Twenty20 Cup, I felt that it was a fitting time to look back at Surrey’s
performance over the last decade in the razzmatazz of the shortest form of the
game. Some players I have selected in Surrey’s best Twenty20 X1 were an easy
pick, whereas others were more difficult to choose and more debatable. So, here
is my X1:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>1. ALISTAIR BROWN: <o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Runs: 1170<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Average: 23.40<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Strike Rate: 156.00<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Highest Score: 83<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGgOoNdbAo83AQDQOSSZFyHvUGYITcffn1Dpm0rvBs3XWkudeeo7ejcpcLxzbPLF4OYV2FMvNB-aLb8_E-lGWpunm65OLzgychnqWWmT4s9ok7ZqkIUrSl4OJ7baWIi6Kkeviy2WTe6XPZ/s1600/Ali+Brown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGgOoNdbAo83AQDQOSSZFyHvUGYITcffn1Dpm0rvBs3XWkudeeo7ejcpcLxzbPLF4OYV2FMvNB-aLb8_E-lGWpunm65OLzgychnqWWmT4s9ok7ZqkIUrSl4OJ7baWIi6Kkeviy2WTe6XPZ/s200/Ali+Brown.jpg" width="190" /></a>Being one of only 3 players to have passed 1000 runs for
us in history, not many will argue with the selection of Ali Brown at the top
of the order. Perhaps T20 came a few years late for Brown to really be at his
destructive best, because in his pomp in One Day cricket he was unstoppable at
times, but he still managed to hit the ball out of the park at a consistent
basis in the early years of the format. It was a surprise that he never made a
century, registering just 7 half centuries for us in 6 years, but he often got
the innings off to a flyer and hit an unbeaten 55 to guide us to glory against
Warwickshire in 2003. Brown has also claimed the most catches for us with 34,
13 more than next highest Stewart Walters.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzJRvVo0XBXbPecHeyEc7t5wsr3PabO6J4ibRPHEPUtRK_U8LWAL8CYUU_khikJ8s7ZpOhaDKmLVko522sEc1X7nZYDhfI0zY_rWkbqvt9uCKf1QCiJIW39_GDA5kiYyt-xzPKy596XGe/s1600/Davies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzJRvVo0XBXbPecHeyEc7t5wsr3PabO6J4ibRPHEPUtRK_U8LWAL8CYUU_khikJ8s7ZpOhaDKmLVko522sEc1X7nZYDhfI0zY_rWkbqvt9uCKf1QCiJIW39_GDA5kiYyt-xzPKy596XGe/s200/Davies.jpg" width="146" /></a><u>2. STEVE DAVIES (WK):<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Runs: 938<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Average: 27.58<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Strike Rate: 155.29<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Highest Score: 99*<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With 3 of the top 5 scores for us in T20 cricket being
scored by Steve Davies, the former Worcestershire wicket keeper was an easy
choice to open the batting with Brown. One of the most elegant batsman to play
for our club for years, stroking the ball to the boundary in an effortless
manner, it is a wonder why he hasn’t played more international cricket. On his
day there are no better than Davo and he was undoubtedly the best signing in
the Chris Adams era.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>3. JASON ROY:<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Runs: 729<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Average: 22.78<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix27mnKiiZ3zJvB3EztL1kUdCsi1V7IwNfqO93fJLG2WJkFrEEGxCx1qaYmqh95oA5snOjgLsd02TJYBvUTYqYyF6eYOQh5D9UsiNYbTClaDgag8yWNlNzTFTtL5m7W8ZJ4PcH1T62OGWh/s1600/Jason+Roy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix27mnKiiZ3zJvB3EztL1kUdCsi1V7IwNfqO93fJLG2WJkFrEEGxCx1qaYmqh95oA5snOjgLsd02TJYBvUTYqYyF6eYOQh5D9UsiNYbTClaDgag8yWNlNzTFTtL5m7W8ZJ4PcH1T62OGWh/s200/Jason+Roy.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Strike Rate: 137.03<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Highest Score: 101*<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
One of the main reasons Jason Roy is in the team is
purely because of the fact that he is the only Surrey player to have hit a T20
hundred. It was in 2010 against Kent at Beckenham and at the time he was a
relative unknown around the county circuit, but he has since grown a reputation
as one of the bigger hitters in the country. Don’t forget that he is still
young and will, in my opinion, grow into the greatest T20 batsman in the club’s
history. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlCRiNvkDxg83JUiOl5rEy9nRVCtvo5_WpgK-ZQrIqAygIacFNFaVLBi7ZS8PTGFRS76Z5RsBpkxysZiFWNncByc7K4SXIc7Uz-r_IIUWJXjC4jeNnIQiDPf9BMivsGGzeSMI4mHz791j/s1600/James+Benning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlCRiNvkDxg83JUiOl5rEy9nRVCtvo5_WpgK-ZQrIqAygIacFNFaVLBi7ZS8PTGFRS76Z5RsBpkxysZiFWNncByc7K4SXIc7Uz-r_IIUWJXjC4jeNnIQiDPf9BMivsGGzeSMI4mHz791j/s200/James+Benning.jpg" width="200" /></a><u>4. JAMES BENNING:<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Runs: 1032<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Average: 22.43<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Strike Rate: 130.79<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Highest Score: 88<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ok, so James Benning was an opener and not someone who
would bat at number 4, but I had to fit him in somewhere. Tipped for an England
career for many years, Benning was an explosive batsman for us in the first few
years of the competition and along with Ali Brown produced one of the best
partnerships in the history of T20 cricket in England. It’s a shame that his
time with us ended as it did and that his career has gone downhill, because at
the age of just 30, he still could have had plenty of years left in him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>5. MARK RAMPRAKASH:<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Runs: 1719<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Average: 32.43<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7DHZLDygpyHTbNxJULD4KFpRVDE_tXLffs8SlNdmaU4TZWdzULjOyHJHD4w4ByB__PmNBR6Q87gOIDhoe2St2I5shgVxYsRC08vKj3df4SPO52FVqM6QgVcR8E0SlBrAB78-DhInKh_R/s1600/Mark+Ramprakash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7DHZLDygpyHTbNxJULD4KFpRVDE_tXLffs8SlNdmaU4TZWdzULjOyHJHD4w4ByB__PmNBR6Q87gOIDhoe2St2I5shgVxYsRC08vKj3df4SPO52FVqM6QgVcR8E0SlBrAB78-DhInKh_R/s200/Mark+Ramprakash.jpg" width="200" /></a><u>Strike Rate: 125.01<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Highest Score: 85*<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Probably my easiest choice to have in the team is the
legend that is Ramps, who is our leading T20 run scorer by almost 600 runs. Perhaps
not the format most suited to his style of batting, but he showed on many
occasions that he was more than capable to put together an aggressive innings.
