SURREY REWARD THE OPTIMISTS by Marcus Hook
Surrey 403-7d v Northamptonshire 64-2d. Match Drawn.

It was all about the acquisition of bonus points yesterday. After Surrey had achieved the maximum with the bat, it took just one over from Martin Bicknell to convince Northamptonshire that there was no chance of making up for the bowling bonus point they had been denied and, so, their openers gratefully accepted the offer of light. The umpires coaxed Mark Powell and Tom Huggins out of the dressing room for some more, but after one further interruption the visitors put paid to the accrual of any more bonus points by declaring their first innings at the earliest possible opportunity.

At least the faith shown by what spectators there were was repaid by Scott Newman, who made his second hundred of the season, and Adam Hollioake and Azhar Mahmood, who both batted with equal abandon. However, with the exception of Johann Louw, who moved the ball both ways off the seam, what amounted to the visitors’ first choice attack was made to look wanting.

Steffan Jones bustled in and got good carry through to the wicketkeeper, but other than when Newman and Azhar holed out to him in the deep the former Somerset man never seriously looked like taking a wicket. Ben Phillips laboured away from the Vauxhall End, but should he ever cast his mind back on this match it will not be done with much fondness. As for the spinners – well, to be fair, their entrance yesterday coincided with Surrey’s sixth wicket partnership of 121 in nineteen overs, so let’s give them the benefit of the doubt.

Newman took 32 deliveries making the ten runs he needed for his century, which was reached in the 49th over with the second of three successive fours off Jones. The 24-year-old left-hander then tucked into the bowling of Phillips, whom he despatched over mid-wicket for six. Graham Thorpe contributed just thirteen to a third wicket stand of 55 before he drove at Louw and was clung on to at shoulder height by Sales at first slip, and Jones’s switch of ends brought about the downfall of Newman, caught at deep backward square for 131.

After lunch Alistair Brown took a brace of boundaries off of Louw before recklessly advancing down the track to Graeme Swann, but the fireworks were supplied instead by Adam Hollioake and Azhar Mahmood. The former Surrey captain struck three fours in four balls off Louw, and the 76th over Mahmood dealt similarly with Swann. Three overs later, having launched Phillips over the square leg boundary, Hollioake passed fifty for the second time in three innings. Although it had only taken him 54 deliveries, his partner’s half-century, which was reached in the same over as the hundred partnership, occupied just 48.

With the fifth batting point coming into view Azhar was caught at third man and Hollioake edged Louw low to first slip’s right. It was left to Ian Salisbury to supply the necessary blow, which he did by helping his first ball over the slips cordon for four.

Northamptonshire’s first innings, which was twice interrupted by the light, introduced the visitors’ pair of fledgling openers to the Surrey attack for the first time. Huggins, playing straight, and Powell, who preferred to cut and pull, acquitted themselves well until Ormond got the latter to drag the ball on to his stumps. The last meaningful act of the match came in the very next over when Bicknell rocked back Huggins’s off-peg.

GO TO:

BACK TO: