By Rogers and Out
March 21 2014

Rogers and Out reports on day of regretting using the train, but fortunately we hear of Middlesex being back on track.

I decided to take public transport to the match at Merchant Taylors School, and, in retrospect, it was a schoolboy error (pun intended) on several fronts. Despite having printed instructions on how to reach the ground from Moor Park station, I didn’t realise that the ‘double back’ instruction meant to actually go back into the station itself, and so I had a lengthy walk around the affluent Moor Park estate before reaching the ground.

Secondly, as I had come by train, I didn’t bring anything on which to sit and so spent the majority of the game standing. Consequently, by the time the tea interval came, I’d had enough and missed our second innings. Whilst the weather could not be classed as warm, it was definitely more bearable than at last year’s friendly at Chelmsford and my previous visit to the school against Durham University.

Stuart Meaker and Tim Linley opened the bowling for Surrey, with our not out batsmen Dawid Malan and Neil Dexter facing. Mala nearly doubled our overnight score by driving the first delievery of the day from Meaker for three, and Dex completed the over with a similar shot for four.

Linley bowled economically and had Dex in trouble on a couple of occasions. We found Meaker easier to score from, and AC cut two consecutive fours in the 13th over to take us to 28/2. However, after Mala cut him for another boundary, Meaker exacted his revenge with the very next ball, trapping him leg before for 20, leaving us 36/3.

Adam Rossington was the next man in for us, and Meaker and Linley were replaced by Matt Dunn and Tom Jewell, both right arm pace bowlers. Both Rosso and Dex increased the run rate against the new bowlers, with Rosso in particular scoring freely on both sides of the wicket. Dex brought up his half century by cutting the returning Linley to the boundary and we reached lunch on 125/3, with Dexter on 58 and Rossington 36.

As Beefy mentioned yesterday, the facilities at Merchant Taylors were somewhat spartan and I spent the lunch interval sitting on a distant bench eating my sandwiches. I’d imagine there will be much more in place when the T20 and LVCC games are played here at the end of May.

Play resumption after lunch saw Dex retired ‘out’ on 58 to be replaced by John Simpson. He drove a couple of twos off Dunn and Gareth Batty, before Batty snared him LBW for 4 with the score 130/4. Ryan Higgins came in next and didn’t last long, bowled by Dunn for no score.

Andrew Balbirnie was our next batsman in and although he was dropped at midwicket when on 6, he looked comfortable, scoring as freely as partner Rosso. Zafar Ansari came into the Surrey attack, and, in an over reminiscent of his brother Akbar’s calamitous effort at Fenner’s last year (where Rosso hit him for five sixes), he bowled a series of full tosses that were dispatched to various parts of the ground by both batsmen.

Rosso had a century in sight, but with just six runs required from the final over, he looped an edge to Harinath at point off the bowling of Ansari, and was out for 94. We immediately declared on 241/7, leaving Balbirnie unbeaten on 54 (from 56 balls including 8 fours). Rosso’s 94 came from 123 balls with 17 fours. Their partnership realised 110 runs.

During the interval, I heard it mentioned that the teams were going to have a second innings of twenty overs each and so it transpired. Ansari and Steven Davies opened the batting for Surrey, facing James Harris and Toby Roland-Jones. Although both bowled with zest, the Surrey openers looked reasonably comfortable. Ansari took a quick single off Harris, and Denley’s quickfire throw rebounded off the stumps to the boundary for an unfortunate four extra runs.

Tom Helm came into the attack and bowled quite well. We also saw a couple of overs of spin from Andrew Balbirnie. Surrey finished their 20 overs on 63/0.

As the skies were darkening and the temperature was dropping, I decided to call it a day. I understand we made 81/3 from our 20 overs, with 23 for Joe Denley, 5 for Simmo, Malan retiring ‘out’ for 32, and Ryan Higgins and Nick Gubbins unbeaten on 21 and 0 respectively. Matt Dunn took two wickets for Surrey.

The highlights for us were the batting of Rossington, Dexter and Balbirnie, and some promise from the bowling of young Tom Helm. I was also pleased to see James Harris looking fit and he also put in some good work in the field. Finny didn’t bowl at all in the second innings, but I’m hoping there’s nothing to be read into that.