ALEX
GIDMAN LEADS GLOUCESTERSHIRE HOME by Marcus Hook
Surrey 225 & 195 v Gloucestershire 261 & 161-6.
Gloucestershire win by 4 wickets.
At times, on what proved to be the
final day at the Oval, Gloucestershire wobbled. But thanks to Alex
Gidman's unbeaten 76 off 111 balls the Bristolians deservedly leap-frogged
their well-touted hosts to go third in Division Two of the LV=
County Championship. Ian Saxelby's career best 6-69 was also
instrumental, but, as on day one, a number of his victims were
complicit in their own downfall.
Needing to defend a modest victory
target, Surrey suggested they were up for the challenge, before
losing heart alarmingly when Alex Gidman found a useful ally in
Richard Coughtrie, who came to the crease with his side in trouble
at 54-5.
In the 12th over, Yasir Arafat struck
twice in as many balls. Hamish Marshall, having just cut him for
four, edged to second slip. Kane Williamson then lost his off stump
to a gem of a delivery.
Three overs later, a superb catch by
Tom Maynard at third slip accounted for Chris Dent. When Chris
Taylor was caught down the leg-side in the 18th over and Will Gidman
edged behind in the 21st, it looked as though the hosts might pull
off a memorable victory, but it was not to be.
Gidman steadied Gloucestershire's
ship by straight driving Tim Linley and on driving Zander de Bruyn.
But it was Coughtrie who raised the fifty partnership for the sixth
wicket, by despatching Arafat through cover for four in the 36th
over.
The Gloucestershire captain brought
up his own half-century in the following over, with a flick to the
rope at fine leg off Linley. Gidman's fifty came from 77 deliveries
and was celebrated, moments later, with successive fours through the
off-side off Jade Dernbach.
Just before tea, Coughtrie's
resistance was eventually broken by Linley, but, at the interval,
the visitors needed just 38 to take the spoils.
For some inexplicable reason Rory
Hamilton-Brown persevered with his, by now, tired-looking trio of
front-line seamers, while Gareth Batty and Matt Dunn, who, between
them, had only sent down six overs in the first innings, were
completely overlooked in the second.
In the eighth over after tea, Alex
Gidman became top scorer in the match when he cut Dernbach for four.
Ed Young applied the finishing touches in the next over by
despatching Linley to the rope at cover and backward square leg.
Earlier, Surrey collapsed from 179-5
to 195 all out in the space of seven overs, leaving Gloucestershire
needing 160. Having hit off-side boundaries in the third and fourth
overs of the day, Batty, attempting to drive a wide ball from Ian
Saxelby, was caught behind for 23 in the 51st over.
Three overs later, Mark Ramprakash,
who, despite looking out of sorts, had seen out the first hour, went
leg before. The 41-year-old's unwavering 75 had come in 207 minutes,
off 138 balls. But there was little substance to what then followed.
In the 55th over, Arafat, who had
been dropped on eight, was swallowed at first slip before adding to
his score. Four balls later, Linley was caught behind to give
Saxelby his first ever six-wicket haul, not to mention his tenth
scalp of the match.
Three overs later, Jon Lewis wrapped
things up by having Dernbach caught on the rope at wide long-on.
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