Surrey The Oval 22/8/2024 4 days

[MarkG]

Genuinely sobering day at the Oval - if Lancs feel that is their best available eleven, it is desperately weak compared to Surrey, who set the standard. Our batting is woefully underpowered if the top three fail, as they did today, as they have most of the season. Bohannon played on and Jennings got a shocker, but Surrey dropped a lot of catches too. Hurst, Balderson and Aspinwall all showed their talent, but the first two got themselves out, as young players will. Worrall, Clark -remember him? - and Sam Curren were all excellent for them and no-one ever looked comfortable against them, still less dominated.

The bowling was even more mystifying. If Saqib and Bailey were in the squad, why they didn’t play before Boyden and Iyer beggared belief. We have one proven county championship wicket taker in that team, Williams, and he is having his weakest season so far and again looked ineffective. Boyden looks what he is, a debutant who should be nursed, not yet an county opening bowler, Iyer was utterly ineffective. This was at least a step up from his batting when he advanced down the wicket early, the bowler saw and dropped it short, Iyer aimed a vertical bat shot as though attempting to drive a half volley and was caught behind. The locals gasped. That shot should haunt him; it will me. I can’t remember us ever signing two overseas players in the same season as utterly ineffective as he and Bruce.

There was one really enjoyable element for the Lancs purist; Balderson bowled a lovely probing spell from the Pavilion End, mainly to Sibley. George was bang on the money and snaked a couple past his edge, Sibley adjusted and blocked or left when he could. He and Burns reminded us that though they might not fit the current England fashion, they are astute and effective performers in the dark, cloudy, permanently lights on English conditions we had all day.

Better forecast tomorrow, looks like the best batting day. I’m looking forward to it, as it’s my favourite form of cricket and I caught up with a touring buddy who is a Surrey member. But we ended up the day well behind and with no points and it’s hard to see how this changes with this team.

[Admin]

Aug 22, 2024 17:45:23 GMT MarkG said:

Genuinely sobering day at the Oval - if Lancs feel that is their best available eleven, it is desperately weak compared to Surrey, who set the standard. Our batting is woefully underpowered if the top three fail, as they did today, as they have most of the season. Bohannon played on and Jennings got a shocker, but Surrey dropped a lot of catches too. Hurst, Balderson and Aspinwall all showed their talent, but the first two got themselves out, as young players will. Worrall, Clark -remember him? - and Sam Curren were all excellent for them and no-one ever looked comfortable against them, still less dominated.

The bowling was even more mystifying. If Saqib and Bailey were in the squad, why they didn’t play before Boyden and Iyer beggared belief. We have one proven county championship wicket taker in that team, Williams, and he is having his weakest season so far and again looked ineffective. Boyden looks what he is, a debutant who should be nursed, not yet an county opening bowler, Iyer was utterly ineffective. This was at least a step up from his batting when he advanced down the wicket early, the bowler saw and dropped it short, Iyer aimed a vertical bat shot as though attempting to drive a half volley and was caught behind. The locals gasped. That shot should haunt him; it will me. I can’t remember us ever signing two overseas players in the same season as utterly ineffective as he and Bruce.

There was one really enjoyable element for the Lancs purist; Balderson bowled a lovely probing spell from the Pavilion End, mainly to Sibley. George was bang on the money and snaked a couple past his edge, Sibley adjusted and blocked or left when he could. He and Burns reminded us that though they might not fit the current England fashion, they are astute and effective performers in the dark, cloudy, permanently lights on English conditions we had all day.

Better forecast tomorrow, looks like the best batting day. I’m looking forward to it, as it’s my favourite form of cricket and I caught up with a touring buddy who is a Surrey member. But we ended up the day well behind and with no points and it’s hard to see how this changes with this team.

Excellent post

[lancsdes]

Top notch report Marky ; better than many a professional journalist.

[Admin]

Surrey 83 for 0 (Burns 44*, Sibley 37*) trail Lancashire 204 (Hurst 46, Clark 4-57) by 121 runs

Rocky Flintoff made a creditable 32 on debut, as Lancashire’s youngest first-class cricketer at the age of 16 years and 137 days, but it was champions Surrey who took first day honours at the Kia Oval.

Put in, Lancashire were bowled out for 204, and Surrey then replied with 83 for no wicket before bad light ended play 15.4 overs early. Skipper Rory Burns is 44 not out, including straight driving for successive fours, and Dom Sibley remains unbeaten on 37.

Jordan Clark (4 for 57) and Dan Worrall (3 for 31) continued their fine red-ball seasons by spearheading a five-pronged seam attack in which Conor McKerr also took two wickets and Sam Curran one in what was, for both, their first Vitality County Championship appearances of the summer.

Matty Hurst, with 46 from 64 balls, played Lancashire’s best and most assertive innings, while Balderson’s 33 and Josh Bohannon’s 26 were other worthy efforts in seam-friendly overhead and pitch conditions.

