SURREY V SOMERSET at Whitgift
School (LVCC1), 30 MAY - 2 JUNE 2008
In the championship these two sides have only come up against one another
twice in the last five seasons, but both matches were memorable. At Bath, in
2006, Surrey won inside three days after winning the toss and inserting their
hosts. In the return match, at Guildford, the man who now captains the Cidermen,
Justin Langer, struck a career best 342 - the highest individual score ever by a
Somerset batsman.
Unfortunately we are not in the grip of the kind of summer we enjoyed two
years ago, when the first day of the Surrey v Somerset championship clash at
Guildford was officially the hottest day in the UK that year. With the
forecasters saying that there could be rain on two of the next four days, it
looks as though this game will see an extension of the frustrations we all
experienced at yesterday's FPT fixture at Whitgift.
The visitors' vice-captain Andy Caddick is still not ready to return to
first-team action following a back operation, so Somerset are likely to field
the same team that beat Kent last weekend. If Caddick were fit it would be
interesting to see who the Cidermen would opt to leave out of their attack,
which may not send a shiver down many batsmen's spines, but has performed with
credit in this summer's LV County Championship.
Charl Willoughby, Ben Phillips, Peter Trego and Steffan Jones are all
averaging under 27.85 with the ball at the moment. Also, in 23-year-old seamer
Mark Turner's only appearance this term he took three wickets at 17.66 runs
apiece. Sadly, Somerset's spinners - Ian Blackwell and Mike Munday - haven't yet
followed their seamers' lead.
With the bat it was always going to be a question of whether Marcus
Trescothick and Langer were going to take apart Division One attacks in the same
way they did in Division Two last season. Trescothick has already passed 500
championship runs for the season and averages 71.85, with 2 hundreds. Langer
(50.28) and James Hildreth have also reached three figures for this term. If
opener Neil Edwards and keeper Craig Kieswetter were more consistent with the
willow one would have to say that Somerset are potential champions.
Jonathan Batty needs 9 dismissals for 500 first-class dismissals. Ali Brown
needs 68 runs for 15,000 career f-c runs. Matt Nicholson needs 1 wicket for 400
career f-c wickets and 2 wickets for 50 for Surrey. As everyone should now by
now, Mark Ramprakash needs one hundred for 100 f-c hundreds. Of the Somerset
contingent Ian Blackwell needs 9 wickets for 200 f-c wickets for Somerset.
Justin Langer needs 27 runs for 2,000 f-c runs for Somerset. Peter Trego needs 7
wickets for 100 f-c wickets for Somerset. Charl Willoughby needs 3 wickets for
150 f-c wickets for Somerset.
The major piece of team news is that Alistair Brown has been dropped from
Surrey's championship line-up following a run of 33, 0, 0 and 6 in the last two
four-day matches. It is likely that he will be replaced by Matthew Spriegel,
who, if he does play, will be making his first-class debut for the Brown Caps.
The other change is that Chris Jordan comes in for Murtaza Hussain.
OPPONENT |
DATE |
RESULT |
VENUE |
SURREY |
OPPONENT |
Yorkshire |
21-24 May 2008 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
466-8d & 299-6d |
525 |
Hampshire |
14-17 May 2008 |
Match Drawn |
Rose Bowl |
278 & 229-8d |
227 & 247-8 |
Sussex |
30 Apr - 3 May
2008 |
Match Drawn |
Hove |
400-5d |
475 & 13-0 |
Durham |
23-26 Apr 2008 |
Match Drawn |
The Riverside |
183 & 83-3 |
224 & 228-9d |
Lancashire |
16-19 Apr 2008 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
537-5d |
241-6 |
With rain in the South Croydon air, the only way I can see a result is if the
seamers make the most of the moisture that will be in the pitch. Both sides
appear to be evenly matched, but I am going for a draw on the basis that the
weather forecasters are right for once.
M Trescothick, N Edwards, J Langer (capt), J Hildreth, Z de Bruyn, I Blackwell,
P Trego, C Kieswetter (wk), B Phillips, S Jones and C Willoughby.
Allan Jones and Richard Kettleborough.
DATE |
RESULT |
VENUE |
TOSS |
DECISION |
SURREY |
SOMERSET |
19-22
Jul 2006 |
Match Drawn |
Guildford |
Somerset |
Bat |
717 |
688-8d |
14-16
Jun 2006 |
Won By 4 Wickets |
Bath |
Surrey |
Field |
266 &
356-6 |
342 &
276 |
3-6
Jul 2002 |
Match Drawn |
Taunton |
Somerset |
Field |
608-6d
& 324-5d |
554 &
329-7 |
24-27
May 2002 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Bat |
220 &
332 |
253 &
45-1 |
23-26
Aug 2001 |
Match Drawn |
Taunton |
Somerset |
Bat |
278 &
294-6 |
373 &
311-6d |
6-9
Jun 2001 |
Won By 6 Wickets |
The Oval |
Somerset |
Bat |
403 &
210-4 |
377 &
234 |
14-16
Jun 2000 |
Won By An Inns & 213
Runs |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Bat |
548 |
145 &
190 |
26-29
Apr 2000 |
Match Drawn |
Taunton |
Somerset |
Field |
185 |
302-8d |
26-29
May 1999 |
Won By 7 Wickets |
The Oval |
Somerset |
Bat |
558-9d
& 49-3 |
199 &
405 |
21-24
May 1998 |
Lost By 165 Runs |
Taunton |
Surrey |
Field |
241 &
245 |
176 &
475 |
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