And So it Begins

Finally, the season is here! First match, Surrey vs Middlesex, in March, at The Oval.
Arrived at lunch due to general train lateness with Surrey 99-4 and Tim Murtagh having 3 wickets. After lunch Hamilton-Brown and Wilson batted fairly easily against Steve Crook and Murtagh until Murtagh had Hamilton-Brown well caught at slip b Dexter for 34 and in the same over had Gary Wilson caught at point by Robson for 15, 121-6. Murtagh had five and wasn't done yet, he then had Chris Jordan lbw and finished the over having Meaker caught at point by Robson to leave Surrey in touble at 130-8 with Murtagh having 7-41. Batty and Tom Jewell were the unlikely saviours of the innings and found the bowling of Tom Parsons and Berg easier than Murtagh and moved the score on fairly easily with the bowling looking a bit rusty to 183-8 at tea. The only real chance being a missed stumping by Simpson off Tom Smith.
After tea, Ben Scott took over keeping duties, and Ollie Rayner, bowling from the Vauxhall end finally bowled Batty for 34 going for a big shot. Crook was unlucky to have Linley then dropped at slip before Rayner finished off the innings with Berg catching Linley at midwicket for 2 to finish with 2-27, 210 all out. This left Middlesex with 30 overs before close.
Even 30 overs was enough time to dig a large hole for Middlesex as Newman (bowled Meaker for 6), Robson (lbw Meaker 10) and Simpson (lbw Linley 4) were all sent packing to leave MIddlesex 23-3. Housego and captain Dexter then led the recovery, aided by the introduction of Dunn and Jordan to the attack to take the score past 100. However, Gareth Batty got Dexter and then Berg before close to leave Middlesex with some work to do at 113-5, Housego still there on 27.
The Middlesex bowlers looked ok, Murtagh being most excellent, it is the batting that is more worrying, with a top order collapse being remarkably similar to last year, hopefully someone other than Dexter will find form by the time the actual season begins.

Starting out

This is Yet Another Cricket Blog, where I (that is me) will write my random ramblings on the sport of cricket throughout the English Summer.