SURREY VS NOTTINGHAMSHIRE SPECSAVERS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP

AND WE'RE BACK
SURREY HAVE NAMED A THIRTEEN MAN SQUAD FOR THEIR OPENING SPECSAVERS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AGAINST NOTTINGHAMSHIRE AT TRENT BRIDGE STARTING ON SUNDAY.
Mark Footitt and Ravi Rampaul are both named in a Surrey Championship squad for the first time and Jason Roy is included in the squad having returned from the World T20 with England.
Rory Burns has been appointed the official Vice Captain for the 2016 season.
There is no place in the squad for james burke or Dominic sibley while jade dernbach,stuart meaker and son of boris remain on the treatment table.
The Surrey Squad to play Nottinghamshire in the Specsavers County Championship at Trent Bridge on Sunday April 10th, Monday April 11th, Tuesday April 12th and Wednesday April 13th :
Gareth Batty (capt)
Rory Burns
Sam Curran
Tom Curran
Steven Davies
Matthew Dunn
Ben Foakes
Mark Footitt
Arun Harinath
Ravi Rampaul
Jason Roy
Kumar Sangakkara
Gary Wilson
tough to call the two to miss out so i'll go for wilson and dunn
over to you chaps

Thanks, JimBob, Great to be in Division One once more and just the same to have you back!

I didn't expect Burke to be in the team against Notts but thought he would make the squad. He'll probably come back into contention when Sam Curran stops wagging school.

Rampaul hasn't played any first class cricket for something like three years - it would be a big call to choose him here ahead of Dunn. My guess is that Rampaul will sit it out and the first couple of days will be an opportunity for him to practice and get to know his new team mates better. He didn't arrive in time for any of the pre-season games alongside them. There's a 3 day seconds game away to Sussex starting on Tuesday - would seem more logical to me for him to get his Surrey start in that but I've been wrong many times before and could well be again here!

Like you, JimBob, very hard to find a place for Wilson in the XI. Suppose we could go with Carlos' original idea of just three seamers plus Batty but, as said before, I'm not a fan of that at this stage and doubt we would have named 5 seamers in the squad if we were thinking of that. A far more left field choice would be for Batty to be left out - whilst that has some merit, I can't see it happening. Yep, Wilson with the drinks I reckon.

A particularly important game for the Baron. He'll need runs to avoid being first in the firing line when #ansariforengland (ok, Olly? ) returns.

My eyes are bleeding at all the caps.

Would also like to point out that even though the 606 universe revolves around the Oval, this game is actually an away one for Surrey.

after slaying all last season, will be interesting to see how Surrey stack up.

I'm sure the Surrey boys here will be happy to give similarly constructive feedback on any match threads posted by other county supporters.

Meanwhile, it's been reported that Jimmy Taylor will miss this match through illness.

Your wish is my command oh powerful and great one.

LondonTiger wrote:Your wish is my command oh powerful and great one.

LondonTiger wrote:My eyes are bleeding at all the caps.

Would also like to point out that even though the 606 universe revolves around the Oval, this game is actually an away one for Surrey.

GET USE TO IT

jimbobgooner wrote:

LondonTiger wrote:My eyes are bleeding at all the caps.

Would also like to point out that even though the 606 universe revolves around the Oval, this game is actually an away one for Surrey.

GET USE TO IT

Or leave I guess.

LondonTiger wrote:

jimbobgooner wrote:

LondonTiger wrote:My eyes are bleeding at all the caps.

Would also like to point out that even though the 606 universe revolves around the Oval, this game is actually an away one for Surrey.

GET USE TO IT

Or leave I guess.

Omission of Burke from the squad and, possibly, Wilson from the team certainly underlines the competition for places when all or most players are fit/available.  I guess that won't be very often, though....

A warm welcome to LT on the Surrey board!

Rampaul and Wilson to miss out I reckon

Pitch looks very green from what I'm seeing on Twitter, so despite the lovely day expect us to bowl first

This is far more Olly territory than mine but I understand the match can be watched on a live stream. Suggestion on the wallpaper site to google TRENT BRIDGE LIVE.

Olly wrote:Pitch looks very green from what I'm seeing on Twitter, so despite the lovely day expect us to bowl first

Which gives some support to Batty being left out. Interesting.

Anyway, gives me the chance to (again) repeat the advice of Lancs' former skipper Cyril Washbrook to David Lloyd when Bumble first captained the Red Rose county in the early 1970s: ''You have two choices on winning the toss. Bat or ... think about it and then bat.'' Unless the wicket is blatantly full of demons, I'll stick with Cyril.

guildfordbat wrote:This is far more Olly territory than mine but I understand the match can be watched on a live stream. Suggestion on the wallpaper site to google TRENT BRIDGE LIVE.

http://live.trentbridge.co.uk/#stream

There is the link for those of you wishing to tune in! A simple thing to do, most clubs should really do it

Rampaul starts ahead of Dunn

Great call by JimBob on the XI although, like Olly, I have concerns about Rampaul's inclusion ahead of Dunn.

