MIDDLESEX DECLARE TIME ON SURREY’S TOP-FLIGHT STATUS by Marcus Hook
Surrey 59-2 v Middlesex 404-5d.

Just one day into the relegation decider being fought out down at the Oval, Surrey already find themselves looking into the abyss. By denying them the chance of picking up two further bowling points, which, to fair, the Ovalites would probably have struggled to achieve on such a good pitch, Middlesex’s declaration left the hosts needing to make 400 for the loss of no more than two wickets, then declare in turn before going on to win the match to preserve their top flight championship status. Unlikely as that scenario was - and still is, just - Surrey then proceeded to lose Mark Butcher to a run out and to allow Rikki Clarke license to play positively when the primary objective in the final seventeen overs must surely have been one of survival.

The Butchers’ men - Mark’s father Alan was confirmed as the new Surrey coach yesterday - needed snookers going into the contest, but from the moment they lost the toss and Middlesex elected to bat, the size of their task increased exponentially. On the evidence of the opening salvos, those with no axe to grind would have to conclude that the North London outfit are the ones who deserve to stay up.

The visitors rattled up an impressive 155-1 before lunch, and, later, as the fifth wicket alliance between Ed Joyce and Scott Styris grew and grew to 174 in 37 overs the mood amongst the Surrey players appeared to become one of vacant resignation.

By the end of proceedings the hosts’ dressing room must have felt as empty as the massive OCS Stand looked; with only one section of it, just below the scoreboard on the southern side of the ground, thrown open to the public. Having spent some £22m on its construction, surely the authorities at the Brit Oval intend it to be used? If not it is in danger of being regarded as a white, or perhaps green elephant by the rank and file county follower.

The day began with Ed Smith taking full toll of the ineffective fare served up by Azhar Mahmood, who appeared to be struggling for fitness. Smith made 36 off 34 balls before clipping Mohammad Akram to gully half an hour in. Ben Hutton, who had taken the same number of deliveries reaching double figures, then took over; his fifty, which included pulled sixes off Azhar and Tim Murtagh, coming from just 66 balls.

In the first over after lunch Owais Shah moved from 44 to his half-century, which needed 83 deliveries and included nine boundaries. Two overs later, however, the leading first-class run-maker in the country going into this contest was caught inches off the ground at short leg, and thus ended a partnership for the second wicket that was worth 132 from 169 balls in 115 minutes.

Ben Hutton, unperturbed, launched Saqlain Mushtaq for a straight six and was attempting to do likewise when he charged down the pitch to the last ball of the 41st over. 199-3 became 200-4 when Jamie Dalrymple was caught at second slip, third ball, trying to withdraw the bat and shortly afterwards Butcher pressed Ian Salisbury into action for the first time.

Sadly, the former England leg-spinner was not on top of his game and Joyce and Stryris gradually loosened Surrey’s short-lived grip on the match. Four overs later the latter pulled Salisbury for six and within twelve overs the former had progressed to a 79-ball fifty which included seven sweetly timed boundaries.

Styris’s half-century needed just 69 deliveries and at tea Middlesex had reached 338-4 off 72 overs. As the players took to the field after the break the majority of the applause was for the undefeated Middlesex batsmen.

Ed Joyce overtook Shah as his side’s leading run-maker in the championship before being caught on mid-wicket boundary off Salisbury in the 79th over. A potential turning point in Surrey’s fortunes came when, with the total on 393-5, Paul Weekes was bowled off a no-ball from Saqlain Mushtaq. Shortly after the veteran all-rounder drove Saqlain for four to bring up the four hundred and immediately Styris went to his century the visitors declared.

In reply, Scott Newman showed that he would not sell his wicket cheaply, taking 23 balls to get off the mark. But Butcher went to Dalrymple’s direct hit from backward point in the third over and eight overs later Clarke was leg before playing across the line to Styris. To prevent the trapdoor opening, Surrey just need Newman and Ramprakash to go on and enjoy a 360-run partnership for the third wicket.

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