SURREY
PUT NORTHANTS TO THE SWORD by Marcus Hook
Surrey 430-5 v Northamptonshire.
Another century from Mark Ramprakash
and two stylish supporting knocks from Rory Hamilton-Brown and
Matthew Spriegel put Surrey well and truly in control against
Northants on day one at the Brit Oval. Ramprakash started the match
second in the pecking order of this summer's leading run-makers in
the County Championship. He now sits top. Given the manner in which
he went about his business yesterday, chanceless throughout, few
would bet against him pulling even further away from the chasing
pack of Adam Lyth, Stephen Peters and Chris Rogers today. So much
for the rumour Ramprakash is contemplating retirement.
Northants lost the toss and put down
two critical chances, when Hamilton-Brown was dropped at second slip
on 19 and Spriegel had a let-off on 18. But the visitors' chief
handicap was having just one bowler on show, Elton Chigumbura,
capable of troubling the batsmen.
Steven Davies cut the first ball he
received for four. Later in the same over, Tom Lancefield, on his
championship debut, drove Jack Brooks through the covers off the
back foot. Two overs later, Lancefield rocked back and pulled
26-year-old seamer to the square leg boundary, but lost his partner
in the next when Davies was caught at gully off the bowling of David
Lucas.
Ramprakash announced himself with a
flick off his legs to the on-side boundary in the tenth over,
shortly before going past one thousand first-class runs for the
season for the twentieth time in his career. Northants made another
breakthrough when Chigumbura accounted for Lancefield, who got a
thin edge through to the keeper, in the 18th over. But either side
of lunch a third wicket stand of 164 in 31 overs, between Ramprakash
and Rory Hamilton-Brown, saw the hosts take a firm grip on
proceedings.
Hamilton-Brown was fortunate,
perhaps, to survive the period just prior to the break, but
immediately after lunch he was central to the addition of 47 runs in
the space of just 16 deliveries. Three fours in an over from Lucas
took him to his fifty from 56 balls, whereupon he scored even
quicker, hitting James Middlebrook for a straight six to bring up
the 150 for Surrey.
The next over saw Ramprakash despatch
Lucas to the rope at cover point, before flicking him through the
leg-side for another four. Seven overs later, the former Middlesex
man went to his half century, in 106 deliveries, then Hamilton-Brown
drove the next ball, from Middlebrook, to the cover boundary to move
into the nineties.
Hamilton-Brown's second championship
hundred of the season arrived five overs later, with a cover driven
four off Chigumbura. But before he could build on it the Surrey
skipper was caught at first slip for a run-a-ball 103, which
included 14 fours and a maximum. Five overs later, he was joined in
the dressing room by Usman Afzaal, who miscued a pull off Brooks to
make it 239-4.
In the 56th over, Stewart Walters, on
one, survived a chance at square leg off the bowling of Brooks.
Walters straight and then cover drove Chigumbura for four before top
edging a pull off Brooks for six. The 27-year-old ended the 58th
over with two successive boundaries, leaving Brooks to nurse figures
of 1-96 off 16 overs. But, just before tea, the former Surrey
captain chanced his arm once too often and was caught behind off a
skied pull to give Chigumbura a third scalp.
With Ramprakash and Spriegel going on
to share in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 146 in 37 overs, it
was to be the visitors' last success. Shortly after tea, Ramprakash
brought up his sixth first-class hundred against Northants, and the
112th of his career, which he celebrated by straight driving and
sweeping Middlebrook for boundaries. The next over saw Spriegel, on
one knee, driving Chigumbura through the covers; a stroke he
repeated shortly after Brooks was handed the new cherry in the 81st
over.
The 23-year-old left-hander reached
his fifty in 88 balls, after which he played some audacious shots.
In the 89th over, using his feet, Spriegel straight drove
Middlebrook for four before cutting him to the rope at cover point.
Two overs later, Spriegel underlined Surrey's dominance by
collecting three more boundaries off the former Essex off-spinner,
including a wonderful straight six.
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