NEWMAN AND RAMPRAKASH CHART COURSE FOR SAFE WATERS by Marcus Hook
Surrey 359 & 300-4d v Middlesex 487-9d. Match Drawn.

Yesterday, Scott Newman took over from Graeme Hick at the top of this summer’s list of leading first-class runs scorers with yet another pleasing half-century – his second of the match – which, despite the loss of three wickets in six overs, proved to be the cornerstone of Surrey’s successful attempt to save the game. However, their run of nine consecutive championship matches without a victory now equals their previous worst, which was established at the end of 1996 and the beginning of 1997 when the Oval outfit drew six and lost three.

The final instalment saw no further acts of vandalism at the Brit Oval. Well… only a minor one, and that was self-inflicted. Newman called Mark Ramprakash for an optimistic single, was sent back and was beaten by Lance Klusener’s direct thrown from mid-off. Three overs later Ramprakash tamely deflected a ball from Paul Weekes straight into the hands of Ben Hutton at short leg. Having been kept fresh until the double breakthrough, Chad Keegan, who went unrewarded in an impressive opening spell of 11.1-6-25-0 earlier in the day, returned in the 57th over and captured the wicket of Rikki Clarke with his eleventh ball back, caught at first slip.

Surrey went to tea with six wickets in hand and a lead of just 85, but thanks to a flat pitch, an old ball and no lack of discipline from Alistair Brown and Adam Hollioake they saw out the rest of the final day. It was not totally without mishap, however.

When Brown took a quick single off what proved to be the last delivery, Hollioake only just managed to make his ground. Veering his run to the right at the last second the former Surrey skipper appeared to pull a hamstring and must, therefore, be a doubt for today’s totesport League encounter with the Essex Eagles. With Benning also anticipated to miss the game due to the injury he picked up when bowling and Thorpe on England duty, the Lions middle order could have a very different look about it.

But the Surrey faithful will be buoyed somewhat by Brown’s return to form. He made his first championship half-century this term and effectively put the result beyond doubt by taking his side to 250 with three consecutive fours off of Klusener in the 74th over. The first two disappeared through extra cover and the third was flicked through mid-wicket. In the end Surrey’s fifth wicket pair put on 114 in thirty-four overs. With Klusener conceding 33 off six, Shah turned to his other spinner and star of this match Jamie Dalrymple, then himself, in order to bring Middlesex’s over-rate back into credit.

Earlier, Newman and Ramprakash had seen the home side safely through the first 48 overs of the day’s play with a stand of 155, which was just six runs short of establishing a new Surrey partnership record for the second wicket against Middlesex.

Newman went to his fifty in 117 deliveries, almost on the stroke of lunch, just after flicking Paul Hutchison to the mid-wicket boundary to pass 1,000 first-class runs for Surrey on his 20th visit to the crease for the South Londoners. In the fifteenth over after the break Ramprakash posted his third half-century of the season against his former county, off 133 balls, with the first of two successive fours through the leg-side, also off the bowling of Hutchison.

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