Wells went in the fourth over for 9, dragging an attempted off drive into his stumps against Clark, while Jennings looked aggrieved to be given out leg-before for 12, pushing forward to an inswinger from Worrall.



Flintoff did have some moments of good fortune, being dropped at third slip on 13 when he edged Tom Lawes and later also flailing a returning Worrall just over the cordon for four as lunch approached, but otherwise he looked comfortable at the crease and mature beyond his years as Lancashire reached lunch on 98 for three.

Bohannon had gone by then, chopping on to McKerr for 26, and unfortunately for Flintoff he sliced a drive at the first ball after lunch, and his 64th – from Clark – and saw Sai Sudharsan dive forward at backward point to scoop up a brilliant catch.

Hurst played some superb shots but was dropped by Clark from a skier on 45 before McKerr dived to his right to hold a magnificent low catch at leg slip in Curran’s next over and from 155 for four the Lancashire first innings fizzled out as Worrall, McKerr and Clark combined to overpower the tail.

Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, on his championship debut, played one memorable cover drive before optimistically jumping down the pitch to swing at Worrall and edge behind while Balderson, playing defensively, nicked the same bowler to first slip.

McKerr’s pace and lift did for Tom Hartley, caught at the wicket for 5, and only some defiance from Tom Aspinwall – who hooked McKerr for six and extra cover drove him for four in a bright 23 not out – took Lancashire past 200 before they lost both Josh Boyden, who lifted a simple catch to mid off on 5, and Will Williams, caught behind, from successive deliveries from Clark.

[oldhamexile]

Just to add to Marky's excellent match report I was disgusted with Iyer's dismissal. I don't normally use such strong language but I was just flabbergasted at on overseas pro, who hasn't scored a run worth the mention for Lancashire in any meaningful comp, tossing his wicket away like that, five down, against the champions in their own backyard. Also to do it against such a gun bowler as Worrall, arguably the best bowler in the comp, words fail me.

At least the performances of Flintoff and Boyden give room for cautious optimism for the future. I enjoyed Boyden's opening spell, barely a bad ball in the first over and some testing ones too. We were very unlucky not to take a wicket before the batters settled and the ball softened.

The Oval really is an excellent place to watch cricket and as Des said, the second deck of the pavilion is pretty much as good as it gets as a viewing platform.

My partner had to make a phone call during the afternoon about her son's GCSE results and a steward offered to open a room to give her some privacy! This is consistent with the courteous and friendly treatment you get as a customer/supporter/member at the Oval.

[man in the stand]

Good start for Lancs 2 wickets...just need to get Burns out. On reflection I think I would have gone for Boyden or Aspinwall but not both...

[Admin]

Sounds like we have some raucous support there

[Rob]

Bairstow also playing for Yorks despite playing every game of the 100.

[Admin]

Getting ominous meanwhile Worcestershire in great position

[Dave Towers]

Well if the games at the Oval and Worcester go the way they LOOK like they are going to go, the bottom will look something like this:

Worcs 114
Lancs 102
Kent 69

Warks would still be in the mix but have already gone to 100 with the bonus points, so basically we’re in the brown stuff.

Mind you, the lunchtime forecast I saw seemed dreadful for the south tomorrow, (and I don’t think even WE can lose today).

[lancsdes]

The Surrey commentators keep on saying it is brave of Lancs to field young players but it calls to mind Humphrey saying “ That’s a brave decision Prime Minister “ meaning it is a vote loser.

[Admin]

Burns Highest score beating 219 v Hampshire

[Admin]

444-9 dec

[alanw]

Rain seems to be our only hope.

[redandrosy]

Surrey have won the last two championships and are odds on to win it again.

Therefore are they not the blueprint of how to win the title when so little of its played in summer?

They play four or five seamers who bowl at a decent pace. Their spin options are from players who get in the side as batsmen. If the wicket really takes spin they can do the job if it doesn't why waste overs bowling spinners? The seamers are far more effective.

The next most successful team in the ladt few years is probably Hampshire who also have three main seamers who take a high proportion of their wickets. Their spin option Dawson, is a front line batsman and Crane is out on loan.

Lyon is probably the best spinner in the world but in an English spring was no more than a steady contributor rather than a match winner. He had one four for but would have been on big wages. I know he was due to be here all summer but he ate up so much of our budget that we could only afford Tom Bruce and Mitch Stanley.

Having seen Surrey's approach why did Chilton think he would buck this trend?

I wonder if spinners that bat number 11 will soon be as rare as wicket keepers who don't bat in the top 7. What is the point in them? A decent seamer will usually be more effective now the hundred dominates high summer.

Iyer Bruce and Stanley have been dreadful signings. De Grandhomme the same last year. To be fair Chris Green was excellent and I liked Darryl Mitchell although we didn't have him for long enough.

If Gidney is cutting the budget for the county side and we go down I wonder if a domestic long term signing would be a better use of resources than some of these overseas players.