SURREY V HAMPSHIRE - Specsavers County
Championship - 6 September 2016
Surrey 260-6. Hampshire.Rory Burns held
Surrey together with a skilful and determined 101 after the title
outsiders had been put in by Hampshire on a seaming pitch in their
Specsavers County Championship Division One match at the Kia Oval.
The 26-year-old left-handed opener continued his
recent fine run of form as Surrey, who ended on 260 for 6 from the
80 overs possible due to bad light, were made to fight for first day
runs by a four-man frontline Hampshire seam attack.
Burns faced 207 balls in a superb four-and-a-half
hour knock, hitting a six and 15 fours before top-edging fast bowler
Brad Wheal to Tom Alsop, running in from deep square leg.
He had reached 98 with a hook for six off Wheal
and fully deserved his second championship hundred of the season.
Unfazed by being beaten several times outside his off stump, he
merely concentrated on accumulating steadily while also putting away
anything remotely loose with eye-catching efficiency.
In his last seven championship innings, since the
start of August, Burns has scored 443 runs at an average of 74 and,
overall this season, he has made 1,102 championship runs at 44 with
seven fifties besides his two centuries. He also moved past 5,000
first-class career runs when completing his half-century and his
career average of 41, midway through his 76th first-class match,
marks him out as a player of substance.
Burns saw a succession of partners fall to the
moving ball, before being fifth out, although his fellow opener
Dominic Sibley was unfortunate to be brilliantly held by diving
wicketkeeper Lewis McManus when, on 11, he tickled an authentic leg
glance at Gareth Berg.
That was 23 for 1, in the 13th over, and Kumar
Sangakkara's answer to the tricky conditions was to attack. The
great Sri Lankan had made 26 from 31 balls, with five fours, when he
flashed at a lifting ball from Gareth Andrew that was angled across
him and edged to a jubilant McManus.
Arun Harinath made it through to lunch alongside
Burns, which Surrey took at 93 for 2, but was out shortly afterwards
for 9 as he pulled Ryan McLaren straight to square leg.
Steven Davies was another who favoured a positive
approach, also hitting five fours, before he steered a short ball
from the pacy Wheal to gully to depart for a 36-ball 32.
But Ben Foakes, who added 76 in 21 overs with
Burns for the fifth wicket, also batted with great judgement and
authority and, when a third stoppage for bad light finally brought a
premature end to the day, at 5.15pm, he had moved securely to 47 not
out from 98 balls, with seven fours.
Sam Curran, after a bright 17, was caught at short
leg off Liam Dawson's left arm spin, but Tom Curran was still there
on 3 not out at stumps.
Third-placed Surrey, who still have a chance of
pipping leaders Middlesex and champions Yorkshire to the
championship if they win both their last two matches, owe much to
Burns although Hampshire - themselves desperate for a win in their
bid to beat the drop to Division Two - kept going well in the field
and are certainly not out of this game yet. The second new ball is
immediately due at the start of day two.
Rory Burns said: "I am delighted to get a hundred,
after a few near misses recently, and especially to do it in tough
conditions.
"It was humid so the ball swung a bit and, with
the 10.30 start in particular, the pitch was a bit spicy. It was a
good contest.
"We are very happy with where we are - the next
target is 300 and then push on towards 350 maybe. I was disappointed
to get out soon after getting the hundred but hopefully it will be a
big score in the context of the match."
Craig White, the Hampshire acting head coach,
said:"it was another frustrating day for us. On that pitch, and in
those conditions, I don't think we bowled as well as we could have
done.
"We bowled a couple of decent balls and then sent
down a four ball, which released pressure. We did get better as the
day went on but we bowled a fraction too short early on."
TEA REPORT
Rory Burns held firm with a skilful and determined
75 not out as Surrey battled to 189 for 4 by tea on a seaming pitch
in their Specsavers County Championship Division One match against
Hampshire at the Kia Oval.
Put in, after an uncontested toss, Surrey were
made to fight for first day runs by a four-man Hampshire seam
attack, but left-handed opener Burns was more than equal to the
challenge.
He saw a succession of partners fall to the moving
ball, although Dominic Sibley was unfortunate to be brilliantly held
by diving wicketkeeper Lewis McManus when, on 11, he tickled a leg
glance at Gareth Berg.
That was 23 for 1, in the 13th over, and Kumar
Sangakkara's answer to the tricky conditions was to attack. The Sri
Lankan had made 26 from 31 balls, with five fours, when he flashed
at a lifting ball from Gareth Andrew that was angled across him and
edged to a jubilant McManus.
Arun Harinath made it through to lunch alongside
Burns, which Surrey took at 93 for 2, but was out shortly afterwards
for 9 as he pulled Ryan McLaren straight to square leg.
Steven Davies was another who favoured a positive
approach, also hitting five fours, before he steered a short ball
from the pacy Brad Wheal to gully to depart for a 36-ball 32.
Burns, though beaten regularly outside his off
stump, kept on accumulating steadily and put away anything loose
with great efficiency. It was a fine innings and, at tea, Ben Foakes
had also batted solidly for 24 not out to help Burns take Surrey
into a position they would gladly have settled for on being asked to
bat first.
LUNCH REPORT
Surrey, still with an outside chance of the title,
battled to 93 for 2 by lunch on the opening day of their Specsavers
County Championship Division One match against Hampshire as the
visitors tried their best to take advantage of a seaming pitch.
Hampshire, needing to win this game if they are to
have a chance of making a late escape from relegation for the second
year running, decided to bowl first in warm, cloudy and muggy
conditions - and the breakthrough came in the 13th over when
wicketkeeper Lewis McManus pulled off a brilliant diving legside
catch as Dominic Sibley, on 11, glanced Gareth Berg fine.
Kumar Sangakkara went on the attack, hitting five
fours in a 31-ball 26 before flashing at Gareth Andrew and edging a
lifting ball from the seamer to McManus.
The ball beat the bat on a number of occasions
throughout the first session but, at the interval, opener Rory Burns
had fought his way to 37 not out from 92 balls while Arun Harinath
was unbeaten on 9 at the other end.
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