RAMPRAKASH
CONTINUES MIDDLESEX PUNISHMENT by Marcus Hook
Surrey 286-4 v Middlesex.
As well as ensuring that his first-class average
against his old county remained above the one hundred mark, Mark
Ramprakash registered his fourth championship century in as many
matches against Middlesex on day one at the Brit Oval. But such was
Ramprakash's determination to rediscover his form - before yesterday
his first-class average this season stood at 32.75 - Surrey crept
along at less than three runs an over. Only Rory Hamilton-Brown
batted with any fluency. Even Usman Afzaal was subdued and the shot
he played to perish to the last ball of the day seemed to be born
out of frustration. Either way, it allowed the Middlesex players to
come off at stumps with a little spring in their step.
Under a dark grey sky, which produced a half hour
stoppage for rain, Surrey, starting their 3,500th first-class match,
inched their way to 46-1 at lunch after winning the toss and
electing to bat.
The first boundary of the day did not arrive until
the ninth over. Laurie Evans's cover driven four off was immediately
followed up by an on drive to the rope at mid-wicket. However, Evans
departed next ball when Tim Murtagh finished off the over by getting
one to nip back and tickle the bails.
Eight overs later, Gareth Berg's first, Ramprakash
on drove two fours. But the hosts' innings did not get going until
the weather perked up, which coincided with the former Middlesex man
cover driving Pedro Collins before angling him down to third man for
successive boundaries in the 35th over.
Six overs later, Collins's fourth no-ball in less
than eight overs brought the hundred up for Surrey. But, moments
later, Shaun Udal, who had been taken for two off-side fours by Arun
Harinath in the 40th over, had the 23-year-old caught behind,
attempting to cut the Middlesex skipper off the top of his stumps.
With Hamilton-Brown racing to a 54-ball half
century the game came to life. After seeing Ramprakash progress to
his fifty, which came off 117 deliveries, in the 46th over, the
Surrey skipper off drove and then cut Udal to the boundary.
Hamilton-Brown survived a half chance, on 24, to
mid-on, in Dawid Malan's first over, but then despatched the
part-time leg-spinner through wide mid-off for a couple of fours;
the second of which brought up the 150.
With Hamilton-Brown perishing in the fourth over
after tea, to a lofted catch to mid-on off the bowling of Udal, the
hosts' third wicket pair had put on 86 in 22 overs.
Ramprakash then came the fore briefly. Sensing the
prospect of another century, he moved to 95 with the third of three
boundaries off Murtagh in the 71st over, two of which were
authoritatively driven straight back past the bowler. But it was
another twelve overs before Ramprakash went to his 110th first-class
century and his fifth against Middlesex - matching the five he made
against Surrey before moving to the Oval in 2001. It came off 222
deliveries, in 292 minutes and contained 13 boundaries.
Meanwhile, Afzaal, who took 26 balls getting off
the mark, brought up the fifty partnership in the 82nd over with a
cover driven four off Berg. When the former Nottinghamshire and
Northants batsmen lobbed a catch to mid-off at the death, the fourth
wicket stand was just one run short of three figures.
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