Derbyshire butchered!

Surrey's game against Derbyshire at the Oval starting today had all the makings of a grudge match. Derbyshire were the last side to defeat the Champions in a first class match, but were fined eight points for the condition of the pitch on which Tim Munton took career best figures in the first innings and Surrey collapsed to their second defeat of the season.

Since then though Surrey have looked back in neither league competition winning all of their NL and CC games since, mostly by large margins, Derbyshire meanwhile have settled on the bottom of the national league and in the championship are desperate for points to escape the relegation zone, the game against Surrey at Derby was their only four day victory this season. Both teams have lost players to this week's test squad, Surrey are, as usual, without the services of Stewart and Thorpe, but Derbyshire are once again hamstrung by the absence of Dominic Cork.

Other than that Surrey were without Ben Hollioake who made way for Gary Butcher who has played some impressive innings in the second team this year. Ben's form with the bat has disappointed terribly at times this season with trouble getting started against the spinners and a marked tendency to lift the ball - and do so with insufficient power to clear the picket. He has though, played some significant one day innings and in the last few four day matches there have been definite signs of improvement but during this time Gary, also younger brother of a Surrey stalwart had been pressing hard from elevation. Hopefully the chance to concentrate on his game - and perhaps open the bowling - in the seconds will have the same effect on him that it did on Ali Brown when he was demoted in 1996 - Ali has since built himself into the sides most prolific and one of the countries finest batsmen with an unbroken sequence of 1,000 run seasons at ever higher averages.

Having noted at the end of the morning session that Adam Hollioake was having to do without a fifth bowling ace for this game I was comprehensively proved wrong this afternoon by Gary Butcher who took an amazing four in four to rip out Derbyshire's fragile tail to leave the visitors all out for just 118.

First to go was Paul Aldred edging, appropriately to Gary's elder brother Mark at second slip from the last ball of his seventh over. Then Tim Munton snicked to the safe but improbably located hands of Martin Bicknell at third slip and Dean followed the same way but left handed from the second ball of the over to give him a Hat-Trick before Gary struck yet again having the Wharton LBW to wrap up the innings. It brought Butcher his best figures by far for Surrey although not the best of his career (he took 7-77 for Glamorgan against Gloucestershire in 1996). It also made him the fifth Surrey bowler to take five in an innings so far this season.

Until Butcher's second spell Bicknell looked the pick of the Surrey attack although, yet again, nobody bowled less than well, for Derbyshire only top scorer Dowman, Di Venuto and wicket keeper Sutton ever looked comfortable on a blameless wicket. Given the circumstances and the quality of the bowling Dowman is to be congratulated on his 36 - he was also the only Derbyshire batsman to pass his average for the season. Derbyshire's management should be less proud of their team selection, visitors to the Oval who bring a long tail can expect to fare little better than this - in recent years the England side have given enough televised demonstrations of frail tail syndrome to teach anyone that.

Surrey, who had succumbed for 138 in their first innings at Derby continued to exact their revenge when they batted - Mark Butcher led the way as the home side set off at nearly a run a ball before easing back to a rate around the three and a half mark as they raced towards and then past Derbyshire's total without the loss of a wicket, but he would have had to build a colossal total in order to win bragging rights in the family tonight.

The first wicket did not fall until the score was on 137 when Matt Cassar, bowling from the Vauxhall end won an LBW decision with a Yorker that pitched on Ian Ward's foot. Ward had played well for his 57. Butcher, too, fell before the close of play, caught from a skied hook by Stubbings from Aldred's bowling as he sought to hasten the scoring rate when two men were set back for the shot, it was a poor, but typically selfless, end to an excellent innings.

In this match the new batting points system and with the close situation at the top of division one, with maximum points only arriving at 400 will force Surrey to bat with some caution to maximise their already high chances of reaching that high mark for the fourth time this season.

Derbyshire will pray in vain for the rain forecast to fall on Saturday to come early save them from what seems an inevitable, huge defeat, Surrey will sleep easy on what should be a seventh consecutive comfortable win. However, spare a thought for Derbyshire, like Glamorgan last season they won the toss on a humid morning here and was faced by a choice that came close to a direct decision of whether to be beaten by the spinners or the quick bowlers of a side on a roll that clearly and thoroughly plans and expects to win the championship.

That his victims were tail-enders does nothing to diminish the enormity of Gary Butcher's achievement, four in four will never be the top order of the Aussie test side, it is a rare and superb feat of which Butcher can rightly be proud for a long time to come. With Mark's 78 and two catches it is a day their father and Surrey veteran Alan will remember for a long time too.

After the day's play Gary Butcher and Adam Hollioake had these words to say.

Gary Butcher:

The ball was doing what I do, I swing the ball, mainly away from the bat and today it was swinging a lot, So I just had to put it in the right place. My best since the sevenfer, in 1996, a long time ago.

I was feeling confident after making runs & wickets last week, I'm not a youngster anymore it's not like I'm going to be overawed playing for the first team, Luke Sutton was a bad drop though

I've had frustrating year but you just do what you have to to get selected. I had a good winter in Perth [playing for Gosnells] and opened the bowling in grade cricket. Now I'm getting closer to the stumps with my bowling arm higher and getting more swing with the higher arm.

Adam Hollioake:

It wasn't a difficult choice to leave Ben out, Gary made 120 & 70 and took 4 wickets last week and looked a good selection move I'd like to say I knew he'd take 4 in 4 but you just look at the players and try to judge the best selections. He was welcomed into the side like everyone is.

We have 15-16 quality players, like Man United I suppose, its tough on the good players in the seconds but its a nice position to be in. We're not looking ahead, we'll just play each ball as it comes we'll just do what we can do. If Lancs or Yorks are good enough to win their last 4 and we can't do it, good luck to them. If we win here maybe we can win the championship at Scarborough or our next home game, it depends on the others.

No bad feeling from the Derby game, I spoke to their captain and chief executive at the National League game. They had no problem and it was not me that had anything to do with the pitch penalty, I was asked my opinion of the pitch and I gave it. We just look on Derby as a good competitive side who beat us last time out. We were 2nd or 3rd from the bottom then a lot has happened since.

I think we are already up (promoted in the National League) but Sunday's game could win it for us. Being division 2 champions is not a cause for popping champagne corks just chance to compete with the best, not a "double" We will still collect the prize money though!