SURREY'S
FOUR-DAY WOES CONTINUE by Marcus Hook
Northamptonshire 397 v Surrey 210-7.
Northampton was the scene of Surrey's last win in
the County Championship. On the evidence of the first two days, it
is not going to be the setting of their next. Surrey, who have made
an unbeaten start to the season in one-day cricket, continue to
falter in the longer format. Tim Linley's career best 5-105 dragged
the visitors back into the match by helping to polish off
Northamptonshire's tail. But, in reply, other than a 70 from Mark
Ramprakash, Surrey's batsmen failed to establish themselves. With
Chris Schofield and Tom Jewell falling in the space of 13
deliveries, the Oval outfit ended day two still 37 runs short of
avoiding the follow-on with three wickets intact.
Proceedings began with Mal Loye driving Andre Nel
off back foot through cover for four. Nel, clearly troubled by an
injury to his right leg, sent down just one further over. In the
eighth over of the day, Loye cut Linley to the rope at backward
point. Two overs later, Nicky Boje drove the former Sussex seamer on
the up through extra cover for four.
But then Boje, attempting to steal a quick single
to mid-on off Jade Dernbach, was run out at bowler's end by
Schofield to bring the curtain down on a stand of 193 in 55 overs
for the sixth wicket. Four balls later, James Middlebrook lost sight
of a slower ball from Dernbach to be LBW.
In the 110th over, Chaminda Vaas had his off stump
plucked out by one that Linley got to nip back. That made it 370-8.
A couple of overs later, David Willey was brilliantly caught at
cover by Usman Afzaal. Two deliveries after being struck on the
right hand by a lifting ball from Dernbach, Loye pulled him four to
reach his 150 in 291 deliveries.
Three overs later, Loye slog swept Linley for six
and then four to move to 164. But Linley had the last laugh when he
sent Loye's off stump cartwheeling to register his best figures in
first-class cricket.
Needing 247 to avoid the follow-on, the visitors
lost Arun Harinath to the third ball of the innings, his first -
caught at third slip off Vaas. Four overs later, Ramprakash got off
the mark with an extra cover driven four off the Sri Lankan. In the
sixth over Steven Davies registered his first boundary by
despatching Willey through the off-side.
Forty minutes after lunch Davies nibbled at short
ball from Lee Daggett to make it 50-2. Rory Hamilton-Brown then
shared in an agreeable 65-run stand with Ramprakash for Surrey's
third wicket. But, after starting brightly, Hamilton-Brown was
caught behind off Boje for 30 in the 37th over.
Ramprakash went to fifty in 105 deliveries with a
swept four off Boje shortly before the visitors went to tea on
128-3. But, in the third over after the break, that became 136-4
when Afzaal, on the walk, lost his off stump to Daggett.
Matthew Spriegel on drove the third ball he
received, from Daggett, for four. Eight overs later Ramprakash
lifted James Middlebrook over long-on for six. But then the former
Middlesex batsman, attempting a repeat dose, was caught at backward
point off a thick outside edge. His 70 came off 159 deliveries and
included eleven fours and one maximum.
Shortly before stumps, Andrew Hall returned to the
attack to heap further misery on Surrey. Bowling around the wicket,
the Northants skipper plucked out Schofield's off stump in the 72nd
over. Two overs later he trapped Jewell leg before with full-length
delivery.
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