SURREY vs GLOUCESTERSHIRE LV=COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

First topic message reminder :

SURREY HAVE NAMED THEIR XI FOR THE LV=COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AGAINST GLOUCESTERSHIRE AT BRISTOL STARTING ON FRIDAY.
Zafar Ansari is unavailable for selection due to the hamstring strain he sustained in the Royal One Day Cup game against Somerset earlier in the week.
matthew dunn will be disappointed not to be in the XI
The Surrey XI to play Gloucestershire at The County Ground, Bristol on Friday 21st August, Saturday 22nd August, Sunday 23rd August and Monday 24th August :
Gareth Batty (capt)
James Burke
Rory Burns
Sam Curran
Tom Curran
Steven Davies
Jade Dernbach
Ben Foakes
Arun Harinath
Jason Roy
Gary Wilson
right only one question to ask who should be 12th man?

Excellent morning from Surrey - hopefully we can continue to make hay in the afternoon, especially if Le Roi gets going

Important we try to pick up full batting points from here and ideally force a win. Glamorgan in 3rd are labouring in the field against Lancs - again - while we are playing 4th placed Glos.

Looking at the Day 2 lunchtime scores, there are some big scores around but we are currently* in arguably the strongest position of anyone in either Division: closing in on our opponents' modest first innings score with wickets in hand. Don't screw up please, fellers!

(*or should that be 'Curran-ly'?)

207 - 3, and a first batting point

We take the lead with 7 wickets still in the hutch

Davies you plonker

Le Roi smacks Taylor for a huge six...

That's all on 99

YESSSSSSS 100

Roy you plonker

jimbobgooner wrote:[Davies, then...] Roy you plonker

Have you been at the 'Only Fools and Horses' box set then, jimbob?

3rd batting point secured at the start of the 81st over

SimonofSurrey wrote:

jimbobgooner wrote:[Davies, then...] Roy you plonker

Have you been at the 'Only Fools and Horses' box set then, jimbob?

Being a bit greedy, would have liked more than one of the top 6 to have reached 50 given they all (including the nightwatchboy) got beyond 20. However, That's All has made up for that. Well done to him!

Want 4 batting points as a minimum. That'll see us well in charge ....

Now Wilson goes can you guess what he is

Another Harold cameo ends - 28 balls for 8 when we needed a bit of middle order acceleration

guldfordbat suggests 4 batting points as a minimum. Surely we should be looking at a bit of late middle order long handle now to get us all 5: 85 runs needed from 25 overs, with some good players to come and That's All going more than well. If we could declare at 400 then have a few overs at Glos again tonight and take a wicket or two, that would ice my cake.

jimbob - you're in serious danger of acquiring the nickname 'Rodney' on this forum...

Can somebody wake Burke up

Yeah, look away now, Simon - Burkey 0 not out from 25 balls!

I would usually approve of such a #digin innings but the situation does not require it

Burkey gets off the mark with a four from his 30th delivery!

4th batting point achieved - that'll please our Rodders!

11.4 overs and 4 wickets left to get the 5th.

Whoops! Cricinfo have changed the score to 347/6 (still with 11.4 overs left to get batting points) but we're now off for bad light!!

I give up! Changed again on cricinfo - this time to 349/6 whilst the bad light has become rain!

Another good days play for Surrey - although it appears the weather will thwart any hopes of victory

A good day's play indeed for Surrey.  Their tactics not entirely dissimilar to those of Lancs who ground out 462 off 140 overs (@3.29).  Despite some very quiet patches we still managed a run rate of just over 3.5.  With the Div 2 table as it, I would have thought both Surrey and Lancs happy to play it so that 3rd/4th placed teams have minimal chance of forcing a victory to close the gap.  Understandable that Burke anxious to play himself in as his place in the side may be at some risk.