He hit 13 half centuries, 6 more than the next highest Ali Brown, including a
memorable unbeaten 85 to beat his old side Middlesex. Only 19 players have
scored more runs than him in the English T20 game, with most of them playing
far more games than Ramps did. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0lG7Psn5OQRP9BQSHLlbry7pncaL9q895Ta_o-_BemOBMxZmkf0jr8I4aNfliHmzEOYw2Ym3IwWo-j-Olh0PlLTFQvzcRJYLNPql-vvAoGNZPH9Kdj6_6AbyEdBYgQs2DIziEJRpu7gF/s1600/Adam+Hollioake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX0lG7Psn5OQRP9BQSHLlbry7pncaL9q895Ta_o-_BemOBMxZmkf0jr8I4aNfliHmzEOYw2Ym3IwWo-j-Olh0PlLTFQvzcRJYLNPql-vvAoGNZPH9Kdj6_6AbyEdBYgQs2DIziEJRpu7gF/s200/Adam+Hollioake.jpg" width="200" /></a><u>6. ADAM HOLLIOAKE (C):<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Runs: 257<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Wickets: 36<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Highest Score: 65*<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Best Figures: 5-21<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
He may have only played two seasons of T20 cricket for us
before he retired, but I don’t think there is anyone who can question my choice
of having Adam Hollioake in the side as captain. Leading us to glory in the
first year of the format, where most of the players admitted that they didn’t
know what to do and what to expect from it, Hollioake spearheaded the attack
with his, unplayable at times, medium pace. He didn’t captain the side the
following year but he still performed, and considering there were far fewer
games in the tournament than there is now, to claim 36 wickets in 2 seasons was
a remarkable achievement. He remains the only Surrey bowler to claim 2 five
wicket hauls in Twenty 20 and will long be remembered as a Surrey legend.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>7. AZHAR MAHMOOD:<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Runs: 665<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWEpS9Byfxz23L4w21d3TiSG1YVKwBRE7o3N1kxPpwWAOq8oy3ZFv_bgBvfE-WeoRZHGJ8Mu0rjmV0BNdITUcKYMBCAfFUbeYo6HKw97lOjYdMblszsBxF-odyHOcmT9o65l9ixCoW4Ed/s1600/Azhar+Mahmood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWEpS9Byfxz23L4w21d3TiSG1YVKwBRE7o3N1kxPpwWAOq8oy3ZFv_bgBvfE-WeoRZHGJ8Mu0rjmV0BNdITUcKYMBCAfFUbeYo6HKw97lOjYdMblszsBxF-odyHOcmT9o65l9ixCoW4Ed/s200/Azhar+Mahmood.jpg" width="200" /></a><u>Wickets: 33<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Highest Score: 65*<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Best Figures: 4-20<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
At his best, Azhar was the perfect T20 player. With the
ability to hit the ball to all parts in double quick time and be very effective
with the ball at both the start and end of an innings. Ok, maybe he was never
the quickest mover in the field, but he could make up for that by keeping it
tight with the ball. He played a key part in our early success in the
competition and always came back to haunt us when we played against him for
Kent, and hopefully the leading wicket taker in Domestic T20 cricket with 103
can bring us some much awaited success this year. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-wuNidN0HjZyWf5QP00rx0qqxwRZJSHIj0Y7J_0tt0UIOWvRXaMIndJcWKftQNunYVH2s6eSBJ1reLwzZFCtT99DEsmKTtZqvzBOOVxH-yKN5uW-Mt2uyr_GdKS8gk_Hx04Ywgp8k3YP/s1600/Schoey+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-wuNidN0HjZyWf5QP00rx0qqxwRZJSHIj0Y7J_0tt0UIOWvRXaMIndJcWKftQNunYVH2s6eSBJ1reLwzZFCtT99DEsmKTtZqvzBOOVxH-yKN5uW-Mt2uyr_GdKS8gk_Hx04Ywgp8k3YP/s200/Schoey+2.jpg" width="133" /></a><u>8. CHRIS SCHOFIELD:<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Runs: 203<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Wickets: 53<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Highest Score: 30*<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Best Figures: 4-12<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Schoey was very much hit and miss with the ball with us,
but in T20 cricket you could always rely on him getting you a wicket. He is the
joint leading wicket taker for us and took his 53 inside just 4 years. He may
go around the park every now and then, but that happens to the best of leg
spinners, and his batting was more than useful at times. Personally, I feel
that he often batted too low down in the side and he should have batted higher to
exploit his ability to hit the ball into strange areas.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8WGUZsf8_Kw3plXhtRc35lQHVkewTZbio-8jYfNSi0QrHUXB3CRe50iMB0Nelex1Ntnz7UeWT1ZhDdTI0eMF1MOIRYBuysbioMkkU8e2u4qN7ULpGmAaCpwTXueokQVfBRz8z_dl530wJ/s1600/Tim+Murtagh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8WGUZsf8_Kw3plXhtRc35lQHVkewTZbio-8jYfNSi0QrHUXB3CRe50iMB0Nelex1Ntnz7UeWT1ZhDdTI0eMF1MOIRYBuysbioMkkU8e2u4qN7ULpGmAaCpwTXueokQVfBRz8z_dl530wJ/s200/Tim+Murtagh.jpg" width="150" /></a><u>9. TIM MURTAGH:<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Wickets: 37<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Best Figures: 6-24<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Strike Rate: 15.60<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
This maybe a controversial choice because he is now at
Middlesex, but Tim Murtagh is the joint leading wicket taking seamer in T20
cricket for Surrey. His strike rate shows that he would regularly pick up
wickets and his figures of 6-24 against his current club at Lord’s in 2005 are
still to be beaten by a Surrey bowler 8 years on. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFo9X7dT17qZfT1FwIzdTz18S86K9R6fsKlxt97X2kaOkUmG-JboYNK9yue7gNK5RSY1cy1HmVAqnt2gBqeEMXHs0l8HzRpTAOsHZ0d795y3fibK5GVwYUYRWuPWQ8CUmJ7WEjzMgvB4J/s1600/Tremlett.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFo9X7dT17qZfT1FwIzdTz18S86K9R6fsKlxt97X2kaOkUmG-JboYNK9yue7gNK5RSY1cy1HmVAqnt2gBqeEMXHs0l8HzRpTAOsHZ0d795y3fibK5GVwYUYRWuPWQ8CUmJ7WEjzMgvB4J/s200/Tremlett.jpg" width="200" /></a><u>10. CHRIS TREMLETT:<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Wickets: 37<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Best Figures: 4-16<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Strike Rate: 14.20<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The selection of the big man may surprise many people but
by looking at his stats alone it is clear that he can be a fine bowler in the
shortest format of the game. He has taken the same amount of wickets as Murtagh
in 4 less matches and his economy rate of 7.02 is very rare in this day and
age. A fit and firing Tremlett will be vital if we are going to succeed in this
year’s competition.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>11. NAYAN DOSHI:<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Wickets: 53<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwO5vXNIYfpoREngst-WpN5bYgfkECf_Aqlxp9jI2wQ5BzBiCL3UWedM-bywSSmv_DKx0urpsj8VqkguJ8DsCoZdtV7ZgNi3oJ8ck3ucw29XHiCdk4cDV43GNu-NpoKVoOBhEUNXqW0qA/s1600/Nayan+Doshi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCwO5vXNIYfpoREngst-WpN5bYgfkECf_Aqlxp9jI2wQ5BzBiCL3UWedM-bywSSmv_DKx0urpsj8VqkguJ8DsCoZdtV7ZgNi3oJ8ck3ucw29XHiCdk4cDV43GNu-NpoKVoOBhEUNXqW0qA/s200/Nayan+Doshi.jpg" width="200" /></a><u>Best Figures: 4-22<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Strike Rate: 12.5<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Last but certainly not least is mercurial talent that is
Nayan Doshi. He never really impressed in First Class or List A cricket, but
when it came to T20 it was a different story. He destroyed the myth that spinners
would be played with ease in this format by going at just 7 runs per over and
picking up a wickets every 12 balls he bowled. He tailed off in his last couple
of years at the club but still remains the joint wicket taker for us with 53,
which made him a dead cert for selection in my team.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<u>Who came close?<o:p></o:p></u></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There were quite a few players who came close to getting
into the team when I was deliberating. Batsman such as Rory Hamilton-Brown, Tom
Maynard and Scott Newman as well as all-rounders such as Matthew Spriegel.
