Yesterday (Tuesday), when I was meeting guests at Lord’s the traffic was so bad that I got to Lord’s after my guests at 10.15am. Today I arrived at 9.50am.

I settled into my usual seat, and unlike yesterday applied sun block immediately. I put on my sunhat, and had my magicool spray and fan at the ready. I took out my notebook in readiness for today’s reporting stint. I also took out my knitting.

The first ball bowled by Nel was cracked for 4 by Malan, 4 came off Jordan’s first over also. Nel’s second over was a maiden.

Back To Form

That’s the 100th over of the innings and we are still 23 short of a third batting point. At this rate we’ll be hard pushed to get the 4th batting point let alone the 5th batting point.

Tudor took over at the pavilion end from Nel, so I thought it was safe to take out my knitting. Nash then cracked his 1st 4.

Will they, won’t they?

107 overs  in total have gone and we are 292/5.

It is too hot to knit, and the fibre smells funny. It’s called ‘milk cotton’ and contains ‘milk protein’. I’m convinced it smells of sour milk!

108th over is bowled by Nel from the Nursery end and tantalisingly we are on 297/5.

At this stage I had a quick peek at other scores on my i-phone:

Australia are 24/2 with Hughes out for 7

England are 44/0

And Durham 63/6.

The heat is too much and I am fidgeting in my seat trying to get comfortable.

Sh*t!

Malan caught behind for 54. Batty’s OTT appealing is driving me Batty! He’s jumping up and down like a cat on a hot tin roof all the time.

304/6 becomes 304/7 as Nel takes a second wicket in the over.

It is so hot, I’ve made my wrists ache using the fan.

Yet another mis-field gives us a run when there was no run there.

8 more overs to go and we need 31 for the 4th batting point.

Jordan took over at the Nursery end, and Udal stroked balls 5 and 6 for 4.

That leaves us needing 20 off 6 overs.

A pleasant breeze blows up, but does not last long.

5 overs to 120 and we need 18runs for the next batting point, and with 4 overs of the 120 left we still need 18.

Nash has hit a ball towards where I was sitting. I willed the ball to cross the rope (and it did).

We still need 14 from 3 overs, and 13 from 2.

12.20pm and Murtaza replaced Tudor at the Pavilion end. A Nel mis-field gives us another 4.

With 1 over to go of the 120 we still need 6. Udal hits Jordan’s first ball for 4. 3 balls and we need 2. AN overthrow gave us those two runs.

At lunch we were 356/7 and that was our quickest 50 (off 74 balls)

Perambulation

This was allowed today but not yesterday. My guests would have loved to walk on the hallowed turf.

You wait for one bus and then 3 come at once

2nd over after lunch Nash is out for 43 caught in the slips off King.

It was announced that that was King’s first 1st class wicket. He then mopped up the tail by taking  the last two wickets

Surrey’s innings

Batty and Brown open the batting and Finn opens the bowling from the nursery end. Finn bowls a maiden. Udal then injures himself fielding, and has to go off. I’m not sure what was injured (knee or ankle?), but Burton came on as sub. They are making batting look easy as they reach 50 in the 11th over

Good I’ve got BBC i-player on my laptop! Now to watch cricket and tennis at the same time. One of my phones rang, very loudly, and I could not find it under my laptop. I should not have rang back as I was asked to work tomorrow, so will miss tomorrow’s play. It then rang again asking me to work Friday also, but declined to work Friday. I could have turned down Thursday’s work but at  £26.00 per hour I cannot afford to turn it down.

Udal is still off the field and suspect that Nash is acting captain. Finn returned at the pavilion end and Berg the Nursery end.

Bingo Berg has a wicket as Batty is caught by Malan. This brings R4C in. R4C is on 1 when first Finn has an lbw appeal turned down, and then a snick falls short of Dexter at 1st slip.

Dexter replaced Berg at nursery end and gets Brown caught by Nash (87/2).

The over rate is now -3.

The last over before tea was bowled by Kartik.

Murray is 1 set up

Udal returns after tea to lead the team.

The battery has ‘died’ on my lap-top, so no more Wimbledon.

Udal and Kartik slowed up the scoring rate and also got us back from an over rate of -3.

No more wickets fell and Surrey ended up on 186/2.

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