SURREY V KENT at the Kia Oval (SSCC1), 7-10 JULY 2019
Sixth plays host to fifth.
Surrey go into this contest having lost 4 of their last 9
championship games, which takes some fathoming given their four
defeats before that came in the space of 36. Kent, meanwhile, have
punched above their weight since winning promotion; registering
victories over Warwickshire at Edgbaston in Game Two and Notts at
Tunbridge Wells in Game Seven.
Let's be honest, though -
neither Surrey nor Kent are likely to be challenging for the title.
Still, both will see this contest as an ideal opportunity to build
confidence going into the second half of the season. Relegation
shouldn't be an issue, now, with Notts crumbling again, this time to
Essex.
Kent are currently without an
overseas player, following Cricket South Africa's decision to recall
all-rounder Wiaan Mulder. However, the arrival of off-spinner Ollie
Rayner on loan from Division Two strugglers Middlesex has given
skipper Heino Kuhn an astonishing amount of control in the field.
Rayner is conceding just 1.40 runs per over; plus he enjoys playing
at the Oval, where he bagged match figures of 15-118 in 2013.
Matt Milnes and Harry Podmore
appear to have benefited from getting regular game time. Both have
taken 34 championship wickets thus far - Milnes at an average of
24.97 and Podmore 26.82. In terms of the first change, the hop county
has been forced by injuries, availability and, to some extent,
advancing years, to shuffle Mitch Claydon (who is averaging 24.33 in
the championship), Darren Stevens (30.43) and Grant Stewart (30.87).
While the batting has been a
bit of a concern for Kent, they come into this game having just racked up 585-7 declared
against Warwickshire at Canterbury, where Sean Dickson
(161) and Daniel Bell-Drummond (166) grabbed the chance to fill
their boots. Zak Crawley and Ollie Robinson chipped in with
seventies, but it's their consistency the hop county must be most pleased
about. Crawley heads their championship batting averages with
639 runs at 42.60. Just below him is Joe Denly (38.83), who missed
the Surrey clash at Beckenham owing to a niggling back.
Surrey v
Kent - First-Class Records Sheet
Sam Curran - who made his first-class debut in the corresponding
fixture four years' ago - will start three scalps shy of 150 f-c
wickets. Other first-class milestones coming into view - Rikki
Clarke (133 runs short of 11,000), Morne Morkel (19 away from 2,000
runs) and Ryan Patel (155 runs needed for 1,000). And
here's a stat - Surrey have played Kent more than any other county
in all three forms of the game - 280 times in first-class cricket,
73 times in one-day cricket and 30 in Twenty20; although, in T20,
Middlesex have also played the Oval outfit on thirty occasions.
Rory Burns has recovered from the illness that caused him to miss
only his second championship game since June 2015, or put another
way two absences in 59. The skipper's return will be welcome given
that he tops Surrey's four-day batting averages with 505 runs at an
average of 42.08. Matt Dunn, who tops the Oval outfit's Champo
bowling averages with 13 scalps at 21.30 apiece is also named in the
hosts' 14-man squad (as, indeed, he was for last week's ill-fated
trip to Scarborough, which proved to be a good one for Dunn to sit
out).
OPPONENT |
DATE |
RESULT |
VENUE |
SURREY |
OPPONENT |
Yorkshire |
30 Jun - 3 Jul 2019 |
Lost by 123 Runs |
Scarborough |
362 & 194 |
327 & 352 |
Warwickshire |
23-26 Jun 2019 |
Won By 74 Runs |
The Oval |
194 & 325 |
230 & 215 |
Yorkshire |
10-13 Jun 2019 |
Match Drawn |
Guildford |
313 |
148 & 30-0 |
Somerset |
3-6 Jun 2019 |
Lost By 102 Runs |
Guildford |
231 & 164 |
344 & 153 |
Warwickshire |
27-30
May 2019 |
Lost By 130 Runs |
Edgbaston |
188 & 141 |
293 & 166-9d |
Seven of the last eight championship meetings between Surrey and
Kent have produced a win for one of the sides. On a much more
positive note than the intro (top of the page), only one of the
South Londoners' last 13 defeats in four-day cricket have come at
the Oval - that was Essex's one-run victory at the end of last
season (and you have to go back to Derbyshire's eight-wicket win in
September 2014 for the one before that). With a bit of rain forecast
for the final day, my prediction is: Keeping the faith by going for
a confidence-boosting draw.
Z.Crawley, S.Dickson, J.Denly, D.Bell-Drummond, H.Kuhn (capt),
O.Robinson (wk), G.Stewart, D.Stevens, O.Rayner, H.Podmore and
M.Milnes.
Steve O'Shaughnessy and Billy Taylor.
DATE |
RESULT |
VENUE |
TOSS |
DECISION |
SURREY |
KENT |
20-23
May 2019 |
Match Drawn |
Beckenham |
Surrey |
Bat |
439
& 280 |
294
& 352-8 |
13-16
Jul 2015 |
Won By 6
Wickets |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Field |
311
& 128-4 |
336
& 99 |
24-27
May 2015 |
Won By 3
Wickets |
Beckenham |
Kent |
Bat |
292
& 196-7 |
282
& 204 |
20-23
Jul 2014 |
Lost By 89
Runs |
Guildford |
Surrey |
Field |
398
& 213 |
408
& 292 |
4-7
May 2014 |
Lost By 8
Wickets |
Canterbury |
Surrey |
Bat |
285
& 203 |
435
& 54-2 |
10-12
Aug 2011 |
Lost By 265
Runs |
Canterbury |
Kent |
Bat |
127
& 104 |
266
& 230 |
10-13
Jul 2011 |
Won By 21
Runs |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Bat |
387
& 184 |
250
& 300 |
28-31
Aug 2009 |
Lost By 6
Wickets |
Canterbury |
Surrey |
Bat |
423
& 293 |
517
& 200-4 |
10-13
Jul 2009 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Bat |
386
& 170-3 |
620-7d |
4-7
Sep 2008 |
Match Drawn |
Canterbury |
Kent |
Field |
307-9d |
160-1 |
29
Jun - 2 Jul 2008 |
Lost By 4
Wickets |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Bat |
397
& 130 |
270
& 260-6 |
8-9
Aug 2007 |
Won By 4
Wickets |
Canterbury |
Kent |
Bat |
215
& 108-6 |
150
& 171 |
30
May - 2 Jun 2007 |
Lost By An
Inns & 79 Runs |
Whitgift Sch |
Kent |
Field |
166
& 319 |
564-5d |
20-23
Jul 2005 |
Lost By 4
Wickets |
Guildford |
Surrey |
Bat |
452-8d
& 350 |
572
& 232-6 |
25-28
May 2005 |
Match Drawn |
Tun' 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 |
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