Bowlers who could have been included are those such as Jade Dernbach, but with
37 wickets from over 40 matches I chose not to select him, and Jimmy Ormond who
tore Warwickshire’s top order apart in the final in 2003.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So, that’s my team. As you would have noticed, over 50%
of the side is from the years when we were successful in Twenty 20. Would that
team win the Twenty 20 competition in this day and age? Possibly, but the game
has changed since then. I feel that X1 has the perfect weighting of big hitting
batsman, those who accumulate runs quickly, bowlers who keep it tight and claim
wickets at regular intervals in a 4 over spell.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
If you have any queries or objections to the team I’ve
chose, then I would be happy to hear them, so tweet to @SurreyFanBlog.<o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-55958312493316485842013-06-23T18:55:00.002+01:002013-06-23T18:55:59.683+01:00KP century but draw likely again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lpcT0HbNj0h_ABPbBZ4t9ArqCBFkXQPQ9IzjK9JTDCuc7L5KwDz0oO6eSQuAqRo6MerjXEtofS81Qq8SfOOCJ7agOKNlgux2DBl_TimzwAldStscYbhHRh0VcFUkeE_VVqFSYmvE9wJ1/s1600/Pietersen+celebrates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6lpcT0HbNj0h_ABPbBZ4t9ArqCBFkXQPQ9IzjK9JTDCuc7L5KwDz0oO6eSQuAqRo6MerjXEtofS81Qq8SfOOCJ7agOKNlgux2DBl_TimzwAldStscYbhHRh0VcFUkeE_VVqFSYmvE9wJ1/s400/Pietersen+celebrates.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
He may only turn up every now and again, but Kevin
Pietersen showed his true quality today by striking a scintillating century on
Day 3 at Headingley.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Pietersen hit an unbeaten 177 off 188 balls to take
Surrey to 353-7 declared, before Yorkshire ended the day 52-1.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rain meant the start was delayed for an hour, but with us
starting the morning on 53-1, still trailing by well over 300, a quiet session
was needed. However, that wasn’t to be, as night-watchman Linley was caught in
the slips in the first over of the day. Captain Solanki was then caught well by
Gale at mid-on as he looked for an extravagant pull on 4, and Burns was trapped
LBW on 29 for Sidebottom’s second wicket, as the hosts made a superb start to
the day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxb6QBp5JNB0xJJIDcw-B-hWw1Yvm7_QmbfWseTS-AIsTY3XDXgAu96kba1yh66PPgR1GqdfN31v-oo8ZvvSwXhBMWiufiH1xZCy2lS54M4j_nOpvP4TAKDRZeUYC9849qnQHeVCtjGcO/s1600/Pietersen+cuts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxb6QBp5JNB0xJJIDcw-B-hWw1Yvm7_QmbfWseTS-AIsTY3XDXgAu96kba1yh66PPgR1GqdfN31v-oo8ZvvSwXhBMWiufiH1xZCy2lS54M4j_nOpvP4TAKDRZeUYC9849qnQHeVCtjGcO/s200/Pietersen+cuts.jpg" width="200" /></a>However, KP had other ideas and alongside the rejuvenated
Zander de Bruyn, started to rebuild the innings. After over 3 months without
any time in the middle, he was understandably scratchy at the beginning of his
innings, but the longer he was in, the better he got. His partnership with de
Bruyn had reached 97 before Zander was caught off Brooks for 38, but Pietersen
had already past his half century, and was starting to tear the Yorkshire
bowling attack apart.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Davies came to the crease to support Pietersen and he
flew to his century, taking a particular liking to the leg spin of Adil Rashid,
depositing him over the fence a number of times, before reaching his hundred
with a couple into the leg side off Sidebottom. It had come off 106 balls with
12 fours and 2 maximums, but he wasn’t finished there as he raced us towards
further batting points.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ux5_tLUQ9HQyrxYi4bT49DT7Tj2Gv26sIGkfEOoJ1tvfjx-BkrxYD0eM8SMOwO_KhHOer0PcphbkOrnmvZTAmzs32oMMSgFRfCESO0XLKlnJZ88J8xcIXiHgSvoWZRw7Yecn6k8rOroH/s1600/Pietersen+pulls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Ux5_tLUQ9HQyrxYi4bT49DT7Tj2Gv26sIGkfEOoJ1tvfjx-BkrxYD0eM8SMOwO_KhHOer0PcphbkOrnmvZTAmzs32oMMSgFRfCESO0XLKlnJZ88J8xcIXiHgSvoWZRw7Yecn6k8rOroH/s200/Pietersen+pulls.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
He lost his partner when Davies was caught off Liam
Plunkett for a typically fluent 44, but that didn’t deter him as he moved to
his 150 with another huge six off Adil Rashid. Gary Wilson perished for 12 as
he was caught at long off looking to force the issue, but Pietersen continued
on his assault, hitting 2 sixes and a four off a Sidebottom over before the
declaration came with a deficit of 80.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The declaration was a brave, but positive, one and with a
win so desperately needed, it was the right move. Yorkshire had 21 overs to bat
tonight, and even though they lost Leeds to Keedy, they managed to negotiate
them well and see themselves into the close on 52-1, a lead of 132.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
What a great knock by KP at a much needed time, because
if he didn’t get a score, we probably wouldn’t have avoided the follow on. His
knock was reminiscent of his double hundred against Lancashire at Guildford
last year, showing his real class and I wish we saw more of him at Surrey than
we do. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Victory still looks unlikely as I feel that we needed to
make a few inroads tonight to have any sort of chance, but that wasn’t to be,
so it looks like a 9<sup>th</sup> game without a win. <o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-17177739592618378842013-06-21T18:36:00.000+01:002013-06-21T18:36:34.507+01:00Gale blows Surrey away on Day 1<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-S16sg0ROK0sEHkdnXj8y4SQUt5iQA10jj7QFCM-99TXmk0_960IE-6_0Slbk4YmD9xrU3w2_uqZDlltzZcnj0vdBxFnNlJGXPeVoKhUKxU_0h0_UpSTQxy9m72lLBXP7Vohg684Y3lYQ/s1600/Gale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-S16sg0ROK0sEHkdnXj8y4SQUt5iQA10jj7QFCM-99TXmk0_960IE-6_0Slbk4YmD9xrU3w2_uqZDlltzZcnj0vdBxFnNlJGXPeVoKhUKxU_0h0_UpSTQxy9m72lLBXP7Vohg684Y3lYQ/s400/Gale.jpg" width="337" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
After winning the toss and electing to field, Surrey have
endured a long day in the field at Headingley as Division One leaders Yorkshire
have piled on the runs to put them in control after Day 1.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Skipper Andrew Gale struck an unbeaten 114 and Gary Ballance
hit 90 as they put on a partnership of 204 to end the day in a strong position
on 292-5.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The day started badly for Surrey as Ricky Ponting was
declared unfit to play as he had a sore hand, so Gary Wilson had to hotfoot it
up to Leeds to take his place in the side. Overhead conditions did suit the
bowlers, so Solanki had no hesitation in bowling, but even though his bowlers
kept it tight early on, they didn’t make the batsmen play regularly and once
the opening pair of Lees and Lyth had done the hard work of getting themselves
in, they reaped the rewards by finding the boundary more often. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Bad light brought an early end to the first session and
the lunch break seemed to rejuvenate the Surrey bowlers, as Tremlett almost
immediately got the breakthrough when Lyth edged to Solanki at slip on 41.
