RAMPRAKASH
SEALS SURREY'S FIRST WIN IN SEVENTEEN by Marcus Hook
Northamptonshire 397 & 224 v Surrey 386 & 241-3. Surrey win
by 7 wickets.
Having looked out of the game before Jade Dernbach
joined forces with Andre Nel on the third morning, Surrey cruised to
their first championship win in 17 attempts thanks to a fifty from
Mark Ramprakash and useful contributions from Arun Harinath and Rory
Hamilton-Brown. All thoughts of Northants setting-up a run chase
were dispelled when the hosts went from being 154-4 overnight to 224
all out, with Nel picking up 4-68, his best figures of the season,
to cap a memorable game with the bat and the ball for the South
African.
Needing 241 off a minimum of 68 overs for victory,
the Surrey openers had already knocked off 26 after three. Steven
Davies cover drove Nicky Boje for two fours in the space of three
balls then pulled Chaminda Vaas to the advertising boards at
mid-wicket. Later in the same over Harinath despatched the Sri
Lankan left-armer to the rope at cover.
In the seventh over, Davies fell when David
Willey, diving to his left, held on to a good catch at mid-wicket
off the bowling of Boje. Ramprakash announced himself with a cut
drive for four off Lee Daggett. In the next over, the 12th, he
brought up the fifty for the visitors by cutting Boje in front of
square on the off-side.
Harinath moved to 48 by working Willey through the
on-side for four in the 23rd over, but perished next ball when he
was caught on the mid-wicket rope by Rob White. Hamilton-Brown then
struck 45 off 42 balls, getting off the mark with a cover driven
boundary off Willey to bring up the hundred for the visitors.
The 30th over saw the Surrey skipper hit Boje for
three fours in four balls - the first to third man, the next through
extra cover and the third over the bowler's head. Four overs later,
Hamilton-Brown took his side past the 150-mark with an edged four
which flew past Hall's outstretched left hand at slip off White.
James Middlebrook's change of ends in the last
over before tea brought Northants the wicket of Hamilton-Brown, but
with Surrey needing just 85 to win off 33 overs in the final session
the result was a near formality.
Shortly after the break Usman Afzaal cover drove
Middlebrook wristily for four. In the next over, the 38th,
Ramprakash cut Boje to the rope at cover point before sweeping the
South African fine for four. Four overs later, Ramprakash progressed
to his second half-century in the match, off 94 deliveries, to leave
his side needing just 47.
Victory was sealed at 5.18pm when Afzaal flicked
Middlebrook behind square on the off-side for two runs, leaving
Ramprakash with an undefeated 79 from 143 balls.
Six wickets fell in the morning session. Boje went
to the fourth ball of the day when he slapped Tim Linley to the
right of Matthew Spriegel at backward point. Three overs later David
Sales, attempting a quick single to mid-wicket off Dernbach, was
beaten by Chris Schofield's direct hit at the bowler's end to bag
his first pair in eight years.
In the 58th over, Andrew Hall worked Linley
backward of square on the leg-side for four before pulling him to
the mid-wicket boundary. But three overs later the Northants skipper
was caught behind off an outswinging delivery from Nel, who picked
up the wicket of Middlebrook minutes later when the former Essex man
lost sight of the South African's slower ball.
Vaas and Willey then combined to put on 31 in
eight overs for the ninth wicket - runs which, at the time, seemed
to be putting the game beyond Surrey's reach. In the 64th over, Vaas
pulled Schofield through mid-wicket for four. Six overs later the
Sri Lankan slog swept the former England leg-spinner for another,
though not before on driving Nel to the rope.
In the 71st over, Willey drove Dernbach straight
up the ground for four. But moments later Vaas was walking back to
the dressing room having been leg before to a slower ball that he
clearly felt he had got some willow on. Four overs later Daggett was
cleaned up by Dernbach, who finished with figures of 3-42.
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