Ramprakash fifty props up Surrey
Only Mark Ramprakash displayed the required application to fashion an innings worthy of note as Surrey limped into a 110-run lead at the mid-point of their Second Division match with Gloucestershire
20-Jun-2011
Only former England batsman Mark Ramprakash displayed the required application to fashion an innings worthy of note as Surrey limped into a 110-run lead at the mid-point of their Second Division match with Gloucestershire.
Having finally dismissed the visitors for 261 on a sporting Oval pitch, to concede a first-innings lead of 35, Surrey reached 145 for 5 before rain led to a premature close. Ramprakash remained on 61 from 92 balls but his team-mates had failed to match his graft to leave the hosts in trouble.
On an overcast afternoon in SE11 that favoured seam bowling, the hosts lost two wickets even before clearing the first innings deficit. But Ramprakash showed the mettle to dig in by adding 49 in tandem with Zander de Bruyn (13) then 42 with Steven Davies (14).
The home reply started miserably when Jason Roy, off balance and playing around his front pad, went lbw to Ian Saxelby and 13 runs later Rory Hamilton-Brown aimed an expansive back-foot force against the same bowler only to drag the ball onto his stumps. De Bruyn padded up to Will Gidman's last ball before tea to go leg-before and Davies was unlucky to see his backfoot defensive push bounce back up from the crease and onto the top of leg stump.
In fading light Ramprakash posted the 147th first-class 50 of his career with a leg glance for four against Saxelby, but lost Tom Maynard for a 10-ball duck - bowled when looking to drive on the walk against the same bowler. Four balls later the umpires took the sides off for bad light and rain soon followed.
Resuming on their overnight score of 171 for 4 at the start of the second day, Gloucestershire lost their last six wickets for 60 in posting a modest first-innings lead of 35. Their lead might have been even smaller had Surrey taken early chances, but Alex Gidman, on 32, then Payne, with five, were both dropped at second slip by Maynard and De Bruyn respectively.
Neither batsman took full advantage, however, and both were soon undone by Tim Linley the pick of the Surrey attack with 3 for 66. Gidman fenced a legcutter to the keeper then Payne was squared up by an away swinger and shovelled a low catch to short extra cover.
Just before lunch, left-hander Will Gidman edged a push drive against De Bruyn to see Davies pull off a stunning catch diving in front of first slip to make it 239 for 7 at the interval for a slender advantage of 13. Surrey needed a further 10 overs after the break to polish the job off. Ed Young was run out from mid-on by Yasir Arafat having been sent back to the non-striker's end, then Saxelby went for a third-ball duck giving Davies his fourth catch of the innings.
England one-day prospect Jade Dernbach finished off the innings by bowling last man Jonathan Lewis for 17 to return figures of 2 for 35 and see Surrey batting again by 2.30pm on day two.