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:A good day's play indeed for Surrey.  Their tactics not entirely dissimilar to those of Lancs who ground out 462 off 140 overs (@3.29).  Despite some very quiet patches we still managed a run rate of just over 3.5.  With the Div 2 table as it, I would have thought both Surrey and Lancs happy to play it so that 3rd/4th placed teams have minimal chance of forcing a victory to close the gap.  Understandable that Burke anxious to play himself in as his place in the side may be at some risk.

Corporal - very much agree although I'll leave you to deal with JimBob if it rains down for the next 2 days and we miss out on the 4th batting point!

Weather forecast would indicate draws in both matches at top of D2

LondonTiger wrote:Weather forecast would indicate draws in both matches at top of D2

Irritating but it's the chasing teams who really need to win.

Guildford - I certainly grant you that it will be most irritating if that 4th batting point is snatched away from us, given that 350 was recorded there in black and white on cricinfo!

I was thinking earlier that the sense that *everything is possible*, associated with the Currans at the moment, takes me back to the days when the much missed Ben Hollioake burst upon the Surrey scene. I saw his famous innings in the Lords final and there was a similar feeling around at that time.

Corporal - thanks anyway for confirming to me and all that I didn't imagine it!

Happy and sad thoughts always merge when I think of Ben Hollioake. Much missed as you say.

At risk of getting carried away and listening too much to Olly , I agree there's a growing feeling of ''everything is possible''. The Currans are certainly playing their part there.

One other thing common to our team with the Hollioakes at the turn of the century and that now is the quality of players in reserve. Shahid, Ratcliffe and D Bicknell for example then. As for today - Foakes may not have made the eleven if Ansari had been fit.

Shame that Sam will miss a chunk of next season due to school (I believe I read somewhere).

And a draw in both the Div 2 games all but secures promotion for us and Lancs in my mind. Although we are on for the win here if said weather doesn't intervene!

Ben Foakes is another developing talent - have to wonder if he takes the gloves from Wilson next season?

Olly wrote:Shame that Sam will miss a chunk of next season due to school (I believe I read somewhere).

And a draw in both the Div 2 games all but secures promotion for us and Lancs in my mind. Although we are on for the win here if said weather doesn't intervene!

Ben Foakes is another developing talent - have to wonder if he takes the gloves from Wilson next season?

Makes you wonder also if Interesting would be back in the England w/k-batsman running now given his excellent form this season, if he hadn't given up the gloves.

Olly wrote:Shame that Sam will miss a chunk of next season due to school (I believe I read somewhere).

And a draw in both the Div 2 games all but secures promotion for us and Lancs in my mind. Although we are on for the win here if said weather doesn't intervene!

Ben Foakes is another developing talent - have to wonder if he takes the gloves from Wilson next season?

Makes you wonder also if Interesting would be back in the England w/k-batsman running now given his excellent form this season, if he hadn't given up the gloves.

SimonofSurrey wrote:

Olly wrote:Shame that Sam will miss a chunk of next season due to school (I believe I read somewhere).

And a draw in both the Div 2 games all but secures promotion for us and Lancs in my mind. Although we are on for the win here if said weather doesn't intervene!

Ben Foakes is another developing talent - have to wonder if he takes the gloves from Wilson next season?

Makes you wonder also if Interesting would be back in the England w/k-batsman running now given his excellent form this season, if he hadn't given up the gloves.

Hi Simon - I think we need to remember though that Davies gave up the gloves as he believed it was adversely affecting his batting. Would he have scored so many runs if he was still keeping?

guildfordbat wrote:

SimonofSurrey wrote:

Olly wrote:Shame that Sam will miss a chunk of next season due to school (I believe I read somewhere).

And a draw in both the Div 2 games all but secures promotion for us and Lancs in my mind. Although we are on for the win here if said weather doesn't intervene!

Ben Foakes is another developing talent - have to wonder if he takes the gloves from Wilson next season?

Makes you wonder also if Interesting would be back in the England w/k-batsman running now given his excellent form this season, if he hadn't given up the gloves.

