STUMPS DAY 3: MIDDLESEX 395; SURREY 242 & 98-0
Off spinner Ollie Rayner took 6 for 79 as Surrey were forced to follow on against Middlesex at the Kia Oval – despite the support of around 4,500 local school children who created a vibrant atmosphere at the ground.
Surrey were bowled out for 242 by their London rivals in the Specsavers County Championship Division One match despite stubborn resistance from Ben Foakes, who finished 59 not out after five hours of unrelenting concentration, and Gareth Batty, with 38, but then reached 98 for no wicket from 45 overs in their second innings by the end of day three.
That is still a lead of 55 runs overall for Middlesex, but they were made to fight much harder than they might have expected by first Foakes and Batty and then by openers Rory Burns and Arun Harinath second time around.
At stumps Burns, who needed treatment on 30 when he was struck on the hand by a nasty lifter from James Harris, was 57 not out and Harinath was unbeaten on 37.
Burns and Harinath initially did well to survive testing new ball spells by Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones, and then the two left-handers continued to battle on against Rayner as he probed away into the rough on and outside their off stumps from around the wicket.
Rayner, who had match-winning career-best match figures of 15 for 118 when Middlesex last played Surrey at the Oval in the championship, in 2013, remains the chief threat on a pitch offering turn as well as some inconsistent bounce but Burns and Harinath have given their team fresh hope of salvaging a draw in a game that looked to be slipping away from them.
There were already three wickets under Rayner’s belt overnight, as Surrey resumed on a sickly 134 for 6 in reply to Middlesex’s 395, and the tall 30-year-old added the first innings scalps of Batty, Mat Pillans and last man Ravi Rampaul.
A crowd of almost 6,000 – a record for Surrey’s third annual Schools Day initiative – saw Tom Curran fall early on for 8, under-edging an attempted cut at seamer Harris to the keeper.
Batty, however, joined Foakes in a stand of 62 for the eighth wicket and made a spirited two-hour contribution from 100 balls before being lbw to Rayner as he tried to pull a ball which skidded on.
Pillans hit out for a run-a-ball 20 but then skied Rayner to a tumbling Harris at deep mid-wicket and Surrey were left three runs short of saving the follow on – and Foakes was left unbeaten after a 235-ball act of defiance, containing just one four – when Rampaul, batting with a runner because of a hamstring injury, was leg-before to Rayner for a duck.
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TEA DAY 3: MIDDLESEX 395; SURREY 242 & 36-0
Off spinner Ollie Rayner took 6 for 79 as Surrey were forced to follow on against Middlesex at the Kia Oval – despite the support of around 4,500 local schoolchildren who created a vibrant atmosphere at the ground.
Surrey were bowled out for 242 by their London rivals in the Specsavers County Championship Division One match despite stubborn resistance from Ben Foakes, with 59 not out, and Gareth Batty, who made 38, but had reached 36 without loss in their second innings by tea.
Middlesex, who still led by 117 runs overall, pressed hard with the new ball immediately before the interval but Surrey openers Rory Burns and Arun Harinath stood firm despite some playing and missing against Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones.
Rayner, however, who had match-winning career-best match figures of 15 for 118 when Middlesex last played Surrey at the Oval in the championship, in 2013, remains the chief threat on a pitch offering turn as well as some inconsistent bounce.
With three wickets under his belt overnight, as Surrey resumed on a sickly 134 for 6 in reply to Middlesex’s 395, Rayner added the scalps of Batty, Mat Pillans and last man Ravi Rampaul.
A third day crowd of almost 6,000 – a record for Surrey’s third annual Schools Day initiative – saw Tom Curran fall early on for 8, under-edging an attempted cut at James Harris to the keeper.
Batty, however, joined Foakes in a stand of 62 for the eighth wicket and made a spirited 38 before being lbw to Rayner as he tried to pull a ball which skidded on.
Pillans hit out for a run-a-ball 20 but then skied Rayner to a tumbling Harris at deep mid-wicket and Surrey were left three runs short of saving the follow on – and Foakes was left unbeaten after a 235-ball act of defiance – when Rampaul, batting with a runner because of a hamstring injury, was leg-before to Rayner for a duck.
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LUNCH DAY 3: MIDDLESEX 395; SURREY 200-7
Ben Foakes and Gareth Batty delighted a crowd of just under 6,000 at the Kia Oval by hauling Surrey to 200 for 7 in the London derby against Middlesex.
The attendance for the third day of the Specsavers County Championship Division One match was boosted by the vibrant presence of around 4,500 local schoolchildren. It is the third year of Surrey’s Schools Day initiative, and has resulted in a record crowd for the event.
Assuming most of the kids support Surrey, they would have been disappointed to see Tom Curran dismissed in the morning’s seventh over after the home side had resumed in some trouble at 134 for 6 in reply to Middlesex’s 395.
Curran, bottom-edging to the keeper an attempted cut at James Harris’s fast medium, departed for 8. But, after that, it was better news for the home support as Batty joined Foakes, on 22 overnight, in a determined show of defiance. So far they have added 49 in 25 overs to hold up Middlesex.
Foakes, indeed, has hit just one four from 182 balls’ resistance but is batting with great skill and resolve on a pitch taking turn and offering some inconsistent bounce. Batty, with five fours, has been the main aggressor in the stand with 30 not out from 79 balls.