Zander de Bruyn was bowling nicely and he picked up the second in the next
over, trapping Lees in front for 15. The runs dried up and the pressure got to
Joe Sayers who could only edge a drive off Linley to de Bruyn in the slips on
5, as Yorkshire had lost 3 wickets for just 15 runs to be on 77-3.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The decision to bowl started to look vindicated, but Gale
and Ballance put paid to that by putting on a superb, almost chanceless
partnership for the 4<sup>th</sup> wicket. Gale has recently hit a career best
272 and also a century at Lord’s last week, so came into this game in fine
form. He looked at ease from ball one, striking the ball nonchalantly off
anything that we threw at him, racing past his half century. Ballance was
slightly more cautious after recently returning from injury, but he still
showed glimpses of why he has been picked in England’s T20 squad for next week.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gale was looking immovable at the crease until he skied
Gary Keedy to Kevin Pietersen on 95, but the returning KP couldn’t hold on to a
tough chance over his shoulder. Soon after he brought up his 100 off just 137
balls, with the partnership with Ballance moving past 150. Like his skipper,
Ballance was looking for his 3<sup>rd</sup> Championship hundred of the summer
and looked set for it, until Jon Lewis claimed his first LVCC wicket of the
season when he trapped him LBW. Lewis then had the in-form Adil Rashid caught
by Solanki for 5 late on, as Surrey started to claw it back slightly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So after bowling first and reducing them to 77-3, it is
disappointing that we have allowed them to get to where they have, but it shows
why they are top of the table. Gale has hit a real purple patch recently and
continued with that today and there wasn’t much we could have done about it. The
sun came out after lunch, and even though de Bruyn got the ball to wobble a
bit, the conditions were good for batting and the pitch equally as good. You
can’t blame Solanki for bowling, because I think any captain would have, but
his bowlers couldn’t back him up once again.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Obviously we need to get Gale as quick as we can tomorrow
and roll over the tail, preferably to below 350, but with rain about over the
next few days, victory is yet again going to be difficult.<o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-77342846735889254092013-06-17T12:20:00.002+01:002013-06-17T12:20:51.419+01:00Adams parts company with Surrey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2flOMduV64-V_evU0PtC3bNz7z_MDEPL7aXjG6rGeE9ewq_6TY5o3nXxPLElwwIKomivYwhyphenhyphenw-OtU9yhvWpWUL7i27XtXoxwvjOjuO5Z6gN6-Vb582xU6iuwFZVqgi3e_Cwr8y6NLnCn/s1600/chris+adams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2flOMduV64-V_evU0PtC3bNz7z_MDEPL7aXjG6rGeE9ewq_6TY5o3nXxPLElwwIKomivYwhyphenhyphenw-OtU9yhvWpWUL7i27XtXoxwvjOjuO5Z6gN6-Vb582xU6iuwFZVqgi3e_Cwr8y6NLnCn/s400/chris+adams.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As most of you will know already, both manager Chris
Adams and first team coach Ian Salisbury have been sacked this morning by the
club.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Many have been calling for Adams’ head over the last few
months (possibly more for some), but I still feel that it is a shock that it
has happened now. However, results simply haven’t been good enough so far this
season, so perhaps it is the right thing to do and the right time as well to
try and turn around our fortunes before we are relegated back to Division Two
of the County Championship.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYS7YxZQ4fHudDKy_kLisHr2JNYhAA_GchEY2DFBV9AtlQwjYj016Xe3CXt5DzAapLKlUGH2U8NN6RY8Ybh3Q9D9hFdWrmhsm8R1hXLKP6gfseZcgrwro9SCummu0swUlWNEOcswsxg5V/s1600/137252+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLYS7YxZQ4fHudDKy_kLisHr2JNYhAA_GchEY2DFBV9AtlQwjYj016Xe3CXt5DzAapLKlUGH2U8NN6RY8Ybh3Q9D9hFdWrmhsm8R1hXLKP6gfseZcgrwro9SCummu0swUlWNEOcswsxg5V/s200/137252+(1).jpg" width="200" /></a>Adams came to the club for the start of the 2009 season,
taking over an ageing, underachieving squad who had just been relegated after
failing to win a game under the leadership of Alan Butcher the previous
campaign. It was always going to be a tough task to build a squad to get
promoted back to the premier division and for the first two years of his reign
we finished towards the summit of Division two. 2011 was without doubt Adams’
best in charge of the club, under the captaincy of Rory Hamilton-Brown he led
us back to where we belong thanks to 4 wins out of the last 4 games in the
Championship, and collecting our first silverware for 8 years in the CB40. It
was a great achievement with a young, vibrant squad, and long gone were the
days of the likes of past-its such as Shoaib Akhtar and Andrew Symonds wearing
the feathers.</div>
<br /><o:p></o:p>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Everything was looking positive for Surrey for the first
time in almost a decade and many tipped big things for them in the years ahead.
The start back in Division one last year wasn’t easy, but was far from
disastrous, and we were competitive from the off. However, the unthinkable happened
in June, a year ago tomorrow, when star player Tom Maynard was found dead. As a
coach, how do you deal with that? It must have been by far the most difficult
things for him to go through in his professional career, trying to get his
talented squad through an unbelievably tough period, with on field matters understandably
taking a back seat for a while.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0hedrz92obQR2graHfg21en1leoMaPro0ZGjduf4IQDntrrkDcrhf6Rntv7QtrQ1OMfWI8eVgVKm7_iLkJfTa6gruDnD9q3YfMAcrAcqGd5MBkhai9-Tm2mp8_zDWL3ywxmAamroShij/s1600/148914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy0hedrz92obQR2graHfg21en1leoMaPro0ZGjduf4IQDntrrkDcrhf6Rntv7QtrQ1OMfWI8eVgVKm7_iLkJfTa6gruDnD9q3YfMAcrAcqGd5MBkhai9-Tm2mp8_zDWL3ywxmAamroShij/s200/148914.jpg" width="200" /></a>Relegation looked on the cards from that point onwards
and I don’t think there would have been many supporters who could complain
after what the players had gone through. However, with Gareth Batty at the helm
on the pitch, we managed to finish the season well and somehow keep ourselves in
the top division. Yes, there may have been things that went on behind the
scenes with Adams and Hamilton-Brown that we don’t know about, but you have to
give him credit for what he managed to do in awful circumstances last year. I
don’t think that achievement has been given the recognition that it deserved.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So after a good, young, talented squad had been built it
was torn apart at the end of the 2012 season, with Hamilton-Brown
understandably leaving for pastures new. A rebuilding job was needed, and what
better way than bringing the most successful captain in test history to captain
the side. Other decisions were certainly questionable, most notably the signing
of Gary Keedy and the release of Chris Jordan and Matt Spriegel, but experience
was needed and wanted by Adams.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawQ9bE7qlYiLl5F_hCTWXyPNlynxpAmFEfRLVgBBrOmHxJk-oixVX7loaMPmxjx1jIuLuWWyEF-scDq5i2syQrMSnFczUXtMC560LGt1lcRZ7hR2w9LxIbj9Wg_dTLznSiKvAtNNp8Tl5/s1600/Roy+bowled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawQ9bE7qlYiLl5F_hCTWXyPNlynxpAmFEfRLVgBBrOmHxJk-oixVX7loaMPmxjx1jIuLuWWyEF-scDq5i2syQrMSnFczUXtMC560LGt1lcRZ7hR2w9LxIbj9Wg_dTLznSiKvAtNNp8Tl5/s200/Roy+bowled.jpg" width="200" /></a>The start of this season wasn’t bad, drawing to Somerset
and Sussex, games in which we had chances to force home a victory but didn’t.
We probably should have won at Lord’s for the first time in a long time and we
looked a side difficult to beat. However, draws don’t get you anything in this
game really, just an extra 3 points, and after losing two in a row against
Durham and Notts it wasn’t looking quite so rosy as we languished in the bottom
two. Was it a coincidence that our first loss was the first game Smith missed
with injury? Well, I certainly think that was a factor, but if we use that
excuse then we will get nowhere.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Poor performances in the YB40, including being decimated by
Graham Napier at Chelmsford, and another 3 draws in the Championship didn’t help
Adams’ cause, resulting in him losing his job after probably our best
performance of the season in the LVCC against Sussex at Arundel.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So where do we go from here? Alec Stewart has been put in
temporary charge alongside bowling coach Stuart Barnes, but with the club
stating that a search for a long term successor will start soon, that makes me
think that Stewart may not want the job full time. But, who would blame him?
