Derby peters out into a draw

The Championship game between Middlesex and Surrey at Lord’s has finished as a draw, after the hosts set an unlikely target for victory midway through the afternoon session.

A double century from Chris Rogers allowed Middlesex to go well beyond a reachable score, with us taking 9 points from our 3^rd consecutive draw this season.

Despite Steven Finn going to Jade Dernbach in the first over of the day, Rogers continued from where he left off yesterday, and upped the run rate quite considerably. There was a clear intention from the Australian to try and set up something for the afternoon, as he raced past 150, the 3^rd batsman in 3 matches to get past that score against us this season. Dawid Malan joined in on the action as well, but it was the Middlesex skipper who was showing exactly why he has been selected for the Ashes this year, as he went to a superb double century, his second against us, with the lead racing past 200 also.

Rogers eventually went when Batty bowled him for a superb 214, but the damage had already been done. Malan then gave Tremlett his first wicket of the innings by hitting him to Graeme Smith at mid-on before Stirling was caught for 1 off Tremlett, as Middlesex went to lunch on 424-6, a lead of 252.

Middlesex were determined to not let us have any chance of a chase, as Dexter and Simpson had a net in the middle, taking the lead over 300, and Middlesex’s second innings score past a ridiculous 500. There were thoughts that they would declare with 50 overs remaining, but that wasn’t to be. Burns and Harinath had time to pick up their first FC wickets, that of Dexter and Roland-Jones, before they finally pulled the plug, with 342 required from 48 overs.

That was never going to be attempted, and the task was to make sure that a collapse didn’t occur and allow Middlesex a way in. And despite Burns going early for 17, the batsman did their job, with Smith spending some vital time in the middle, as we closed on 85-1, Smith 48*, Harinath 20*.

3 draws out of 3 is certainly not ideal, and I would have thought that Smith is desperate for his first win at his new club. Without question, it should have come in this game, whether we enforced the follow on or not, we should have won the game after our great work late on Day two, but sadly it wasn’t to be. A lack of ruthlessness hurt us really, which has been a problem in the first two games as well, where we haven’t been able to capitalize on an opening.

Tomorrow we will be looking for our first win, when we play the champions of the CB40, Hampshire, in the newly named YB40. It will be a tough task, because they looked superb against Essex on Friday, and at the time of writing, they look like they will be beating Scotland as well. I expect some changes in the squad, which is yet to be announced, with the likes of Roy, Keedy and Lewis coming in.

Rogers and Robson lead Middlesex fight back

After being asked to follow on, Middlesex’s batsman have fought back superbly and put themselves in a good position heading into the final day of the Championship game at Lord’s.

Centuries from openers Chris Rogers and Sam Robson have turned the game on its head after the Surrey bowlers toiled on Day 3, with the home side closing on 283-2, a lead of 111.

We did the first job right this morning, when de Bruyn had Collymore LBW with only 5 more runs added to the overnight score of 161. Smith was left with the decision of whether to enforce the follow on or not. The weather was more conducive to seam bowling than the previous two days, and that seemed to sway it for Smith who stuck them back in. Before a ball was bowled, I said that we should not enforce it, and instead bat them out of the game before sticking them in late this evening.

Apart from a couple of stifled LBW appeals, Robson and Rogers were not troubled early on, as run scoring began to look much easier, as it usually seems to do once you have been forced to follow on. Rain brought an early lunch, but afterwards the batsman looked even more at ease at the crease, with Robson racing to his half century, and Middlesex towards parity.

Smith rang the changes in the afternoon session, but as it went on, the follow on decision increasingly looked like the wrong one, as the sun came out in North London, and the pitch looked flatter. Rogers also went to his 50, and caught up with his batting partner as they went to tea on 161-0, trailing by just the 7 runs.

There were no immediate rewards for us after tea, as a Robson single off of Dernbach took his side into the lead with all 10 wickets intact, and it was Rogers who won the race to 100 with a 3 off Linley, before Robson joined him on three figures an over later. They continued deep into the final session, before a wicket finally came about to break the record opening partnership for Middlesex against Surrey, when de Bruyn had Robson for the second time in the game. That wasn’t the only wicket we got, as Dernbach had Denly caught in the slips with the second new ball just before the close.

