No play on Day 4. Match drawn.
Both sides were left frustrated by a final day washout as Surrey’s Specsavers County Championship Division One match against London rivals Middlesex was abandoned as a draw.
Heavy late morning rain gave parts of the outfield no chance of drying out in the time left in the game, and it was called off shortly after 3.30pm. Surrey had been due to resume on 98 without loss in their second innings, still 55 runs behind Middlesex after being asked to follow on yesterday with off spinner Ollie Rayner taking 6 for 79 in their first innings of 242.
Middlesex head coach Richard Scott said: “It’s very disappointing. We drove this game right from the off and we played some excellent cricket throughout. I suppose it’s been a pleasing week in that regard, and we can’t do anything about the weather.”
But Surrey captain Gareth Batty countered: “If there had been a full day’s cricket, it could have been very interesting. Once we had got past them and into a lead, we might have built a position from which to put them under pressure in the conditions.
“Both Rory Burns and Arun Harinath played exceptionally well last night, and at 98 for no wicket we had a decent platform. We under no illusions, because this is a tough division and a great one to play in, but we are fighting hard and getting used to the fact that you have to fight for the full four days if you want to be successful."
Scott added: “I am very pleased to see Ollie Rayner take his six wickets in their first innings. It will give him a lot of confidence and he can crack on from this. It’s tough for spinners in our championship. But the pitch did not seem to deteriorate as much as we thought it would do yesterday. Ollie didn’t seem to get as much bounce as he did in their first innings – the surface just seemed to go dead.”
Middlesex were also frustrated that, even though they had made Surrey follow on and had been in charge for most of the first three days, they ended up taking just one more point from the contest than Surrey. Middlesex, for whom this was a fifth draw from five championship games this season, take 10 points while Surrey received nine.
