Surrey on course despite Borrington resistance
A stubborn, unbeaten four-hour innings of 76 from Derbyshire opener Paul Borrington held up Surrey's promotion ambitions
13-Sep-2011
A stubborn, unbeaten four-hour innings of 76 from Derbyshire opener Paul Borrington held up Surrey's promotion ambitions on the second day of their County Championship Division Two match at the Kia Oval.
Derbyshire had tumbled to 28 for 4 and then 62 for 5, in reply to Surrey's big first-innings total of 468, before Borrington led some sort of a revival to 177 for 7 by the close. Surrey, though, were in a strong position to go on to win.
It was a fine effort by the 23-year-old against some challenging Surrey bowling, with Tim Linley's three new-ball wickets taking his season's tally to 73, Stuart Meaker producing high pace, and the spin pair of Pragyan Ojha and Gareth Batty both extracting significant turn from a dry surface.
Derbyshire captain Luke Sutton also played his part in his side's recovery, with a determined 32 in a partnership of 90 after Ross Whiteley had initially helped Borrington to add 34 for the fifth wicket while swinging Indian slow left-armer Ojha for six and a one-bounce four to the leg-side boundary.
Surrey began the day on 400 for 8, and Meaker took his overnight 17 to an unbeaten 55 as he and Linley stretched their ninth-wicket partnership to a more-then-useful 73. Meaker hit 10 fours in a fine innings that ensured the home side would put a potentially match-winning first-innings score on the board.
Having achieved the maximum five batting bonus points on the first day, Surrey soon knew from events elsewhere that victory in this game - with their couple of bowling bonus points - would assure them of promotion to Division One.
The first bowling bonus point took them less than eight overs to secure, with Derbyshire left tottering at 17 for three at lunch after Linley had removed Matt Lineker and Wayne Madsen and Ojha had turned his third ball to have Wes Durston caught at slip in the final over of the opening session.
Dan Redfern was the fourth Derbyshire scalp, leg before to an inswinger from Linley as the Surrey attack looked like it was going to make short work of their opponents. But, after Whiteley was removed by a Meaker thunderbolt, edging to keeper Steve Davies, Surrey were frustrated as Borrington and Sutton first dug in and, slowly, grew in confidence despite being beaten every so often by Ojha's flight and turn.
In the closing overs, however, Surrey tightened their grip on the game again when Sutton edged a drive at Chris Jordan and was caught at the wicket and Jon Clare, after some meaty blows, fell leg-before for 21 to Ojha as he propped forward, to give the bowler late reward for his hard toil.
