SURREY V HAMPSHIRE at the Kia Oval (SSCC1), 20-23 APRIL 2018

Third in 2017 plays host to fifth, This will be Surrey's 1,800th first-class match at the Oval and they'll be defending an unbeaten run of 21. Their last defeat at the Oval, in first-class cricket, was against Derbyshire in September 2014.

Hampshire last overcame Surrey at the Oval was at the back end of 2008 when the hosts gambled on replacing Matt Nicholson as their overseas player with Shoaib Akhtar. Akhtar's record in the two games he did play was one wicket for 117. Okay, so Nicholson had only been averaging 56.81 with the ball, but, with the bat, he was going along nicely at 50.33. Anyway, I digress... The three meetings between these two in SE11 since 2008 have ended in draws. In last season's, the visitors racked up their fifth highest first-class total.

Hampshire's big story over the winter was the acquisition of batsman Sam Northeast, who parted company with Kent with a year still to go on his contract (by all accounts Kent were weighing up their medium-term captaincy options and Northeast received no guarantee that he was part of them).

Just a brief glance at last season's averages tells you that runs - apart from during that game at the Oval - were in short supply in 2017 for the Rose Bowl outfit. James Vince, with just 626 at 32.94, led the way closely followed by Australia's George Bailey; whose overseas berth has passed to Hashim Amla. Tom Alsop (average 16.85), Liam Dawson (20.87) and Rilee Roussow (19.46), in particular, will be hoping for better luck with the bat this term.

Despite being Hampshire's strongest suit, the bowling relied heavily on Kolpak signing Kyle Abbott, who bagged 60 championship victims at 18.20 runs apiece in 2017. Ian Holland grabbed 19 at 18.47 in eight appearances before being struck down with a shoulder injury, so Abbott's key allies were Gareth Berg and Fidel Edwards; with Dawson's slow left-arm providing an alternative line of attack. Chris Wood missed the entire season due to a knee injury, but the indications are the 27-year-old left-arm seamer is firing on all cylinders again.

Surrey v Hampshire - First-Class Records Sheet


Rikki Clarke goes into this contest with 9,926 first-class career runs, while Matt Dunn starts the 2018 campaign on 96 f-c career wickets. Turning to Hampshire, Lewis McManus has 965 first-class runs and Brad Wheal and Chris Wood have 47 and 99 victims respectively with the ball.


Surrey's 12-man squad for the curtain-raiser is pretty much as expected, even though Mat Pillans and Ryan Patel both looked good in pre-season. Interestingly, the hosts have named two frontline spinners in their party. Does that suggests the pitch might offer some turn? Still, the clever money is on off-spinner Amar Virdi being the one to miss out. Meanwhile, Tom Curran and Jason Roy are on IPL duty, Morne Morkel is recovering from a side strain as is Conor McKerr, who also starts the season on the physio's treatment table.

OPPONENT DATE RESULT VENUE SURREY OPPONENT
Lancashire 25-28 Sep 2017 Lost By 7 Wickets Old Trafford 201-8d & 242 268 & 179-3
Somerset 19-22 Sep 2017 Won By 6 Wickets The Oval 433 & 146-4 269 & 306
Yorkshire 12-15 Sep 2017 Match Drawn The Oval 592 394 & 281-2
Hampshire 5-8 Sep 2017 Match Drawn Rose Bowl 200 & 280-4 290
Middlesex 28-31 Aug 2017 Match Drawn The Oval 280 247 & 214-7


The weather is set fair (in fact it can hardly be topped), but how will the wicket play?
If it's offering to the bowlers I can see Surrey edging this one. But if it's like most of the strips we've seen at the Oval in recent years, a draw could be in the offing (just like 5 out of the last six between these two). Kyle Abbott and Hashim Amla are key players for Hampshire and the ones the hosts have to execute their plans against if they're to set the pace.


J.Adams, L.McManus (wk), J.Vince (capt), S.Northeast, H.Amla, R.Rossouw, L.Dawson, G.Berg, K.Abbott, B.Wheal and F.Edwards.


Richard Illingworth and David Millns.

DATE RESULT VENUE TOSS DECISION SURREY HAMPSHIRE
5-8 Sep 2017 Match Drawn Rose Bowl Hampshire Field 200 & 280-4 290
3-6 Jul 2017 Match Drawn The Oval Hampshire Bat 483 & 166-3d 648-7d
6-9 Sep 2016 Match Drawn The Oval Uncontested Field 329 & 248-3 582-9d
17-20 Jul 2016 Won By An Inns & 13 Runs Rose Bowl Surrey Bat 637-7d 423 & 201
28 Jun - 1 Jul 2014 Match Drawn The Oval Surrey Bat 474-8d & 13-0d 354
27-30 Apr 2014 Match Drawn Rose Bowl Surrey Field 99-2 400-6d
9-12 Sep 2008 Lost By An Inns & 122 Runs The Oval Surrey Field 210 & 148 480-8d
14-17 May 2008 Match Drawn Rose Bowl Surrey Bat 278 & 229-8d 227 & 247-8
30 Aug - 2 Sep 2007 Won By An Inns & 37 Runs Rose Bowl Surrey Bat 556 221 & 298
25-28 Apr 2007 Lost By 35 Runs The Oval Hampshire Bat 203 & 467 481 & 224-1
24-27 Aug 2005 Match Drawn The Oval Surrey Bat 378 & 302 361-6d
15-17 Jun 2005 Won By An Inns & 55 Runs Rose Bowl Surrey Bat 361 146 & 160
11-14 Sep 2002 Won By 123 Runs Rose Bowl Surrey Bat 418 & 422-8d 327 & 390
22-25 Aug 2002 Won By An Inns & 60 Runs The Oval Hampshire Bat 576 190 & 326
29 Jun - 2 Jul 2000 Won By 120 Runs Southampton Surrey Bat 331 & 228-6d 167 & 272
1-4 Jun 2000 Won By 2 Runs The Oval Surrey Bat 333 & 142 210 & 263
14-17 Jul 1999 Won By 156 Runs Guildford Surrey Bat 171 & 482 322 & 175
13-15 May 1998 Won By An Inns & 184 Runs Southampton Surrey Bat 591 189 & 218
16-19 Jul 1997 Won By 9 Wickets Guildford Surrey Bat 477 & 78-1 303 & 251
25-29 Jul 1996 Won By 5 Wickets Southampton Hampshire Bat 331 & 332-5 359 & 301-4d

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