One of the most high profile positions on the county circuit, where you are
expected to win most games due to the amount of money we have compared to
others. Peter Moores has been tipped by some as well as former South Africa
coach Gary Kirsten and Tom Moody. Graeme Smith is expected to come back to the
club next year as a player, but also later this season in helping the team off
the pitch, which may make Kirsten the favourite for the job.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So, it is an end of an era at Surrey CCC. Whether you
agree with it or not, the results this season haven’t been good enough and a
change was inevitable at some point. I don’t envy the man who replaces Adams,
but hopefully he can do better than get 16 wins out of 72 games in charge. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylXM-rgG8pcWvhPuKfWxsmq5BXPd8NYtfVWjgCZ9-XjOJKSBcMsMBBxZVlYk0lnQFmXTflBeBqRR98QItYH_rZOZ8689rZtoy1PLUjtlvVHkqEOGCw1ITfQ21ajaTXxV3BgvF3Vh1HqyD/s1600/chrisadams2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylXM-rgG8pcWvhPuKfWxsmq5BXPd8NYtfVWjgCZ9-XjOJKSBcMsMBBxZVlYk0lnQFmXTflBeBqRR98QItYH_rZOZ8689rZtoy1PLUjtlvVHkqEOGCw1ITfQ21ajaTXxV3BgvF3Vh1HqyD/s200/chrisadams2.jpg" width="200" /></a>Good luck in the future Chris and Ian, but now is the
time to move on. As I said before, Alan Butcher was sacked with an ageing,
underachieving squad and there is very much a sense of <span lang="EN">déjà vu about the dismissal of Adams.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-56557813526683901552013-06-14T18:17:00.001+01:002013-06-14T18:17:16.064+01:00Solanki and de Bruyn dominate but draw on the cards<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVTU0Hr8Lug6FpEEtkuCQo1wBmGs73xowofZtsXR-tScF2JpMLBP5DR8NvKq66_jYVnpdcDW01jg-42V1_EIh0BTQp19CpAa2cek1MIcGZs3r5bNF9cEBhKi-8HujJzjsT1R7OZzXI_th/s1600/Solanki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDVTU0Hr8Lug6FpEEtkuCQo1wBmGs73xowofZtsXR-tScF2JpMLBP5DR8NvKq66_jYVnpdcDW01jg-42V1_EIh0BTQp19CpAa2cek1MIcGZs3r5bNF9cEBhKi-8HujJzjsT1R7OZzXI_th/s400/Solanki.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A first Championship hundred for Surrey from Vikram Solanki
has put his side into the lead heading into the final day tomorrow, but a draw
is very much on the cards.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Solanki struck a stylish 130 as Surrey closed on 362-6, a
lead of 67, with Zander de Bruyn finding some form to end the day unbeaten on
99.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The first port of call this morning was to try and see
off the new ball against the most potent attack in the country at the moment.
There was nearly the worst possible start when Harinath set off for a single
off the day’s first ball, then sent Burns back which left his partner stranded
but the throw missed. Magoffin and Anyon hit their straps from ball one and
repeatedly beat the outside edge of the left handed pair and it was the Aussie
who created the first chance with the ball but Joyce couldn’t hold onto a
chance at slip after Harinath nicked off.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We were definitely riding our luck, which to be honest
has been long awaited, as Magoffin once again took an edge, this time Burns,
but Yardy couldn’t hold on this time. However, despite all the luck of the
first 20 minutes or so, Harinath couldn’t make them pay as just after the 50
partnership was brought up, as he edged Chris Jordan’s 9<sup>th</sup> delivery
to Joyce when on 23. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jordan couldn’t be kept out of the game, because if it
wasn’t his bowling it was his fielding, as 10 minutes before lunch he held onto
a great catch at slip of Panesar to remove Burns for 36, but I would have
thought Adams would have accepted 102-2 from the first session. But when
Ponting went not long after the break for 13, with Jordan once again taking the
catch this time off Magoffin, Sussex would have scented a chance.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
However, Solanki was joined by de Bruyn and they made
sure the hosts couldn’t get amongst the Surrey lower order as the put on a
superb partnership in glorious batting conditions at the picturesque ground. De
Bruyn struggled early on and rode his luck with a few edges flashing down to
third man. Solanki was typically fluent though and brought up his half century
as the first batting point was brought up and de Bruyn became more confident at
the crease as his innings wore on, bringing up his half century just before the
century partnership came up as we went to tea in a strong position at 231-3.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The tempo was then upped by Solanki in particular and he
brought up his hundred with a stunning extra cover drive off Anyon for 4. It
had come off 161 balls, but he wasn’t finished there as he was playing a shot a
ball until he held out to Prior at long on off Panesar. Davies and Wilson both
came and went for 10 as they looked to force the issue and those two wickets seemed
to change the method for Surrey as de Bruyn and Ansari slowed down against the
new ball.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It seemed as though there were enough overs for de Bruyn
to complete his century but it wasn’t to be so he will have to come back
tomorrow morning.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That was a very good day for us all in all, but once
again it looks like we are going to pick up another draw, which isn’t really
any good to us. Solanki was superb and another hour of him would have made the
game more interesting, but that wasn’t to be. It’s great to see Zander hit some
form finally, because he has had his critics (me included), but he has worked
hard and hopefully it is paying off.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The only thing I can see happening is a draw, unless we
can roll Sussex over for next to nothing, but the pitch still doesn’t seem to
be playing that bad so that is highly unlikely.<o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-51432744649644646122013-06-13T18:56:00.000+01:002013-06-13T18:56:51.714+01:00Season's best for Linley helps dismiss Sussex<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BRmma23_fExJoYeY29vEBICCykU5Rarn-PsQKP42CPFjbgEIC6f9tBMH1hKOmK4ThCGVGffSAvlGkQYeAQNNOnXWFRV8_ddut8fRDmsQDFbz_Ji3CkolsGMucyo9_vxVvKOverATv1MY/s1600/Linley+appeal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BRmma23_fExJoYeY29vEBICCykU5Rarn-PsQKP42CPFjbgEIC6f9tBMH1hKOmK4ThCGVGffSAvlGkQYeAQNNOnXWFRV8_ddut8fRDmsQDFbz_Ji3CkolsGMucyo9_vxVvKOverATv1MY/s400/Linley+appeal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
4 wickets from Tim Linley has helped Surrey bowl Sussex
out on Day two of the LV County Championship game at Arundel.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Despite a half century from Michael Yardy, Linley claimed
figures of 4-62 as the league leaders could only make 295 after the washout
yesterday.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The start was once again delayed this morning, but for
just 15 minutes this time due to early morning drizzle. The toss was won by
Vikram Solanki and in favourable overhead conditions he elected to field first,
with Jon Lewis and Gary Keedy the two players from the 13 man squad to be left
out of the final X1.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Chris Nash and Surrey’s nemesis of the last two season
Luke Wells opened the batting for the hosts, but Dernbach made sure that the
classy left hander didn’t improve on his average of over 100 against us by
trapping him LBW for just 3. Despite that early wicket the pitch didn’t seem to
be doing much for the seamers, so taking advantage of the new ball and the
conditions was vital. However, Nash and Yardy steadied the ship well until
Linley had the former caught by Solanki for 32 10 minutes before the lunch
break.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
After choosing to bowl Solanki would have wanted at least
3 or 4 wickets inside the first session, but that wasn’t to be, but after a
flurry of boundaries after the interval, the Viscount had his second when
captain Ed Joyce was caught behind. Ex-skipper Yardy was joined by Prior and
made sure that we couldn’t get 2 wickets in quick succession as another
partnership was built to frustrate the Surrey attack. However, despite his luck