Hi Simon - I think we need to remember though that Davies gave up the gloves as he believed it was adversely affecting his batting. Would he have scored so many runs if he was still keeping?

Mornin' gb, I guess we'll never know but it has to be better to have two strings to your bow, I would have thought. Very brave of Interesting to ditch one to concentrate 100% on the other. And, as you say, it seems to be working for him. You have to wonder, however, if he has done enough to catch the eye of the one-day selectors: the 'potential England one-day specialist batsman' Waiting Room looks pretty crowded just now.

Sanga just out for the last time in a test match.  Great player and gentleman. 

Meanwhile Glam are 100 -3, with Guildford's man Salter who came in as nightwatchman still batting.  They may well play for most/all the day in Manchester.

honestly i go offline for a couple of hours and hell breaks loose

jimbobgooner wrote:honestly i go offline for a couple of hours and hell breaks loose

And before you completely kick off, JimBob, about the rain and Burkey's scoring rate - have a word with the Corporal who has been volunteered to keep you calm!

guildfordbat wrote:

jimbobgooner wrote:honestly i go offline for a couple of hours and hell breaks loose

And before you completely kick off, JimBob, about the rain and Burkey's scoring rate - have a word with the Corporal who has been volunteered to keep you calm!

Found it yet, JimBob? Our 4th batting point which has gone missing!

guildfordbat wrote:Found it yet, JimBob? Our 4th batting point which has gone missing!

No play on day 3. The missing 4th batting point continues to tease us!

right simple task tomorrow get the 51 runs asap then take take 10 wkts
was that a olly special

jimbobgooner wrote:right simple task tomorrow get the 51 runs asap then take take 10 wkts  

Hmm ... and then the plan for after lunch?

Seriously though, with the weather forecast as it was, I still fail to see why we didn't go hell for leather for 4th and 5th batting points from when Le Roy got out. The bowling was tiring, and That's All seeing it like a watermelon and several middle capable order swishers at the other end, we surely could have got close to the 108 runs we needed from what turned out to be a further 21 overs It may not - it'd better not - prove crucial come the end of the season, but if I could work this out from the comfort of my duffer's computer screen, surely the professionals nearer the action should have too?

It really doesn't matter - we're all but promoted already

Olly wrote:It really doesn't matter - we're all but promoted already

I agree it really shouldn't matter for this season, Olly, but these kinds of apparently obvious missed tactical opportunities are frustrating and may cost us far more dear next season assuming we make it to the dizzy heights of CC1.

But if you still disagree, please rest assured that you too will be a grumpy middle aged armchair expert sooner than you think!

My possibly final observation on the missing bonus point(s) is that if Surrey had been paying close attention to up-to-date weather forecasts, they might equally have noticed that the nearest challenger to Surrey/Lancs in third place, ie Glam, were getting very little out of their match with Lancs, unless it was a rain affected draw. (Even at the close of day 3 Glam have still only managed one point.)  Meanwhile Gloucs were in fourth place, albeit even further off the pace, and a rush for a fifth Surrey batting point would just have likely resulted in Gloucs getting their third bowling point.

I think a good deal of Surrey's success this season has resulted from their being able to adopt different mentalities for the cc and for limited overs cricket.

Going by the weather here, I don't feel there's much to encourage Simon and JimBob in their hunt for more batting points!

Indeed! On the plus side, Glam have collapsed quickly this morning to the demon spin of Kerrigan for 213, and so managed only one batting point, giving them a grand total of 2 bonus points in the match. So, whether Glam lose or draw we will have gained a few more points over them.

Corporal - spot on about, Glam. I am though perhaps getting ahead of ourselves and definitely being a bit greedy in harbouring hopes that we can pip Lancs to the Div 2 title. With that in mind, I wouldn't be upset if Glam escape with a draw at Manchester.

At risk of completely jinxing everything, Glam seem to have fallen away badly since their impressive showing at Guildford. I really can't see them catching us now.