NEWMAN ENDS LONG WAIT TO PUT SURREY ON TOP by Marcus Hook
Surrey 220 v Durham 44-3.

Surrey’s Scott Newman may have ended his long wait for a century, but with his side sinking to their lowest first innings total at Guildford since 1999 and hampered by a spate of last minute injuries, the Brown Caps needed to show immense character to end the opening day at Woodbridge Road on top. In reply to Surrey’s 220 all out, Durham, at stumps, were reeling on 44 for three.

Newman’s 113 off 183 balls had looked as if it would be the only positive for Surrey on a day which started with the news that Mark Ramprakash had been struck down with gastroenteritis and could not play.

With Matt Nicholson (knee ligament), Saqlain Mushtaq (split spinning finger) and Pedro Collins (side strain) also sidelined, the Brown Caps showed four changes from the team that drew with Nottinghamshire. Jonathan Batty won the toss and, unsurprisingly, given the benevolence Guildford has shown towards the batsmen in recent years, elected to bat.

After safely negotiating the opening ten overs, Newman pulled Liam Plunkett’s second ball for four and proceeded to take boundaries off the former England seamer’s next two overs. Stewart Walters helped Newman see off the new ball, but, in the 22nd over, appeared to lose sight of a slower delivery from Ben Harmison.

Due to the circumstances of Walters’s dismissal, a makeshift addition to the sightscreen was hoisted into position, underneath the clock on the pavilion. Four overs later Newman moved to fifty, off 72 balls, with his eighth four, which flew past gully off the bowling of Ben Harmison.

Just before lunch Steve Harmison had Chris Murtagh, who was making his championship debut, caught low down to first slip’s right. Surrey resumed on 94-2 and in the 34th over Newman cut Paul Wiseman sweetly for four to bring up the hundred for the Brown Caps.

Five overs later, however, Batty slapped Steve Harmison to gully. Notwithstanding Usman Afzaal getting off the mark with an edge through the slips for four, Harmison finished the over with figures of 12-5-17-2.

In the 44th over, Newman was fortunate when, on 71, he lofted Wiseman to within a couple of yards of a diving Callum Thorp at deep mid-wicket. But the left-hander put it out of his mind and struck two delightful fours in as many balls off Thorp, the first through cover and the second behind square on the leg-side; bisecting the men posted at deep square leg and deep fine leg.

Nine overs later Newman reached his hundred with a slog swept six off Wiseman, though not before the loss of Afzaal who was caught behind off Thorp for 15. Newman’s century came up in 151 deliveries and included 14 fours and a six.

In the passage of play just before tea Matthew Spriegel twice cover drove Plunkett for four. The 21-year-old was the only Surrey batsmen to give Newman any real support and after Newman departed to a catch at second slip off Plunkett, the hosts subsided to 220 all out.

The Brown Caps lost their last six wickets for 21 runs in the space of ten overs. Chris Jordan was the sixth to go, caught low down to the wicketkeeper’s right. The next over saw Spriegel cleaned up by an inswinging delivery from Ben Harmison. In the 76th over Chris Schofield swished at Plunkett and was caught behind and in the 77th James Ormond was snapped up at second slip.

Plunkett finished with 3-49, but the plaudits went to Ben Harmison, who claimed figures of 9.1-4-27-4 when he had Jade Dernbach playing across the line.

It was not long before Dernbach was in the thick of things again. Making his first first-class appearance on his home ground, the 22-year-old cleaned up Mark Stoneman in the fifth over of Durham’s reply. The spring really returned to Surrey’s step when Ormond had Michael Di Venuto caught behind, slashing, in the very next over before picking up the prized wicket of Shivnarine Chanderpaul four overs later, for five.

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