of being picked in the side, de Bruyn helped to build pressure onto the Sussex
pair, and removed Yardy LBW for a well made 69.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Prior was looking strong but straight after tea Zafar
Ansari had his first Championship wicket of the season when he got the big
wicket of the England ‘keeper, and in the very next over Dernbach bowled Ben
Brown for 1 to reduce Sussex to 206-6. Ideally, we would have liked to restrict
them to less than 250, but a 59 run partnership between Luke Wright and Chris
Jordan stopped that before Tremlett had Wright caught by Ponting. The last 3
wickets fell relatively quickly, with Trem also picking up Anyon and Linley
bowling Jordan for 41 to finish off the innings.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rory Burns and Arun Harinath had four overs to survive,
and they did that by ending the day on 1-0.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So I think that’s a good day for us all in all, but with
this game theoretically a 3-day game, a draw is the most likely result. All the
bowlers bowled well today in patches but didn’t really bowl well at the same
times, because whenever we seemed to get a wicket, a partnership was then
built. In a game like this you perhaps need to roll a side over for less than
200 to force a result, but if you would have asked me at the beginning of the
day if I would have taken 295 all out, I probably would have said yes. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With just two days to go we most likely need to bat
positively tomorrow, gain a first innings lead and have another go at Sussex at
some point on the 4<sup>th</sup> morning. Draws are no good to us at the
moment, so we need to play attackingly and hope that we get that much needed
bit of luck which is very much overdue.<o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-90275307263305797202013-06-11T11:19:00.001+01:002013-06-11T11:19:30.676+01:00Ansari in squad for Sussex clash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGlXgQjJb45fDH7ThkyKnIYGtwqy2UAbyIDUW2YmiLckiIT1mIkgND0Mh5ZQLPxk_lT2ljTzN_e90Q8MzpwH2lMid666S0-xjzUysEc8LW0Moz9vPfORAyc2YmKaAbKBXcz_-VqrZ8QEq/s1600/ansari-1346615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGlXgQjJb45fDH7ThkyKnIYGtwqy2UAbyIDUW2YmiLckiIT1mIkgND0Mh5ZQLPxk_lT2ljTzN_e90Q8MzpwH2lMid666S0-xjzUysEc8LW0Moz9vPfORAyc2YmKaAbKBXcz_-VqrZ8QEq/s400/ansari-1346615.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zafar Ansari has been named in a 13 man squad for the LV
County Championship match against Division One leaders Sussex at Arundel
starting tomorrow.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
After finishing his studies at Cambridge University last
week, Ansari has been drafted straight into the squad for the first time this
season for another must win game for Surrey.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Here is the squad in full:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Vikram Solanki (C)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rory Burns<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Arun Harinath<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ricky Ponting<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zander de Bruyn<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Steve Davies<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gary Wilson<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Zafar Ansari<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jon Lewis<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tim Linley<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Chris Tremlett<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jade Dernbach<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Gary Keedy<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Even though it isn’t certain that Ansari will play, it is
still great to see him back in the set up as his temperament and ability has
certainly been missed. I personally would select him in the final X1 and bring
him in for de Bruyn, who once again struggled at Guildford last week. So far
this season we have predominantly gone with 3 seamers, 1 spinner and de Bruyn
as the makeup of the bowling attack and de Bruyn has bowled far more often than
he did last season, so possibly Adams will stick with him ahead of Ansari as a
4<sup>th</sup> seamer, but I do hope that is not the case.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ansari opened the batting for the last half of the 2012
season but not with sustained success, hitting just one half century in 12
innings, averaging just over 22. Therefore, I would put him in the middle order
at perhaps 5 or 6 because I feel in the long term that would be his position in
the side. Anyway, why tamper with an opening partnership between Burns and
Harinath which put on two stands at Guildford larger than any previous this
season. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
You may well have noticed that Stuart Meaker is missing
from the party and this is because he sustained a knee injury at Guildford and
will be missing for around two weeks. That is a blow because on his day Meaker
can make things happen that others can’t, but this season he has struggled to
start games well, often going at an expensive run rate. That gives another bowler
their chance however and I presume that alongside Dernbach and Tremlett will be
one of Lewis and Linley. I’m not too sure who I would go with but Lewis may get
the nod as he can bat, because a tail with Tremlett or Linley at number 8 is extremely
long!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
However, it all depends on who other selections in the
side. If Ansari plays ahead of de Bruyn, Adams may opt to have him as the sole spinner
in the side and play all 4 seamers and not Keedy. However, Ansari’s left armers
were reluctantly used last year in the 4 day game so Keedy may be picked
despite his average being over 120 so far this season.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As stated previously, Sussex sit at the top of the
Division and will prove another tough test this week. With the league’s top
wicket takers in Magoffin and Jordan and the likes of Prior, Joyce and an in
form Luke Wright, no wonder they are doing so well but we have to ignore that
and go out and win the game.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
By the laws of averages we are due a win in this competition
and it could propel us up 3 or 4 places if we manage it, which would certainly reinstall
some much needed confidence and belief into the dressing room.<o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-43527077106491872942013-06-09T20:46:00.002+01:002013-06-09T20:46:45.290+01:00Prince and Katich end YB40 hopes<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1s2wMCOJKK6n_dGiJO6vK_EmQA-RijubrZfqY55R4wVdMRuj_iwfN4PS1fdyPXGj3sgTHqp7l_NzmtCSEJTgflXZseesQXTHa8Am95LR6Dac7aU5zuIubnqiMP7n7myJhhL-5XeQ96rjV/s1600/Prince.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1s2wMCOJKK6n_dGiJO6vK_EmQA-RijubrZfqY55R4wVdMRuj_iwfN4PS1fdyPXGj3sgTHqp7l_NzmtCSEJTgflXZseesQXTHa8Am95LR6Dac7aU5zuIubnqiMP7n7myJhhL-5XeQ96rjV/s400/Prince.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Half centuries
from Ashwell Prince and Simon Katich have guided Lancashire to victory over
Surrey this afternoon at Guildford.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Prince struck 76
and Katich an unbeaten 57 as Lancashire recorded a 5 wicket win to end our
hopes of qualifying out of group B.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Lancashire won
the toss and elected to field first and the team news was that Tom Jewell and
Gary Keedy missed out. That meant the returning Zafar Ansari was the lone
spinner in the side.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lVP8maYK02H6KYeaJ-PGWAJm2ikf-ZlijwIweEO7pINf8c_7l6dwQ_G7xnoVOSvfmwkVF42BZJ0ONSnOzyZyB67T4DOfMQJWloHeaGWjNrlCBIZZgWXfVDK6GNlyTl6FLsbUJ16hDXGY/s1600/Roy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8lVP8maYK02H6KYeaJ-PGWAJm2ikf-ZlijwIweEO7pINf8c_7l6dwQ_G7xnoVOSvfmwkVF42BZJ0ONSnOzyZyB67T4DOfMQJWloHeaGWjNrlCBIZZgWXfVDK6GNlyTl6FLsbUJ16hDXGY/s200/Roy.jpg" width="200" /></a>Steve Davies and
Jason Roy got the innings off to a flyer, especially the former England 'keeper
who was at his fluent best. He took a particular liking to Kabir Ali early on
