man of the match?

By comebackgatt
May 21 2010

comebackgatt reports from the Oval on the fourth and final day of the CC match between Surrey and Middx.In all honesty not much to report about really as the home side spurned the chance of victory and the game meanered to a aimless draw. Read on..

As I had to be in town to cover one of our gals in “Strictly Blonde” tonight I thought I’d make a day of it and tootle along to the Brit. Left at the crack of dawn (well for me anyway), Broadstairs – St Pancras-Oval, arrived outside ground at 10.45. Met up with an old acquaintance of mine who is both a Middle and Sorry member. He invited me into the pavilion, 3^rd Floor, blimey good job I don’t suffer from vertigo!!

Overnight Surrey 165-2, MR 86 Hamilton Brown 5 and a lead of 331. I wondered on the journey whether the home team would declare overnight or wait until “you know who” got his hundred to help his averages. Sun shining when I left Kent but by the time I got to town he had really clouded over, hope this is not going to help the bowlers.

Well I soon got my answer as the Middlesex players jogged onto the pitch and the batsmen followed. MR and HB didn’t, in all honesty, seem in that much of a hurry and once MR reached his 90s Shaggy brought the field right in and frustrated the batsmen. Finally he reached his three figures off the bowling of Finny and we waited for the immediate declaration. It didn’t come, a few grumbles from the home members, on we went, to what purpose goodness only knows.  207-2, lead now 373, then HB droved at Collins got a nick and was caught by Strauss and he promptly declared, MR 103 no (swelling his average which did seem the whole point of the exercise)

 I reckon that with overs lost between innings Middle would have 79 overs to get the runs (no chance there) whilst Surrey might have given themselves too much to do. We shall see.  Strauss and Newman opened the batting, Tremelett and Derbach the bowling. As one would expect an attacking field is set. The openers look comfortable against these two and Batty and Nel are introduced before lunch but the interval is comes safely with the score on 47-0 from 16 overs

Good steady start, just what we need if we are to get a draw, I’m not going to feel too confident as this is the Middle we are talking about!! 

After Lunch decided to leave the pavilion and wander round to sit in the open terracing take in a bit of the broken sunshine. Strauss and Newman still batting well and finding gaps in the field, although plenty of those as the attacking field is still set. Looks like the spinners will be doing most of the work as Nel bowled just three overs and has retreated to the outfield. Batty and Afzaal now bowling in tandem. 100 up, our second century opening partnership of the match, I idly wondered when was the last time we managed that.

Then three runs later Newman was caught behind for 43. That brought Ace to the wicket, a man in need of runs and this seems the ideal opportunity to get some. Sun keeps coming out and then back in again.Spied the fox slinking around the outfield, Andy seemed distracted because shortly after he caught off the bowling of Dernach for 61, great shame he didn’t get a ton in what is his last match for the Midle this season. Malan enters the arena.

 Felt myself drifting off, no not sleeping just resting my eyes. Tea arrived at 142-2 and the match grinding to a draw.

After the interval Shah livened things up a bit but hitting a big six off Batty and Malan hit a couple of cracking fours bit there was the air of a match drawing to its close and the two skippers shaking hands at 5.20pm. Malan was third out after an entertaining knock scoring 330 off 49 balls including 4 x 4’s. And with the score at 183-3 Dex was next in and a few people started drifting away, maybe to beat the rush hour. I decided to stay to the bitter end, after all I had nowhere else to go, and meal then to the theatre was not for a couple of hours yet. The end duly came with Middx 189-3 with Shah 40 not out and Dexter 5.

 A pretty uninspiring day all round, the home team never showed any adventure by declaring overnight and then made matters worse by just batting on, so apart from the second evening when Strauss and Newman put back to ball not the greatest of games, still at least we didn’t lose to our rivals from over the river.