TREMLETT
JUSTIFIES SURPRISE DECISION by Marcus Hook
Surrey 47-0 v Sussex 217.
When it was announced that the hosts had elected
to bowl first yesterday, the thoughts of the Surrey faithful will
have rewound rapidly to 2004 and the anguish that followed the Brown
Caps' decision to insert Warwickshire, who proceeded to rack up 537
en route to a convincing seven wicket victory. Not just that - it is
17 years since a team won a championship match at Woodbridge Road
after calling correctly and choosing to bowl. But with Chris
Tremlett marking his 100th first-class appearance - and his first at
Guildford - by taking 4-32, his best figures to date for Surrey, the
home side go into day two with their noses very much in front.
Rory Hamilton-Brown's decision was soon vindicated
when he caught Ed Joyce at second slip, second ball. With Tremlett
also accounting for Mike Thornely, bowled offering no shot, and
Murray Goodwin, trapped leg before on the back foot, Sussex were
12-3 in only the third over.
Chris Nash and Michael Yardy held firm for
thirteen overs before both departed shortly after Gareth Batty's
introduction at the Railway End; Nash falling to a sharp bat-pad
catch at forward short leg and, three deliveries later, Yardy
drilling the former England off-spinner straight to Stewart Walters
at short extra cover to make it 47-5.
With Jade Dernbach deceiving Ben Brown with a
slower ball in the last over before lunch, Surrey went into the
break with a noticeable spring in their step. Their mood improved
even further when Yasir Arafat miscued an attempted pull off Batty
high to cover shortly after the resumption.
But then Ollie Rayner and Will Adkin, making his
first-class debut, staged something of a recovery, putting on 59 in
twenty overs for the eighth wicket. Rayner, who latched on to
anything slightly short of a length outside off-stump, took three
boundaries off one Batty over while Adkin played some attractive
shots square of the wicket.
In the 54th over, the introduction of Matthew
Spriegel's off-spin soon brought the wicket of Rayner, who was
caught on the deep mid-wicket rope for a 58-ball 47. The curtain
eventually came down on Adkin's mature knock when Tremlett dug one
in and caught a glove. Six overs later, Dernbach wrapped things up
by yorking Corey Collymore.
By the close Surrey had already reduced the
deficit to 170. Setting out in pursuit of Sussex's 217, Tom
Lancefield on drove the very first delivery for four. Arun
Harinath's first boundary arrived six overs later when he despatched
Adkin to the rope at cover. The 13th over saw the 23-year-old
left-hander drive Adkin through extra cover for four, though not
before Lancefield had punched Collymore straight up the ground.
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