and Glenn Chapple, hitting both of them for majestic maximums. He reached is
half century of just 26 balls, but shortly after perished to an outstanding
catch on the boundary by Stephen Moore with the score on 101.</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Roy was less
aggressive but still looked good, but also straight after getting to 50 he
looked to advance Jordan Clark but could only edge behind. Ricky Ponting joined
Solanki, and there was a moment of controversy early in his innings. He pulled
Clark towards the boundary, Ashwell Prince took the catch but fell over the
rope as he tried to evade some eager young fans who were too close.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifmVGy11T-0wqV8Vti3b-UXMv9Eqt3TEgphssKtMeDUk_EozVBVpOrpQPNXh73FEdn7omGvBFTN1esVKV7_4mMBH6GrktLWvEhzq8SCncx9sk0W766RwL-bjj-pIEIHUng6oRySP3_0omA/s1600/Chapple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifmVGy11T-0wqV8Vti3b-UXMv9Eqt3TEgphssKtMeDUk_EozVBVpOrpQPNXh73FEdn7omGvBFTN1esVKV7_4mMBH6GrktLWvEhzq8SCncx9sk0W766RwL-bjj-pIEIHUng6oRySP3_0omA/s200/Chapple.jpg" width="149" /></a>A disgruntled
Chapple didn't had to wait long or Ponting's wicket though, as he hesitated
when he set off for a single and was run out by a direct hit for 17. Solanki
and Wilson milked it around for a few overs but a superb catch from Katich saw
off the skipper, and when Wilson went LBW, we had fallen to 190-5.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We needed a
partnership, but instead Azhar looked for a six down the ground and was caught
at long on, and when Ansari was caught behind without scoring, we were
struggling at 198-7 in the 32nd. We were in serious danger of getting a score
well below par, and when Jon Lewis went for 14, it looked bleak.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
However, Zander
de Bruyn and Chris Tremlett put on a vital stand of 45 for the 9th wicket. It
wasn't explosive but was just what was required, and with 18 coming off the
last over thanks to a six from both batsmen, we had reached a competitive, but under
par, 264-8, with de Bruyn's unbeaten 34 being a timely return to some sort of
form.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlzWfSZgO3NRzs4IlPGiLsgLtXgDsUOe8SaA9xJbGQiVb0bDHipEjVV8GgBBWmgM_Os-80MXGE9SXQi7Ve2SIJalpIiifjmo00GmqWbUWQhQR9uN3K8N7UzNF_Cr-sVRM6_OpupBXGLnF/s1600/Dernbach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFlzWfSZgO3NRzs4IlPGiLsgLtXgDsUOe8SaA9xJbGQiVb0bDHipEjVV8GgBBWmgM_Os-80MXGE9SXQi7Ve2SIJalpIiifjmo00GmqWbUWQhQR9uN3K8N7UzNF_Cr-sVRM6_OpupBXGLnF/s200/Dernbach.jpg" width="145" /></a>Lancashire's
openers of Stephen Moore and Prince got their side off to a great start, taking
a liking in particular to Azhar, who bowled two no balls in his first spell.
They were ticking along at the required rate, but Jon Lewis got the much needed
wicket when Moore top edged to Wilson at mid-off with the score on 85. That
wicket brought about a bit of pressure, as the required rate headed over 7, but
Prince was still looking at ease at the crease. He and Croft looked to take the
game away from us, but Croft wasn't as comfortable as Prince and fell when he
edged Dernbach behind for a much deserve wicket.</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Lancs were still
on top, but when Azhar had Prince caught at mid-on for 75 and then bowled Karl
Brown next ball, we were right back in the game. The rate was creeping above 8
an over, despite big hitter Clark going well at the crease, but when de Bruyn
trapped him LBW, the Surrey fielders felt confident with 76 needed off 9.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
However, as he
did against Essex last Monday, Solanki had left too many overs for de Bruyn to
bowl at the end of the innings. He was reluctant to use Ansari who had suffered
some tap off one of his two overs, so de Bruyn had to bowl in the last 10, and
it didn't go well. With 58 required off the last 7 overs, de Bruyn conceded 5
consecutive boundaries in the 34th over, which allowed Katich and Cross to
comfortably knock off the runs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So that was a tight game at some points, but I personally
didn’t think that we were on top at any point apart from when we were 100-0 in
our innings. Either Roy or Davies had to go on and get a hundred because I
think that 290 was a minimum on that pitch, with the outfield seemingly much
quicker than in previous years at Woodbridge Road. However, that wasn’t to be,
and Lancashire bowled and especially fielded superbly throughout, and
restricted us well.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As I say, I never thought that we were on top at any
point in the Lancashire innings, even when the rate was above 8, because that
is pretty comfortable at Guildford. When Clark went, we needed another quick
wicket, preferably Katich, but that wasn’t to be and when de Bruyn was left to
bowl late on, the game was up. I’m not sure why Ansari only bowled 2 overs and
ultimately it was the wrong call by Solanki, and those decisions in my opinion
led to the defeat.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So we are just about out now of this competition, so
focus needs to go back onto the Championship with a visit to Arundel to play
Sussex next week.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-64482462601676297322013-06-07T19:05:00.000+01:002013-06-07T19:05:21.177+01:00Late Rankin wickets put Bears in control<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwO-dsFwwQbPeRzXQjvJ1p8v5tfXz5B9SbUG7X5r8Cfn67ia6bV-ZodOKzKXpGWjMSoFJQAvDpUnTE94m2d2KdVaQve0BfHtbMLaOiMOvRmT5HHMA8vA12XKhsxmbp2azaF_dq95DJVQVj/s1600/Rankin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwO-dsFwwQbPeRzXQjvJ1p8v5tfXz5B9SbUG7X5r8Cfn67ia6bV-ZodOKzKXpGWjMSoFJQAvDpUnTE94m2d2KdVaQve0BfHtbMLaOiMOvRmT5HHMA8vA12XKhsxmbp2azaF_dq95DJVQVj/s400/Rankin.jpg" width="343" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
3 wickets in an
over from Boyd Rankin late on Day 3 has put his side into a winnable position
heading into the final day of the Championship game at Guildford.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Surrey had eased
their way to 262-3 as the end of the day drew close, but Rankin stormed in from
the railway end and picked up de Bruyn, Meaker and Wilson in the space of 4
deliveries as we closed on 269-7.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Unexpected
morning rain meant that the start of play was delayed, and even though it
wasn't particularly heavy, it was persistent and wiped out the entirety of the
morning session. Play finally got under way at 2:30, with Burns and Harinath
resuming on 49-0 in reply to Warwickshire's 631-9 declared.<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dgNRlyV5YwKagx6YW5G8-zQ53YfPRkd1BZdfQxwNBN5K4juo4x3vBHPo8CRnbWtwIqDfodrYupKFosVm2cdoyBNSRqZcUP1dQF9f9KGofoPjl2oGYOppu0IA62Oi8Fhb27E_ECkowU5m/s1600/Solanki.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dgNRlyV5YwKagx6YW5G8-zQ53YfPRkd1BZdfQxwNBN5K4juo4x3vBHPo8CRnbWtwIqDfodrYupKFosVm2cdoyBNSRqZcUP1dQF9f9KGofoPjl2oGYOppu0IA62Oi8Fhb27E_ECkowU5m/s200/Solanki.jpg" width="200" /></a>The pair had no
problems in reaching our first 50 opening partnership of the season, but the
visitors made an early breakthrough when Barker got one to leap at Burns, and
the left hander could only fend the ball to Clarke at slip for 34. However,
Vikram Solanki immediately looked at home at the crease, unleashing a variety
of boundaries around Woodbridge Road.</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
He overtook
Harinath in no time at all, and was seemingly dealing in fours, bringing up his
half century at just under a run a ball. The pair moved their partnership
beyond 100, but as he did at Derby last week, Solanki got out in the last over
of the session, LBW to Javid for 69, as we went to tea on 169-2. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ponting came to
the crease and he and Harinath continued from where they left off at Derby last
week, with the former Australian skipper immediately looking comfortable at the
crease by hitting back to back boundaries off Jeetan Patel early in his
innings. While the crowd were fixated on Ponting, Harinath continued on his
merry way at the other end and brought up his half century with a smash over
