HOLLIOAKE SHOWS THE WAY by Marcus Hook
Middlesex 176-2 v Surrey 418.

A well-constructed century from Adam Hollioake was a lesson to most of his Surrey teammates in how to obtain full value from a decent surface in the bright sunshine of early season. Had Owais Shah and Ben Hutton not taken note, the Oval outfit might have finished the second day in a commanding position. As it is, things are finely poised, but an entertaining draw looks to be the most likely outcome.

The former Surrey captain made 106 in 120 deliveries, including thirteen fours and one six, before skying an attempted pull to Hutton. After Middlesex had fought back with four wickets in the morning session, the visitors were just as indebted to Ian Salisbury.

Resuming on 164 for two, James Benning lost his off stump when Paul Hutchison picked up his first wicket for his new county. Alistair Brown cracked a quick-fire 18, which included four driven boundaries, before he too fell victim to Hutchison, edging an out-swinger to the keeper. Then the former Yorkshire and Sussex seamer enjoyed his third success when Middlesex old boy, Mark Ramprakash, chased a wayward delivery after initially digging in.

Azhar Mahmood departed to an inviting out-swinger, which was snapped up at third slip, but after lunch Hollioake and Salisbury played superbly, putting on 125 in 26 overs for the seventh wicket.

Hollioake, who took 59 deliveries over his fifty and only needed a further 61 for his century, his third against Middlesex, reached three figures with successive boundaries off Chad Keegan. Salisbury soon followed it up with a half-century off 68 balls, which contained six fours a one huge cut six off of Nantie Hayward.

With the second new ball in his hand, Keegan managed to turn his figures around, ending with five for 138 off 22 overs. Following the departure of Hollioake, caught at cover, and Salisbury to a catch at fine leg, the hosts had Saqlain Mushtaq caught at first slip and James Ormond taken behind off Hayward.

The Middlesex reply suffered an early hiccup when Sven Koenig was lbw to a ball that appeared to keep low. But Hutton and Shah put their side on course for a decent total with a second wicket stand of 171 in 40 overs. Shah hit two sixes – one off Saqlain’s first ball of the match – to Hutton’s one and had the latter not attempted to launch Salisbury over mid-wicket in the penultimate over Middlesex would definitely have ended the second day in the ascendancy.

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