HAMILTON-BROWN
AND BATTY SPARE SURREY'S BLUSHES by Marcus Hook
Surrey 322 v Northamptonshire 12-0.
With wickets falling at regular intervals,
Northamptonshire had the better of the opening day at the re-branded
Kia Oval. Rory Hamilton-Brown threatened to hand Surrey the
initiative, but the prospect of the hosts taking control faded when
the Surrey captain fell shortly before tea for an attractive 74 off
111 balls. Had it not been for Gareth Batty's first championship
half-century for a year, the visitors would now be responding to
relatively modest total for the Oval. As it was, Surrey's 322 was
their lowest first innings total against the Wantage Road outfit for
over a decade.
After winning the toss and electing to bat on a
straw-coloured pitch, the home side made a useful start, despite
losing Michael Brown to the second ball of the new championship
campaign, when Chaminda Vaas got one to pitch in line and
straighten.
Zander de Bruyn opened his Surrey account by
driving the Sri Lankan to the rope at third man, after which Gary
Wilson took charge, twice despatching the left-armer for four in the
fifth over.
Three overs later, the 25-year-old hit three
boundaries in the space of four deliveries from Lee Daggett, two of
them through cover, but then, going for drive again, Wilson provided
Niall O'Brien with a routine caught behind to make it 46-2.
De Bruyn was composure personified, seemingly very
much at home in his new surroundings, until the 20th over when he
attempted to angle James Middlebrook's fourth ball to fine leg, only
to be bowled around his legs for a promising 35.
At lunch, Steven Davies and Rory Hamilton-Brown
had taken Surrey along to 134-3, but that became 134-4 immediately
after the break when Davies pushed Vaas into the off-side and ran a
single, only to find himself at the same end as his skipper.
Tom Maynard was quick to assert himself,
despatching Vaas through extra cover twice in as many overs. But
Hamilton-Brown was more looking more solid, hitting Andrew Hall
through the mid-off and extra cover region before cutting his
opposite number to the rope at cover point.
In the 41st over, the Surrey skipper posted a
64-ball half-century with the first of two successive boundaries
behind square on the off-side off Lee Daggett. However, three overs
later, poor shot selection proved to be the undoing of Maynard, who
was bowled looking to slog sweep Middlebrook into the Laker Stand.
Hamilton-Brown brought up his side's first batting
point of the new season when he cut Daggett for four. But, then, in
the 49th over, Daggett accounted for Chris Schofield with a ball
that lifted and left the former England leg-spinner, who was well
caught low down to the keeper's left.
Hamilton-Brown, in alliance with Gareth Batty, was
just beginning to position the hosts for a decent score when he
departed shortly before tea, looking to work Hall into the largely
unprotected on-side.
Eleven overs later, Yasir Arafat became the third
victim for both Middlebrook and O'Brien when he was caught behind
looking to cut.
But Batty, who is nothing but determined, refused
to let Northants have it all their own way. In the 75th over he
despatched David Lucas to the rope at extra cover before driving him
through mid-wicket for four. Two overs later, the former
Worcestershire man brought up his fifty in 90 deliveries, with a
pulled boundary off Hall.
In the 85th over, Batty and Meaker's ninth wicket
stand became the longest of the innings, but three overs later Batty
fell leg before for 64, soon to be followed by Meaker, who was
caught at second slip, also off the bowling of Daggett, who finished
with 3-63.
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