Surrey choose to bowl, following Olly's advice and defying Washbrook's.

Good work as well with the link, Olly.

Curran and Footitt spraying it round the park

And as I type that Curran picks up Smith caught at 1st slip!

100 wickets in 25 first class games for TC

Bravo

How quick does Tom C bowl? I ask because I see a lot people (not necessarily on here) tipping him for England duty this year. And I have vague recollections of him only getting it down at high 70s in a LO game last year on Sky. And whilst pace isn't everything, 70 probably won't cut it at the top level.

I've seen newborn kittens more threatening than Ravi Rampaul

He's around that 78-83 mph mark dizzle

Footitt bowled poorly first up, but he's come back really well this second spell - the wicket of Lumb, numerous plays and misses and a close LBW shout

AFTERNOON ALL

Footitt gets Lumb LBW. Looks like Surrey have breen spraying the ball aroumd this morning - conceding 16 boundaries so far in 101 - 2 off 21.4 overs.

Morning Ritchie, I mean afternoon Jimbob!

Almost lunch ravi is excited

jimbobgooner wrote:Almost lunch ravi is excited

He's probably gonna be threatening the lunch lady more than the Notts batsmen this match

Notts' morning but the two wickets keep us in the hunt. Important middle session coming up.

Much too early to form any definite conclusions but I suspect questions will linger over the eleven selected for this match.

3 wickets for Surrey, 2 for TC and 1 bowling point. We're second in the table, JimBob!

Surrey chipping away.

Interesting that 3 out of 4 sides that chose to bowl under the "uncontested toss" arrangements are not exactly doing that well at the moment, (ie Somerset, Surrey, Sussex). Warks the big exception as they have Hants on the ropes at 88 - 7.

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:...  

Interesting that 3 out of 4 sides that chose to bowl under the "uncontested toss" arrangements are not exactly doing that well at the moment, (ie Somerset, Surrey, Sussex).  Warks the big exception as they have Hants on the ropes at 88 - 7.

Afternoon Corporal - maybe the away sides expecting wickets to come too easily rather than having to earn them?

Bias admittedly there from a ''nearly always bat first'' man.

Given Batty preferred Notts to bat first (and therefore, all things being equal, Surrey not to bowl last), that perhaps increases any doubt over his place in this team.

Rampaul got a wicket - expecting a storm to kill us all tonight now

260/4. Into the 53rd over now and all the bowling has been shared out by the 4 seamers going at around 5 per over. Surely Batty should be having a bowl if only to offer something different and try to put the brake on?

JimBob - do you want to comment on the no balls from Rampaul or shall I?

60 overs gone and it appears Gareth Batty is playing as a specialist not very good captain

Notts 315/5 off 64 overs at tea.

5 wickets in the first couple of sessions is ok but we're leaking too many runs. Not helped by Rampaul gifting Notts 14 runs in no balls.

Our old nemesis Read now at the crease. We need to get rid of him quickly and then the tail ....

Olly wrote:60 overs gone and it appears Gareth Batty is playing as a specialist not very good captain

Afternoon one and all! Never liked Batty's captaincy (see '"last season"). Five an over still - almost as if Meaker was playing.

Afternoon, KingDave! To honour your appearance I see that the Baron has come on to bowl!

Patel and Reed continuing to score rapidly. 390-5 off just 80 overs.

Another 50 against us by the ever pesky Read!

4th wkt for ravioli

It's a funny old game. I'll let Olly talk through Rampaul's fivefer!

Two overs to negotiate.

5 wkts for ravioli

Brilliant - he's picked up the number 11's which means he'll be in the team for ages to come

I'll say this now and risk the jinx - glad Mr Burns and the Baron are opening rather than any of that nightwatchman nonsense.

Stumps 7 for 0
I'm not feeling the love for ravioli on here or social media

Olly wrote:Brilliant - he's picked up the number 11's which means he'll be in the team for ages to come

Any bowler who can knock over 9, 10 Jack quickly is a welcome addition to a Surrey attack. Just a shame what went before.

A small well done to both openers in not hiding behind a nightwatchman and safely negotiating those final 2 overs. Gives us the opportunity for a proper start tomorrow.

Do wish we had tossed to try and bat first this morning though. We regularly took wickets and especially in the final session but still gave away too many runs. As Olly suggests, the value of Rampaul's fivefer is considerably lessened as his spells went some way to enabling Notts to score almost 450 in the day and speedily move the game on. We're not out of it but Notts are definitely ahead in my book - there's plenty of time left for a positive result and not many teams lose with that sort of first innings score on the board. Batty will need to do something special with the ball in Notts' second dig to change that and justify his selection.

Hoping that baby face doesn't suffer from second season syndrome