SURREY V SOMERSET at Guildford (SSCC1), 3-6 JUNE 2019

Sixth plays host to second in Division One of the County Championship. Guildford is the venue, as it was for the corresponding fixture last year, when it was a clash between the top two. Yes, what a difference a year makes for Surrey. Somerset have three victories from four, while the South Londoners notched up three draws before crumbling to defeat at the hands of Warwickshire (who lifted themselves off the bottom of the table by embarrassing the reigning champions).

It might seem premature, in the first week of June, to suggest that Surrey’s chances of retaining their County Championship crown will be decided in the next fortnight, but both of the teams heading to Guildford to play them are already threatening to turn the second half of this year’s title race into a three-horse gallop for the winning post.

Somerset, who are currently second behind Hampshire, and Yorkshire, in third, really will test a Surrey side that slipped to 65-5 in their first innings against Kent at Beckenham, and then found themselves 92-6 in their first dig at Edgbaston last Monday; not to mention 93-7 at the second time of asking.

The Cidermen, like Surrey last year, have found that a winning formula goes hand in hand with having a core of homegrown players; unlike Hampshire, whom they beat convincingly to lift the Royal London One-Day Cup recently, in what could well be the last 50-over final ever to be played at Lord’s.

The visitors' attack possess three of the country's leading wicket-takers - all-rounder Lewis Gregory (24 poles at 14.25 runs apiece), Craig Overton (16 at 20.25) and slow left-armer Jack Leach (15 victims at an average of just 14.73). Unfortunately for them, Gregory is out due to the injury he picked up while bowling in the Royal London final.

Somerset's four-day batting has been less spectacular, but it hasn't really needed to be yet. That said, the west countrymen won't want to persevere with a top three who are averaging 9.50 (Marcus Trescothick), 18.50 (Azhar Ali) and 24.00 (James Hildreth) for much longer. How soon, one wonders, will room be made for the brilliant Tom Banton, who is yet to feature in the County Championship this term?

Surrey v Somerset - First-Class Records Sheet


Ben Foakes is set to make his 100th first-class appearance and Morne Morkel (1,956) continues to edge closer to 2,000 f-c career runs. Somerset's Steven Davies will start with 499 first-class catches and Tom Lammonby, if he plays, is on the brink of making his professional debut a day after his 19th birthday.


The only change to the 14-man Surrey squad that travelled in vain to Birmingham is slow left-armer Freddie van den Bergh replacing seamer Gus Atkinson; which means Sam Curran (hamstring), Jade Dernbach (calf) and Conor McKerr (heel) all remain sidelined.

OPPONENT DATE RESULT VENUE SURREY OPPONENT
Warwickshire 27-30 May 2019 Lost By 130 Runs Edgbaston 188 & 141 293 & 166-9d
Kent 20-23 May 2019 Match Drawn Beckenham 439 & 280 294 & 352-8
Somerset 14-17 May 2019 Match Drawn Taunton 380 & 255-8 398
Essex 11-14 Apr 2019 Match Drawn The Oval 395 & 324-6d 448 & 0-0
Essex 24-27 Sep 2018 Lost By 1 Wicket The Oval 67 & 541 477-8d & 134-9


Tough. It's Guildford (where Surrey have only had one Champo win in 16 attempts) and, more pertinently, the hosts look less like reigning champions and more cut out to be among this year's championship strugglers. Still, Notts have been really poor, so far, so I won't mention the R-word. Weather-wise, days three and four could well see some precipitation. If they do, Woodbridge Road is a notoriously slow-drying ground. Given Surrey's recent form, it would be very optimistic to predict a victory, so I'm going: "Draw".


M
.Trescothick, Azhar Ali, J.Hildreth, T.Abell (capt), G.Bartlett, S.Davies (wk), C.Overton, J.Brooks, J.Overton, T.Groenewald and J.Leach.


Paul Baldwin and Peter Hartley.

