SURREY V KENT at Whitgift
School (LVCC1), 30 MAY - 2 JUNE 2007
Surrey need to start winning if they are to avoid being relegated for the
second time in three years in the County Championship. The good news is that
they are paying their annual visit to South Croydon, where they have played
four, won three and drawn the other on their previous championship outings at
Whitgift School. In Kent they are also up against opponents who look as if they
can be beaten. However, the weather is likely to have a big say over the next
four days. The forecasters are saying that there's a 50:50 chance of seeing some
action on the first two days, day three will be a write-off, but that day four
is likely to be dry with a tinge of sunshine. They have been wrong in the past
and no doubt Mark Butcher and his men will be hoping the weathermen are wrong
again on this occasion.
Tomorrow's visitors currently lie seventh in the first division. But that's nothing unusual for Kent, who have finished fifth in each of the
last two years and, of course, are the only county never to have experienced life in
Division Two. But the hop county's survival instincts will be severely tested if
their batting line-up keeps looking to Joe Denly (348 championship runs at an
average of 58.00 so far this term), Rob Key and Matt Walker to make all the
runs. Darren Stevens and Martin van Jaarsveld have each made a hundred in the
championship, but have contributed little else. But the visitors can take
comfort from the fact that, in first-class cricket against Surrey, Key averages
60.50 (with 4 hundreds), van Jaarsveld 57.25, Geraint Jones 49.50 and Walker
41.06 with the bat.
Robbie Joseph is fit again after recovering from a split ear,
the legacy of a Steve Harmison bouncer during Kent's defeat up at Durham, but
Simon Cook, who is averaging 20.80 with the ball in the championship, is
expected to retain his place. Pakistan's Yasir Arafat (21 wickets at 25.47 runs
apiece) leads the Kent attack, abetted by South Africans Ryan McLaren and Andrew
Hall. James Tredwell again provides the spin option in the absence of Min Patel,
who misses out due to elbow and neck problems.
Azhar Mahmood has 494 first-class wickets and 19 hauls of five wickets or more.
Alistair Brown has 44 f-c hundreds, while Mark Butcher has 24 f-c hundreds for
Surrey. Scott Newman has made 4,836 f-c runs and Ian Salisbury has 199 catches
in f-c cricket.
Azhar Mahmood returns to action after a sore back and then an elbow injury.
He replaces Richard Clinton, who did little at Hove to suggest that he should be
ahead of James Benning if Mahmood falls injured again. Mohammad Akram is
included in the 12-man squad, but will only play if the strip at Whitgift looks
as though it offers nothing for the spinners. Last year, however, eleven of the
20 Essex wickets captured by the Brown Caps were taken by Nayan Doshi and Ian
Salisbury.
OPPONENT |
DATE |
RESULT |
VENUE |
SURREY |
OPPONENT |
Sussex |
16-19 May 2007 |
Match Drawn |
Hove |
626-3d |
365 & 372-3 |
Warwickshire |
9-12 May 2007 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
400-1d |
329 & 5-0 |
Lancashire |
'2-4 May 2007 |
Lost By 7 Wickets |
Old Trafford |
284 & 120 |
315 & 90-3 |
Hampshire |
25-28 Apr 2007 |
Lost By 35 Runs |
The Oval |
203 & 467 |
481-9d & 224-1d |
Yorkshire |
18-21 Apr 2007 |
Lost By 346 Runs |
The Oval |
344 & 170 |
494-9d & 266-7d |
The last time these two sides met one another in the championship, Surrey lost a
match they should have made safe. That four-wicket defeat at Guildford was a
defining moment in their relegation season. Assuming the pain of that encounter
remains - though one hopes not to the extent that Jimmy Ormond's hand still
hurts - the Brown Caps will be out for revenge. Their championship performances
have taken a turn for the better of late, but the weather forecast is so
unpromising it would be mad of me to back anything but the draw.
R Key (capt), J Denly, M van Jaarsveld, M Walker, D Stevens, G Jones
(wk), A Hall, Yasir Arafat, R McLaren, J Tredwell and S Cook.
Peter Hartley and Jeremy Lloyds.
DATE |
RESULT |
VENUE |
TOSS |
DECISION |
SURREY |
KENT |
20-23
Jul 2005 |
Lost By 4 Wickets |
Guildford |
Surrey |
Bat |
452-8d
& 350 |
572 &
232-6 |
25-28
May 2005 |
Match Drawn |
Tunbridge Wells |
Kent |
Bat |
324 &
333-4 |
262 &
467-4d |
18-21
Aug 2004 |
Match Drawn |
Canterbury |
Kent |
Bat |
402-8d |
226 &
234-8 |
25-28
May 2004 |
Won By 7 Wickets |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Bat |
479 &
174-3 |
239 &
413 |
4-6
Sep 2003 |
Lost By An Inns &
155 Runs |
Canterbury |
Kent |
Bat |
125 &
255 |
535 |
2-5
Jul 2003 |
Won By 186 Runs |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Bat |
401 &
251-3d |
352-5d
& 114 |
19-22
Jul 2002 |
Won By 2 Wickets |
Canterbury |
Kent |
Bat |
225 &
410-8 |
374 &
260 |
12-14
Jun 2002 |
Won By 9 Wickets |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Field |
361 &
61-1 |
153 &
268 |
16-19
Aug 2001 |
Match Drawn |
Canterbury |
Surrey |
Bat |
258 &
193-8 |
301 |
20-23
Apr 2001 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
Kent |
Bat |
473 |
456-8d |
23-26
May 2000 |
Match Drawn |
Canterbury |
Surrey |
Bat |
348-8 |
- |
11-14
May 2000 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
Kent |
Field |
417 &
17-0d |
115-2d
& 255-8 |
2-5
Jun 1999 |
Won By An Inns & 28
Runs |
Tunbridge Wells |
Kent |
Field |
271 |
71 &
172 |
29-31
May 1998 |
Won By An Inns & 30
Runs |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Bat |
342 |
86 &
226 |
18-20
Sep 1997 |
Lost By 5 Wickets |
Canterbury |
Kent |
Field |
124 &
371 |
220 &
276-5 |
9-13
May 1996 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
Kent |
Bat |
360 &
160-6 |
225 &
361 |
3-7
Aug 1995 |
Match Drawn |
Canterbury |
Surrey |
Bat |
559 &
252-7d |
410 &
380-8 |
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