extra cover for 4 off Javid.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZu25ce9WiFCld_q5Ui20mrmDDVWg5NzgbIjz590p0PRxtBsu2-3VbJk2uf2b76gOdaxw7oBGuRvDtVY-F0L1WsJCompMybjvhgGuktzdbHgjGXDnPRTMG2S5RUKFe6g0S-diuujvCYkd/s1600/Harinath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEZu25ce9WiFCld_q5Ui20mrmDDVWg5NzgbIjz590p0PRxtBsu2-3VbJk2uf2b76gOdaxw7oBGuRvDtVY-F0L1WsJCompMybjvhgGuktzdbHgjGXDnPRTMG2S5RUKFe6g0S-diuujvCYkd/s200/Harinath.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ponting then swept Javid over the temporary stand for a huge
six to get the crowd going, as Surrey were frustrating the Warwickshire
bowlers. However, Rikki Clarke was brought on and immediately made an impact
when Harinath drove in the air to Troughton at cover point to end his dogged
innings on 65. That brought the out of form de Bruyn to the crease who started
well with a cover drive and a flick down to fine leg off Wright to give him a
couple of early boundaries to build the confidence.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
However, as they looked to take us to the close 3 down,
Rankin had other ideas. He first bowled de Bruyn for 17, before doing the same
to night-watchman Meaker two balls later, and then trapped Wilson LBW for 2
second ball to really put a cat amongst the pigeons. Ponting was watching
helplessly at the non-strikers end, and that wasn’t the last of the wickets, as
Roy was caught for 2 in the last over of the day off Barker, to leave us on
269-7 at the close.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With half an hour left, I thought that we had done well
today, but that has completely changed now. Harinath and Ponting were so
comfortable, and even de Bruyn was looking solid before he got out so the pitch
is still good for the batsmen, but they failed to apply themselves to the
situation. Losing 4 wickets in an over against Essex last Monday felt bad, but
losing 3 in one over tonight was arguably worse, as we have now got to hold
onto dear life to get a draw out of this game. Once again de Bruyn can’t find
form, and you can’t say the pitch is seaming around corners because it isn’t;
the last two he has batted on have been superb but he has a combined 28 from
those 2 innings.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Another missed opportunity for Roy, who had a chance
there to prove he has what it takes to dig out a much needed innings, but
falling late on means that he will probably go back out of the side unless he
can get runs tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Ponting’s still there, unbeaten on 50, but with only
Tremlett, Dernbach and Keedy to come, we will most likely be batting for a
second time come 12 O’Clock tomorrow morning, with a big job on our hands.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-682576876493309182.post-8682731727669361752013-06-06T18:52:00.001+01:002013-06-06T18:52:23.187+01:00Record breaking Bears make Surrey toil<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gbnMeUhd00l3L2G3xCDizs57YV9X8CR1oosAL23n0MElxkETZWTj77NNY3AM9HRHzdiP-H3n6cuyI7IX9tOaww-LtgNpIG2oiTEZM7l6gpUHuk9vZPvTrxbAuIaCUqILa_ejN-aJSKCJ/s1600/Barker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gbnMeUhd00l3L2G3xCDizs57YV9X8CR1oosAL23n0MElxkETZWTj77NNY3AM9HRHzdiP-H3n6cuyI7IX9tOaww-LtgNpIG2oiTEZM7l6gpUHuk9vZPvTrxbAuIaCUqILa_ejN-aJSKCJ/s400/Barker.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Warwickshire
have recorded their highest ever score against Surrey to put themselves into a
commanding position heading into the third day at Guildford.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The visitors
struck 631-9 declared thanks to a century from Keith Barker and a highest First
Class score for Ateeq Javid.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseb1t4AOvnrFuCvMpHYdyfvfdbSqh0U_8R8nb4SIOvD4Mix1CWrHcqFfWBeBuetpEbT3aoCnyJSXh__QQHm8CKK7hAbCtQygfQA7kY658sGflOJYdGVzQiqS8rH-BOFo6DrAyjohTFugU/s1600/Dernbach+celebrates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgseb1t4AOvnrFuCvMpHYdyfvfdbSqh0U_8R8nb4SIOvD4Mix1CWrHcqFfWBeBuetpEbT3aoCnyJSXh__QQHm8CKK7hAbCtQygfQA7kY658sGflOJYdGVzQiqS8rH-BOFo6DrAyjohTFugU/s200/Dernbach+celebrates.jpg" width="152" /></a>With
Warwickshire starting the morning on 359-3, early wickets were an absolute must
to prevent them from batting us out of the game. And early wickets is exactly
what we got from Jade Dernbach, who had Chopra caught in the slips by de Bruyn
for a superb 192 just 10 minutes into the day's play.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Segoe UI","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Dernbach was
really bowling with pace and aggression and removed the other overnight batsman
Tim Ambrose LBW to leave two batsmen at the crease on 0. The battle between
Guildford boys Rikki Clarke and Dernbach didn't last long, as de Bruyn held
onto another sharp chance at slip, with Warwickshire slipping to 398-6 within
the first hour. However, Javid and Barker pulled their side out of the slight
hole that they had got themselves in, as the other bowlers failed to build on
the pressure made by Dernbach and the Bears went into lunch on 446-6.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Things got far
worse after the break as Barker took the attack to the Surrey bowlers. He
blasted his way to his half century with the 100 partnership between him and Javid
also coming up, as they passed 500. Javid also went to his half century, his
first in the Championship, at a slower pace than Barker's but was doing exactly
what his side wanted. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHAyaRYUlChpTZwsLrY60wBKqRDuxuDZbAnvY7BF_7fjEw2aDYHW2JynyarW7Ut-45r-Cr6rOoGNY5J6EQli61pXX4hkTYhvgqDJLBflk5-sNivhvd1t-qkMOZSGSUSuS6Ce1q0C2Vs1Y/s1600/Barker+pulls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHAyaRYUlChpTZwsLrY60wBKqRDuxuDZbAnvY7BF_7fjEw2aDYHW2JynyarW7Ut-45r-Cr6rOoGNY5J6EQli61pXX4hkTYhvgqDJLBflk5-sNivhvd1t-qkMOZSGSUSuS6Ce1q0C2Vs1Y/s200/Barker+pulls.jpg" width="145" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
All attention
turned to Barker, who was still hitting the ball to all parts, including
pulling Meaker into Dapdune Wharf for the first six of the game. He brought up
a superb century with a couple off Dernbach and had batted his side into an
un-losable position. Meaker then misjudged a mistimed a pull from Barker and
his return throw went for and overthrow to sum up Surrey's day, as the Bears
went to tea on a massive 587-6.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jason Roy, who
bowled one over before tea, continued afterwards and would have left the
frontline seamers scratching their heads, as he picked up career best figures
of 3-35. He first removed Javid for a well-made 85 to end the 211 partnership
between him and Barker, before trapping Barker in front with a yorker for 125.
When Tom Milnes mistimed a hook to Wilson behind the stumps, Warwickshire
finally pulled the plug with 21 overs remaining in the day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Harinath and
Burns did well and looked comfortable at the crease apart from one slight
chance where Javid couldn’t hold onto an extremely tough chance at short leg of
Clarke, as they closed on 49-0; our highest opening partnership of the season.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So, another highly frustrating day for us then. After Jade
got us off to a great start this morning, there were aspirations of restricting
them to less than 450, but Barker and Javid quickly stopped that from
happening. They batted superbly and barely offered a chance throughout their
innings, but it was disappointing that the bowlers couldn’t back up Jade’s good
work. That has often been the case this season, where one bowler has created an
opening and the others haven’t supported them. There was a slight glimmer that
we could have reduced them to a below par score on this surface, but once again
we failed to capitalise on opportunities that arose.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The sole objective now is just not to lose the game, as
it has been far too often this season. The pitch is too good to bat on to
collapse to 250 all out for example and Burns and Harinath did well this
evening, but the follow on target is still a long way away at 481, so hard work
is needed tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></div>
Lewis Winterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01754466449364736384noreply@blogger.com0