DATE RESULT VENUE TOSS DECISION SURREY SOMERSET
14-17 May 2019 Match Drawn Taunton Surrey Bat 380 & 255-8 398
18-21 Sep 2018 Match Drawn Taunton Surrey Bat 485 146 & 168-3
20-22 Jun 2018 Won By An Inns & 69 Runs Guildford Uncontested Field 459 180 & 210
19-22 Sep 2017 Won By 6 Wickets The Oval Somerset Bat 433 & 146-4 269 & 306
7-10 Aug 2017 Match Drawn Taunton Uncontested Field 345 436
28-30 May 2016 Lost By 1 Wicket Taunton Surrey Bat 264 & 138 102 & 301-9
24-27 Apr 2016 Match Drawn The Oval Surrey Bat 463 & 181-8d 353 & 122-4
11-14 Sep 2013 Lost By 7 Wickets Taunton Surrey Bat 195 & 197 260 & 133-3
17-20 Apr 2013 Match Drawn The Oval Somerset Bat 366-9d 384 & 251-9d
28-31 Aug 2012 Match Drawn Taunton Surrey Bat 317 & 360-5d 294
16-19 May 2012 Match Drawn The Oval Somerset Bat 388 & 239-7 512-9d & 180
12-15 Aug 2008 Match Drawn Taunton Surrey Field 406-9 401-3d
30 May - 2 Jun 2008 Lost By 8 Wickets Whitgift Sch Somerset Field 326 & 227 446 & 111-2
19-22 Jul 2006 Match Drawn Guildford Somerset Bat 717 688-8d
14-16 Jun 2006 Won By 4 Wickets Bath Surrey Field 266 & 356-6 342 & 276
3-6 Jul 2002 Match Drawn Taunton Somerset Field 608-6d & 324-5d 554 & 329-7
24-27 May 2002 Match Drawn The Oval Surrey Bat 220 & 332 253 & 45-1
23-26 Aug 2001 Match Drawn Taunton Somerset Bat 278 & 294-6 373 & 311-6d
6-9 Jun 2001 Won By 6 Wickets The Oval Somerset Bat 403 & 210-4 377 & 234
14-16 Jun 2000 Won By An Inns & 213 Runs The Oval Surrey Bat 548 145 & 190

SURREY AT GUILDFORD:
OPPONENT DATE RESULT TOSS DECISION SURREY OPPONENT
Somerset 20-22 Jun 2018 Won By An Inns & 69 Runs Uncontested Field 459 180 & 210
Essex 9-12 Jun 2017 Lost By 8 Wickets Uncontested Field 399 & 288 435 & 253-2
Warwickshire 2-4 Jul 2016 Lost By 10 Wickets Surrey Bat 273 & 177 449 & 5-0
Glamorgan 15-18 Jun 2015 Lost By 7 Wickets Surrey Bat 406 & 277 437 & 247-3
Kent 20-23 Jul 2014 Lost By 89 Runs Surrey Field 398 & 213 408 & 292
Warwickshire 5-8 Jun 2013 Match Drawn Warwickshire Bat 274 & 234-4 631-9d
Lancashire 11-14 Jul 2012 Match Drawn Surrey Field 430-5 485-7d
Middlesex 20-23 Jul 2011 Lost By 6 Wickets Surrey Field 117 & 379 308 & 190-4
Sussex 9-12 Aug 2010 Match Drawn Surrey Field 292 217 & 275-6d
Essex 15-18 Jul 2009 Match Drawn Essex Bat 352-8d 401 & 201-3
Durham 16-19 Jul 2008 Lost By 10 Wickets Surrey Bat 220 & 323 410 & 134-0
Worcestershire 25-28 Jul 2007 Match Drawn Surrey Bat 369 217 & 307-5
Somerset 19-22 Jul 2006 Match Drawn Somerset Bat 717 688-8d
Kent 20-23 Jul 2005 Lost By 4 Wickets Surrey Bat 452-8d & 350 572 & 232-6
Warwickshire 21-24 Jul 2004 Lost By 7 Wickets Surrey Field 331 & 412 537 & 207-3
Middlesex 23-26 Jul 2003 Match Drawn Middlesex Field 411 & 94-0 385
Yorkshire 24-27 Jul 2002 Won By 6 Wickets Yorkshire Bat 382 & 237-4 172 & 446
Northamptonshire 18-20 Jul 2001 Won By An Inns & 55 Runs Northants Bat 368 120 & 193
Leicestershire 19-21 Jul 2000 Won By 10 Wickets Leicestershire Bat 288 & 119-0 318 & 87
Hampshire 14-17 Jul 1999 Won By 156 Runs Surrey Bat 171 & 482 322 & 175

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