So after getting ourselves into a great position yesterday, today couldn’t have gone any worse for us. The bowlers worked hard, but Robson and Rogers batted superbly. I know hindsight is a wonderful thing in life, but I always thought that we should have not enforced it. I don’t want to sound smug, and I don’t want to be right, because I was desperate for us to win this game, but it looks increasingly unlikely now.

I would have been the first person to praise Smith and the bowlers if the decision paid off, but sadly it hasn’t. You can say that it was a positive move from Smith, as we had drawn our first two games, but I still think we would have won by getting an unassailable lead and bowling at them for 3 and a half sessions, with the weather set fair for tomorrow.

A draw now obviously looks the most likely result, unless we can roll them over before lunch as their middle order isn’t in the greatest knick, or they could even dangle the carrot at us midway through the afternoon session, but that looks improbable.  

Bowlers puts Surrey in strong position

The Surrey bowlers have put their side into a fantastic position heading into the 3^rd day of the London Derby at Lord’s.

3-59 from Jade Dernbach and two vital wickets from Zander de Bruyn really got us on our way, as we restricted the hosts to 161-9 at stumps, trailing our first innings score by 177.

Starting the morning on 267-4, 400 was felt to be a minimum on a rather placid pitch. However, the first session couldn’t have gone any worse for us. Davies was removed for 24 with an in-swinger from Murtagh which cannoned into his pads. De Bruyn was joined by Gary Wilson and took us to a third batting point, but the run rate was relatively low as we struggled to score fluently. And after de Bruyn was caught behind off a superb rising delivery from Roland-Jones for 34, the tail collapsed, as we were bowled out for 338, Wilson unbeaten on 30.

After a tight opening spell from Dernbach and Tremlett, de Bruyn made the breakthrough when Rogers drove at a wide ball and played on for 21. Sam Robson and Joe Denly started to up the run rate, and took a particular liking to Dernbach who was going at 5 an over; vastly different to the other bowlers so far in the game. However, Dernbach managed to beat the bat of Denly and had him LBW, before golden arm Gareth Batty had Dawid Malan also LBW with the off spinner’s first ball, as Middlesex went to tea on 92-3.

In the first over after tea, de Bruyn had the dogged Robson caught behind, as Surrey started to turn the screw. Dexter and Simpson attempted to rebuild the innings, but they struggled to score quickly, and when Dernbach had Dexter caught by Solanki, and had Paul Stirling LBW on his first ball of Championship cricket, we were really on top. No hat trick for Jade, but he had Middlesex reduced to 121-6.

A poor shot from Simpson then gave Batty his second wicket, and Tremlett then had Roland-Jones caught and bowled for his first wicket of the day. They looked as if they would only (!) go to the close 8 down, but in the penultimate over, Linley removed Finn to cap off a great day, and a top session which included 6 wickets.

If you would have said to me that we would have them 8 down by the close at lunchtime, I would have thought you were crazy. But it shows that the pitch isn’t as dead as we all thought it was yesterday, and shows how well the likes of Harinath, and especially Burns, played in that morning session.

Maybe I’m being slightly greedy, but I would have liked it if we could have rolled them over tonight, but you can’t have everything I suppose. They need 28 to avoid the follow on, and if we were to get the final wicket before they reached 189, I would bat again. The pitch isn’t going to get any better, and if we enforced the follow on, and they somehow got a lead of say, 150, then it will be a very difficult run chase (remember last year!).

Burns fires Surrey ahead on Day 1

A second Championship century of the summer from Rory Burns has lit up an attritional first day of cricket between Middlesex and Surrey at Lord’s.

On a cloudless day, Graeme Smith did the right thing and elected to bat first. There were no real shocks in the final X1 selected, with Lewis and Keedy the two left out from the 13 man squad. However, Smith’s decision wasn’t immediately looking fruitful, as runs were hard to come by, and the skipper edged Murtagh to Malan at slip for a 15 ball duck: his third single figure score in 4 innings. His form is very much reminding me of Rudolph last year; let’s hope that isn’t the case.

Despite Gary Wilson doing a fine job at 3 last week, a returning Arun Harinath was back in his usual position. He and Burns had to work extremely difficult for any success, as even though there were no real alarms, the quartet of Finn, Murtagh, Roland-Jones and Collymore were keeping it very tight, and were not giving the left handed pair anything to go at. After 29 overs in the first session, we went to lunch on just 45-1.

