v Surrey at Guildford CB40 2012

Surrey Collapse in throwback to a Bygone Age


With a match scoring rate of less than four an over with a big crowd at a festival venue, this match was a throwback to the golden age of Sunday cricket, all that was missing were the dolly birds dishing out the free ciggies!

On a dry day with intermittent sunshine, Gareth Batty won the toss and decided to bat on a very dry, dusty surface that had been used over the previous days in the championship run fest against Lancashire.

The Woodbridge Road has very short square boundaries but on a tricky spinning surface not a single six was hit all day.

The game was all over bar the shouting after 19 balls as the home side were eight for FIVE,. Patel started the ball rolling. Bowling the first over from the Railway End he had the big hitting Jason Roy leg before for two. Pattinson took wickets in successive balls in his opening over; having Steve Davies nicking the ball to first slip and Gary Wilson caught by Read for a golden duck, five for three. Zander de Bruyn then fell to a head-high slip catch by Voges as Harry Gurney replaced Patel. Rory Burns making his comedy debut, top edged a drive and was caught at mid- on by Lumb, as Patto picked-up his third wicket.

Slowly but surely Spriegel and Ansari tried to repair the wreckage and added 38 in 14 overs. Jake Ball, who was preferred to Carter, got Ansari to present Wessels with a fine tumbling catch, Surrey now 46 for six in the 18^th over. 

Former Notts favourite Mark Ealham arrived on the ground to enjoy the Notts dominance with both his sons donning Notts Twenty/20 tops. Also in attendance was Darren Bicknell whose started his cricket at Woodbridge Road as a youngster.

Captain Batty joined Spriegel and added 43 runs in 11 overs. Gurney then took three wickets in eight balls, Batty (24) edged behind. Top scorer Spriegel (39) lost his off stump and then Lewis who had hit a quick 16 including three fours presented Read with his third catch of the innings. Last man Kartik was caught at short fine leg as Surrey closed on a sorry 123 with 38 balls unused. Pattinson who was expensive in his second spell had figures of 6-1-27-3; Gurney meanwhile had another promising performance with 7-0-22-4.

Surrey opened with Spriegel’s off spin from the Pavilion End as Notts made a circumspect start. In the seventh over the innings, Hales pushed the ball to Lewis at point and in a classic yes/no mix  up Lumb was run out as Hales never left his crease, 25 for one. Hales never looking at home against the spinners, tucked into Meaker and hit him for successive fours but two balls later pulled the same bowler to be caught at deep square leg for 23. Patel joined Titch Taylor as Notts inched to their small target as the sunshine reappeared. With the score on 96, Patel (21) edged Kartik to slip and this induced a mini collapse. 

Voges was caught behind off the impressive Batty and his next over the former Yorkshire and Worcestershire-man had Wessels caught off a leading edge and having had been dropped at short mid off. Ansari bowling slow left armers became the fourth spinner used but Read (13*) joined Taylor (41*) as the last 19 runs were added as Notts won with 57 balls unused at 1800.

It was not all good news though as Warwickshire gained maximum bonus points to go top of the championship with a game in hand. Word on the street suggests that bowling with a wet ball in the second innings on the Uxbridge swamps hindered Adams and co as Strauss made an excellent ton. Pattinson should return to replace Phillips for the game with Surrey on Wednesday; the visitors could be without Kartik who briefly went off limping at Guildford yesterday.

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