By Ben Horne
April 23 2006

Rikki Clarke hit 130 to guide Surrey to a draw against Derbyshire at the Brit Oval. This result kept Surrey’s record of not loosing in the opening round of the County Championship since 1990.

Surrey were made to follow on after they could only score 308 all out in the first innings. Clarke again top scored with 59.

Openers Scot Newman and John Batty put on 152 as they closed in on Derbyshire total. Newman fell for 90 to Botha, while Batty also failed to complete a hundred as he was bowled by Hunter for 96. With Ramprakash, Brown and Butcher all falling cheaply, Surrey looked in danger of slipping to defeat at 246 for 5 as they only had a lead of 62.However Rikki Clarke and Azhar Mahmood added a stand of 125. Clarke unlike Newman and Batty did not fall short as he went on to record his eighth first class hundred. He was finally dismissed by Travis Brit, but by this time the draw was safe. The game was called a draw when Surrey reached 476-8, a lead of 292. This draw kept Surrey’s record of not loosing in the opening round of the County Championship since 1990.

Points

Derbyshire 12, Surrey 12.

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