Great Batting for openers. Great Batty for spinners

Fozzie reports on a day that looked very promising and ended in disappointment. We hear of the joys of the Surrey pavillion and a pie theme. 

Off to the Oval for the first time in the Championship since Ollie’s match in 2013.  I enjoy my visits there, and it compares particularly favourably in comparison with the Ageas: just a few minutes’ walk from the station, admission charge £15, scorecards for 50p.  The pavilion is friendly and welcoming, too, and I like that the walls are covered with memorabilia and pictures of Surrey heroes: Hobbs, Barrington, Edrich – ahem – Dernbach, Hamilton-Brown….

Anyway, down to business. We’ve won the toss and chosen to bat, which is excellent news as the pitch looks like a shirtfront and the Mexicans’ attack is weakened due to injury.  The weather is sunny and pleasant – not a scorcher, but nice enough to vacate the shade of the pavilion for the open stand opposite the gasometer and settle down in the hope of enjoying a Middlesex runfest.

All went well before lunch, with Gubbo looking particularly imperious after a couple of dodgy moments early on. He was particularly severe on Tom Curran, who looked as though he was finding life rather harder after taking a sackful of wickets in Division 2.  By contrast, although Robbo started serenely with two boundaries in Rampaul’s opening over, it was soon evident that that was the bowler’s loosener, and things thereafter became more of a struggle. Rampaul looks as though his contract carries a stipulation that he should have first pick of every pie in the county; but he’s had a decent start to the season, and his following overs were noticeably quicker, with Robbo immediately edging a straightforward chance to slip which Sangakkara spilled.  Robbo was being tied down, with his next three boundaries all being streaky, but Gubbo was scoring freely, reaching his 50 out of a total of 85 in only 21 overs. By now Norah Batty had brought himself on, and Robbo came down the wicket to launch a straight 6 which seemed to loosen the shackles. He too reached his 50 before lunch, which was taken with the score at 126-0 after 31 overs. We lunched contentedly: “We’ll declare when we reach a thousand” announced one fan. ( Editor's note I think that was me-Kev)

By now Kev had arrived, kindly bearing a selection of headwear as I had forgotten to bring a cap (though I turned down the pink T20 wig).  And while I wouldn’t go as far as to suggest that things started to go wrong as soon as Kev turned up, it was in the first over after lunch that Robbo came down the wicket again to Batty, but this time got himself into a muddle and was stumped with ease.  But Mala was batting fluently, before long taking two 4s off an over from Rampaul, who shortly afterwards limped off (perhaps to get first crack at the tea table) and played no further part in the day’s play. Given that he had looked the most dangerous bowler before lunch, this looked ominous for Surrey.

Gubbo also took two 4s off Curran to move serenely into the 90s, but then out of the blue he popped up a catch to mid-off.  He trudged off looking bitterly disappointed, and no wonder – his maiden century had looked there for the taking.  However, this brought the reassuring return of Adam Voges, and normal service seemed to be resumed as by tea Mala had also reached 50 and the pair had put on over 60, with the score at 232-2.

It all seemed well set for a sore of 350+ by close of play, particularly when after tea Surrey opened with their second-string seamers.  But before long Mala swished at Burke and was caught behind, followed by Voges falling LBW to the same bowler – rather unluckily perhaps, as the ball seemed to keep rather low.  So we were now 257-4, with all our frontline batsmen out after getting decent starts.

The rest of the day looked pretty undistinguished stuff from the Middlesex batsmen, on what still looked to be a very good wicket.  The Surrey fielders, who had been rather sloppy in the afternoon session, were now on their toes, and Batty, seizing the initiative, bowled aggressively as the batsmen went into their shells.  One by one, Simmo, Sterling and Ollie (who at tea can’t have imagined he would be batting today) all departed.  Franklin held on for 11 scored in 58 balls, James Harris snicked a 4 to take us to the brink of 300, and the new ball was finally taken (and wasted) in the penultimate over.  Final score 298-7, and very much Surrey’s session with 5 wickets taken for just 66 runs.

I guess a total of 350 might still be on the cards, but it is unlikely to be good enough with Surrey’s batting line-up looking strong.  Probably another draw beckons.  All in all, a pleasant day in the sunshine, cricket that was alternately good and mediocre by both sides, and a nagging sense of a great opportunity missed.