NORTHAMPTONSHIRE STEELBACKS V
SURREY LIONS at Northampton (TSL1), 29 AUGUST 2004
Surrey embark on what will almost certainly prove to be a
pivotal week's cricket. In eight days' time the Oval outfit will have just one
more fixture left - the championship visit to Hove. So, one can almost hear
Steve Rixon geeing up his players for one more big push. The Lions' top division
existence hangs by a threat in the totesport League. However, Northants, whose
final two matches are against both the teams currently lying below them in the
table, have lost their last five 45-over games.
Apart from Gerard Brophy and Graeme Swann, the Steelbacks'
batting line-up has been exposed in the absence of an overseas batsman in recent
weeks. After Van Jaarsveld, their highest run-scorer in one-day cricket this
summer has been opener Tim Roberts with 486 at an average of 27.00. That said,
skipper David Sales has passed fifty more times than any Northants batter this
term.
The hosts will therefore be hoping their bowlers can turn
round the team's limited-overs form. Their 'bankers' are Johann Louw and Graeme
Swann, but the 23-year-old Aussie seamer Paul Rofe, although expensive, is a wicket-taking threat - as he showed
against Hampshire last weekend. If only Ben Phillips could find some
consistency, the Steelbacks would really fancy their chances of keeping Surrey
to a sub-200 score tomorrow.
For the Lions, Alistair Brown needs 35 more
for 6,000 runs in his one-day
league career. Azhar Mahmood has
now taken 47 limited-overs wickets for Surrey, so requires three more for his
50th. If he plays, Alex Tudor is three away from 100 one-day league wickets,
while Martin Bicknell is closing in on his 250th such scalp. He needs four more
to achieve that landmark.
Recent history suggests this one could go either way and the task of picking a
winner is not helped by the all or nothing nature of this encounter. All I am
prepared to say is that Surrey are a better one-day side than their current
placing in the totesport League would suggest. But, on the flip side, there is
little to choose between them and the five sides lying immediately above.
Your guess is as good as mine - no team news has been placed on the Club's official
website once again! Apart from 25.1 overs' worth of play on Wednesday evening, all
of the first team have had a week's rest. So, the likes of Butcher,
Ormond, Ramprakash and Tudor - who were sidelined by various niggles - should,
in theory, come back into contention for a place.
T Huggins, T Roberts, R White, D Sales (capt), G Swann, J Cook, G Brophy (wk), B
Phillips, J Louw, P Jones and P Rofe.
27 Jul 2004 |
NL |
Won By 39 Runs |
The Oval |
3 Aug 2002 |
NL |
Lost By 102 Runs |
Whitgift School |
4 Jun 2002 |
NL |
Lost By 5 Runs |
Northampton |
22 Jul 2001 |
NL |
Lost By 8 Wickets |
Guildford |
3 Jun 2001 |
NL |
Won By 4 Wickets |
Northampton |
28 Jul 1999 |
NWT |
Won By 7 Wickets |
Northampton |
13 Jun 1999 |
NL |
Lost By 5 Runs |
Northampton |
25 Apr 1999 |
NL |
Lost By 4 Wickets |
The Oval |
19 Apr 1998 |
NL |
No Result |
The Oval |
27 Jul 1997 |
NL |
Lost By 5 Wickets |
Northampton |
8 Sep 1996 |
NL |
Won By 2 Wickets |
The Oval |
21 May 1995 |
NL |
Won By 14 Runs |
Northampton |
22 May 1994 |
NL |
No Result |
The Oval |
25 Jul 1993 |
NL |
No Result |
Northampton |
19 Apr 1992 |
NL |
Lost By 5 Wickets |
The Oval |
14 Aug 1991 |
NWT |
Won By 7 Runs |
The Oval |
7 Jul 1991 |
NL |
Lost By 15 Runs |
Tring |
3 Jun 1990 |
NL |
Won By 4 Wickets |
The Oval |
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