HENDERSON
PUTS SURREY IN A SPIN by Marcus Hook
Surrey 160-6 v Leicestershire 479.
With Claude Henderson's sixteen overs producing
the wickets of Steven Davies, Mark Ramprakash and Rory
Hamilton-Brown, Surrey face an uphill battle to avoid the follow-on
let alone preventing a third championship defeat in four matches at
the Brit Oval this season. With just four first innings wickets
intact, the hosts are 170 runs away from the follow-on target of
330.
In reply to Leicestershire's 479, Surrey lost Arun
Harinath in the fourth over when the 23-year-old left-hander was
drawn into playing an outswinging delivery from Harry Gurney to be
snapped up at second slip by Will Jefferson.
Three overs later, Mark Ramprakash announced
himself with a cover driven four off Nathan Buck. Steven Davies
brought the fifty up for the hosts in the fourteenth over with the
second of four fours in the space of six deliveries from Matthew
Hoggard. The first three were flicked to the on-side boundary, but
the fourth was cut dismissively through point to make it 59-1.
Shortly after tea, Davies went to a 62-ball
half-century with the first of two fours worked off his left hip
down to the rope at fine leg off Jigar Naik. Naik was also on the
receiving end when Ramprakash played a delightful late cut in the
22nd over and an authoritative drive through extra cover two overs
later.
Davies took the Surrey total to one hundred by
dancing down the pitch and lifting Claude Henderson over wide mid-on
for four in the 27th over, but four overs later Henderson had his
revenge when Davies was caught at leg slip off a lifting delivery
for an entertaining 69 and, then, five balls later, Ramprakash
nibbled at one to be caught at slip.
Having looked out of touch, Younis Khan departed
in the 38th over when Buck pulled off a stunning return catch low to
his left. Rory Hamilton-Brown on drove Henderson for three fours,
though not before he had been dropped, on 0, at short third man off
the 37-year-old slow left-armer.
But, then, in the 45th over, the Surrey skipper,
looking to force, was caught and bowled by Henderson. The home
side's confidence took another knock in the following over when
Gareth Batty pushed Naik into the outstretched left hand of James
Taylor at short leg to make it 157-6.
Earlier, Leicestershire, resuming on 337-4, lost
du Toit in the fifth over of the day when he chased a wider delivery
from Jade Dernbach to be taken behind. Tom New then embarked on an
arduous sixth wicket partnership of 98 in 34 overs with Naik.
New had only made 27 when he was dropped by
Davies, diving to his left, off the bowling of Dernbach in the 108th
over. Three overs later, he despatched Dernbach to the fence at
cover. New then top edged a hook to fine leg for four off Stuart
Meaker before progressing to his half-century, in 143 deliveries
later in the same over, the 118th.
But after lunch, Leicestershire proceeded to lose
their last five wickets in the space of seven overs for 22 runs,
with Dernbach claiming three to finish with 5-87 - figures that do
not begin to illustrate how well he bowled on a pitch offering very
little for the seamers other than consistent bounce.
In the 136th over, Naik, who had made 34, was
undone by an off stump yorker from Dernbach. Four overs later, New
moved into the nineties with a back foot drive through point for
four. But two balls later, New, gloving a hook, was caught behind
for 91. The 25-year-old stumper had batted for 260 minutes, faced
204 deliveries and found the boundary on just seven occasions.
The 141st over saw Henderson cut Batty for four,
but then Batty picked up the wicket of Buck, who was caught at slip
without troubling the scorers. In the next over, Dernbach flattened
Henderson's leg stump, then Batty held on to a firmly struck drive
from Gurney to finish with 3-122.
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