Friday 6 April 2012

Surrey edge first day against Sussex


Surrey will be slightly the happier of the 2 sides after day one of the LVCC Division 1 match against Sussex, after restricting the visitors to 105-5 after being bowled out for 264.

Michael Yardy won the toss and stuck Surrey in, on a cold, overcast morning. Tim Linley and Jason Roy were the 2 to miss out for Surrey, so Jordan would open with Rudolph. However, Surrey didn’t get off to the best start, as Rudolph batted nervously, until when the score was on 9, he drove at a ball from Arif, and Joyce took a smart catch at slip at the second attempt. Rudolph gone without scoring. The runs then completely dried up for Surrey, who lost Jordan 5 overs later for 7, and the hosts were struggling at 11-2.

Zander de Bruyn joined Mark Ramprakash and immediately started to up the run rate. Ramps started incredibly slowly, but he also started to find the middle of the bat, with a couple of irresistible shots down the ground. The experienced pair were getting Surrey into a good position before lunch, but with the score on 79, and partnership 68, Lewis Hatchett got one to swing back at Ramps, and trapped him LBW for 24. It was a shame, as he fought hard and began to look good as the innings went on. RHB joined Zander, and took Surrey to lunch at 96-3.

Shortly after tea, de Bruyn brought up his first fifty of the season, with a couple of runs of Arif. However, he didn’t last much longer, as in the same over, Arif got one to nip away and take de Bruyn’s outside edge, with Ben Brown doing the rest. RHB wasn’t getting much of the strike, and when he did, he was looking untypically sketchy at the crease. And Surrey were 5 down, when the skipper looked at work an Arif ball down to fine leg, but could only nick it through to Brown, who took a great catch low down to his left. Surrey 124-5, and a job for Maynard and Burns.

Just like against Leeds- Bradford MCCU, both looked in fine form, and once again began to build a vital partnership for the 6th wicket. Maynard found the boundary with regular occurrence, ticking over at nearly a run a ball. Soon after the partnership went past 50, so did Maynard, hitting 10 fours and giving Surrey’s innings vital impetus. Burns was playing well, and played a couple of nice shots through the off side off front and back foot, until when on 24, and the partnership 82, Burns nibbled at a ball from Anyon and was caught behind.

Gareth Batty came to the crease, and after a couple of superbly time shots for 4, he dragged on to Amjad Khan and went for 10. Maynard was losing partners at a rapid rate, as Meaker went without scoring, once again off Khan.  Jon Lewis came in, played and missed at a few, until his edge was found, and Khan had his 4th, Lewis gone for 1. Dernbach was the last man in, and Maynard was looking to get some extra vital runs, but was finding it difficult, as apart from Yardy at slip, every fielder was on the boundary, giving him the single. He didn’t want the single, and this went on for several overs, until Dernbach went caught off Khan, to give the former England man a fifer, and Maynard was left 86 not out. It was a great innings from Maynard, in conditions that really helped the bowlers, but he just ran out of ideas, and lost all his shape at the end, looking for the big shot. Surrey 264 all out.


Sussex had 27 overs to bat, and Jon Lewis got his side off to a brilliant start, when he trapped Ed Joyce LBW first ball with the score on 3. Meaker opened up with Lewis, and regularly had the batsman in trouble, with several stifled appeals for LBW. However, Nash and Wells began to look more comfortable at the crease, and took their side to 63-1, 12 overs from the end of day one. However, Jade Dernbach had other ideas. The England paceman hadn’t troubled the batsman, until, when on 32, he bowled Wells. Meaker was immediately brought back into the attack, and removed the other in batsman, Nash, caught by RHB. And it was 3 wickets in 3 overs, when Dernbach got the massive wicket of Goodwin, when he knocked back his off pole.

The Sussex skipper, Yardy, got together with Gatting and looked to take their side though to the close just 4 down. It was looking that way, until, in what turned out to be the last ball of the day, Chris Jordan got Yardy to nibble at one outside off stump, and Rudolph took his first catch for Surrey at slip. A great finish to the day for Surrey, with Sussex finishing on 105-5.

With that last wicket off Yardy, I think Surrey would be the slightly happier of the 2 sides after day one, but they know the first session tomorrow will be vital, with Surrey looking to bowl them out for less than 200 if they can.

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