After the break, we managed to score at a slightly higher rate, frustrating the Middlesex attack, who had to turn to the part time spin of Stirling and Malan without success. Burns went to his half century off of 165 balls shortly before the hundred partnership between the pair was brought up. The bowlers would have been sick of the sight of Burns and Harinath after their 200-plus partnership at the Oval last year, and Harinath went to a 128 ball fifty, his first of the season, shortly before the tea break.

Even though we were just 1 wicket down heading into the final session, we hadn’t got away from the home side, and when Harinath was caught behind off Finn for 61, Middlesex would have sensed a chance to get themselves back into the game. However, Vikram Solanki, playing in his 300^th First Class match, joined Burns at the crease and looked to up the scoring rate, seeing the Banstead keeper through to his first century at Lord’s, coming up off 251 balls. It had been a superb knock from the young man, with him also passing 1000 runs in FC cricket, in this just his 14^th match.

Solanki was looking in top form, rapidly moving onto 43, before he edged behind off Collymore. He’s had starts in all 4 of his innings, but yet to have kicked on and made that big contribution. Burns and de Bruyn looked to take us to close just the 3 down, but Murtagh had his second when Burns played on for 114, as we closed on 267-4.

I think we should be happy with that first day, despite the run rate being relatively slow. Smith failed yet again, but Burns stood tall and played a sublime knock. It wasn’t the most fluent innings from him, as he really had to dig in early on, but to have hit 2 hundreds in your first 4 innings this season is superb. One negative, if you can call it a negative, is that he is yet to go on and make a ‘daddy’ hundred, with his highest score 121, but I’m sure those will come.

Good to see Harinath in the runs, and Solanki looked good again even though he couldn’t kick on. Hopefully Davies (24*) and de Bruyn (12*) can kick on tomorrow, as 400 is a minimum on this pitch.

13 named for London Derby

Chris Adams has made one enforced change to a 13 man squad to take on Middlesex in the Championship starting tomorrow at Lord’s.

A thigh injury, which kept Stuart Meaker out of last week’s draw against Sussex, has kept him out of the squad altogether this week, with veteran Jon Lewis named in the party for the first time this season.

Here is the squad in full:

G. Smith (C)

R. Burns

A. Harinath

V. Solanki

Z. de Bruyn

S. Davies

G. Wilson

G. Batty

C. Tremlett

J. Lewis

T. Linley

J. Dernbach

G. Keedy

I don’t expect Lewis to be named in the final X1 though, as Linley was our best bowler last week, so he

can’t be left out, and if fit I would presume Tremlett would play. However, after looking unplayable at times against Somerset, Jade Dernbach looked much less threatening last week, and there may be a case to play Lewis at a ground where he claimed his first Surrey five-fer last season. Therefore I expect that it will be either Jade or Lewis who are left out, alongside spinner Gary Keedy. Once again, good problems to have.

In terms of the batting, most of the lads have done well so far this season. Of those to have played both games , unsurprisingly Zander is the only one not to have reached 50, with Solanki and in particular Wilson having great games last week. You would have thought that after his performances last week, Wilson will have that number 3 spot for a few games yet, but Harinath is once again in the squad after missing out with a hand injury last week, replacing Jason Roy. It’s a tough one for the management, and I would presume that Wilson would want to carry on at number 3, but I can’t see another place in the side for Harinath. I would consider moving Zander down to 7, and putting Wilson at number 5, because a man in the form that he is in shouldn’t be left down the order to bat with the tail.

Middlesex have made a fine start to the season, winning both of their opening games comfortably, and are tipped by many to do well this season. And you can see why, with their settled batting line up headed by Chris Rogers, and 3 top seamers in Finn, Murtagh and Roland-Jones, with the last two especially always seemingly getting a bagful of wickets against us. We’ve had a dreadful record at Lord’s over the last few years, and just thinking of last year’s defeat makes me go cold. Requiring 4 to win and Jade skies a catch to mid-off; certainly not fond memories.

However, let’s hope the pitch is far better than it was last season, with Ramprakash calling it one of the worst he has played on at the ground, but tomorrow it will be the first time in 12 years that he will be on the opposition side, after taking up a role as Middlesex batting coach.

They are always feisty affairs, and as David Townsend loves to remind us, they are usually very one-sided, but under the captaincy of Graeme Smith, there is a new stubbornness in our squad, and let’s hope a first victory is just around the corner.