SURREY V WARWICKSHIRE at Guildford (LVCC1), 5-8 JUNE 2013
Warwickshire have played at
Woodbridge Road on three occasions. On the last two, in 1994 and 2004,
they won en route to the championship title; while their first
appearance, which they should also have won, ended prematurely due to
bad light. In short, Guildford is a happier hunting ground for
Warwickshire than it has been for Surrey of late. The Oval outfit have
not tasted success in the championship game at Woodbridge Road since
2002. Their record since triumphing over Yorkshire by 6 wickets has
been Played 10, Drawn 6 and Lost 4. But, it is, after all, the 75th
anniversary of first-class cricket at Guildford.
The good news for Warwickshire is
that all-rounder Keith Barker, who was one of the keys to their
success in 2012, has recovered from a side strain. Meanwhile the
batting, which has benefited from having Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott
around, is bolstered by the return (from an ankle injury) of former
skipper Ian Westwood.
Barker currently heads the Bears'
championship bowling averages, with an average of 15.50 from a
solitary outing. But the pick have been fellow seamers Chris Wright
(16 victims at 30.18 runs apiece), Boyd Rankin and Chris Woakes.
Jeetan Patel's off-spin is yet to come into its own, while Rikki
Clarke has chipped in from time to time.
The major concern, in Woakes's
absence, is the form of 20-year-old Tom Milnes, who has been given the
nod thus far because he also offers something with the bat. Another
worry is the form of opener Will Porterfield (157 runs from nine
championship innings). But what Warwickshire's batting lacks in
quality is more than compensated for in terms of length. Any side that
has the obdurate Wright coming in at ten will take some knocking over.
Surrey's Tim Linley has 148 first-class career
wickets, while Warwickshire's Chris Wright goes into this contest
with 250.
A side strain has put Gareth Batty out of action for at least a
month, so Surrey are on to their third captain of the season and it's
only the first week of June. Vikram Solanki has been handed the
reigns. Similarly, Jon Lewis has been handed a recall; unless, of
course, the hosts go with both Tim Linley and Gary Keedy, which seems
extremely unlikely given their lack of bite with the ball.
OPPONENT |
DATE |
RESULT |
VENUE |
SURREY |
OPPONENT |
Derbyshire |
30 May - 2 Jun 2013 |
Match Drawn |
Derby |
553-8d |
452 & 164-3 |
Nottinghamshire |
15-18 May 2013 |
Lost By 114 Runs |
Trent Bridge |
207 & 144 |
274 & 191 |
Durham |
10-13 May 2013 |
Lost By 5 Wickets |
The Oval |
237 & 229 |
286 & 181-5 |
Middlesex |
2-5 May 2013 |
Match Drawn |
Lord's |
338 & 85-1 |
166 & 514-8d |
Sussex |
24-27 Apr 2013 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
351 & 308-5d |
526 |
Even though Surrey have only lost once to Warwickshire since the
Bears were last at Guildford, in 2004, it's hard to imagine
confidence in the home camp being at a lower ebb at this moment in
time, following yesterday's drubbing at Chelmsford. Warwickshire have also underachieved since clinching the title
last summer. However, the most decisive factor, for me, is the
nature of the pitch at Woodbridge Road. Batsman-friendly?
Unquestionably. That said, you still have to make runs on it.
Assuming Surrey can achieve said objective - after all, they have Ponting - a draw is the most likely outcome.
V Chopra, W Porterfield, I Westwood, J Troughton (capt), R Clarke, T
Ambrose (wk), K Barker, T Milnes, J Patel, C Wright and B Rankin.
Martin Bodenham and Nick
Cook.
DATE |
RESULT |
VENUE |
TOSS |
DECISION |
SURREY |
WARWS |
27-30 Jul 2012 |
Match Drawn |
Edgbaston |
Warwickshire |
Bat |
286 & 202-3 |
571 |
23-26 May 2012 |
Lost By 5 Wickets |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Bat |
223 & 245 |
247 & 222-5 |
6-9 Sep 2007 |
Won By 9 Wickets |
Edgbaston |
Warwickshire |
Bat |
373 & 179-1 |
285 & 264 |
9-12 May 2007 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
Warwickshire |
Bat |
400-1d |
329 & 5-0 |
10-13 Sep 2005 |
Match Drawn |
Edgbaston |
Warwickshire |
Field |
225 & 313-5d |
338 &26-0 |
1-4 Jun 2005 |
Match Drawn |
Whitgift School |
Surrey |
Bat |
340 & 310-7d |
209 & 222-3 |
21-24 Jul 2004 |
Lost By 7 Wickets |
Guildford |
Surrey |
Field |
331 & 412 |
537 & 207-3 |
12-15 May 2004 |
Lost By 7 Wickets |
Edgbaston |
Warwickshire |
Bat |
302 & 414 |
546 & 171-3 |
9-12 Jul 2003 |
Won By 135 Runs |
Edgbaston |
Surrey |
Bat |
355 & 450-5d |
245 & 425 |
30 Apr - 3 May 2003 |
Match Drawn |
The Oval |
Warwickshire |
Bat |
390 |
413 & 221-7d |
27-30 Aug 2002 |
Match Drawn |
Edgbaston |
Warwickshire |
Bat |
544 |
345 & 404-9d |
10-13 Jul 2002 |
Lost By 31 Runs |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Bat |
475 & 137 |
293 & 350 |
21-23 Jul 1999 |
Won By An Inns & 123 Runs |
Edgbaston |
Surrey |
Bat |
483 |
227 & 133 |
23-27 Apr 1998 |
Won By An Inns & 49 Runs |
The Oval |
Surrey |
Field |
405-6d |
207 & 149 |
2-5 Jul 1997 |
Lost By 5 Wickets |
Edgbaston |
Warwickshire |
Field |
193 & 144 |
306 & 34-5 |
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