GLOUCESTERSHIRE
ENJOY OPENING EXCHANGES by Marcus Hook
Surrey 225 v Gloucestershire 171-4.
It was Gloucestershire who enjoyed
the better of the opening exchanges on the first day of their LV=
County Championship trip to the Oval, which ended with the visitors
171-4 in reply to Surrey's 225 all out.
Had it not been for a responsible 66
in 90 deliveries from Zander de Bruyn, the hosts might already be
ruing their decision to serve up a green pitch. The South African
found useful lower-order allies in Yasir Arafat and Jade Dernbach.
But when the clouds dispersed the Gloucestershire batsmen, led by
Chris Taylor, were duly rewarded for demonstrating far greater
resolve.
Having been put in, Surrey chose to
adopt a positive approach against the moving ball. Rory
Hamilton-Brown perished in the third over, when he attempted to clip
Jon Lewis through mid-wicket. However, an entertaining stand of 57
in twelve overs between Jason Roy and Mark Ramprakash saw Surrey
seize the early initiative.
Roy found the boundary on six
occasions in addition to flicking Lewis over mid-wicket for a
maximum. But Gloucestershire's fight-back was sparked by Roy's
departure, caught behind off Ian Saxelby for 40.
With Will Gidman striking twice in
the space of seven deliveries to prize out Ramprakash, who was
claimed at second slip, and Steven Davies, caught down the leg-side,
the visitors went into lunch with a spring in their step.
Gloucestershire were buoyed further
when Tom Maynard was brilliantly caught in front of first slip by
Richard Coughtrie off the second ball of the afternoon session.
101-5 became 108-6 when, following a short break for rain, David
Payne trapped Gareth Batty in front with an inswinging delivery.
But then an exhilarating passage of
play, in which de Bruyn forged productive alliances with Arafat and
Dernbach, saw the game swing back towards Surrey.
Arafat, whose 44 came in just 47
deliveries, overtook de Bruyn when he brought up the fifty
partnership for the hosts' seventh wicket, with two successive
off-side boundaries off Alex Gidman.
Three overs later, de Bruyn went to
his half-century, which came off 73 balls, though not before Arafat
had been caught at second slip. Dernbach lifted Lewis over long-on
for six as he and de Bruyn added 43 in seven overs.
Dernbach was bagged at first slip
and, in the next over, de Bruyn went for 66 when he drove a full
toss straight to point. Saxelby drew a line under Surrey's first
innings when he had Tim Linley caught at second slip, to finish with
figures of 4-73.
In response to Surrey's 225,
Gloucestershire quickly shrugged off the early loss of Chris Dent,
who was caught behind off Linley in the third over.
It needed a superb delivery from
Dernbach to see the back of Kane Williamson. Hamish Marshall, who
was dropped on 19 and 33, and Chris Taylor both fell victim to balls
that appeared to keep low.
Taylor, however, led the way with a
responsible 52 off 70 balls, and Alex Gidman batted in a similar
vein to put his side within 54 runs of Surrey by the close.
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