Essex Second XI v Surrey Second XI

  

Essex team: Dan Lawrence (28), Jaik Mickleburgh (32), Liam Gough (11), Kishen Velani (8), Callum Taylor (67), Matthew Cross, Graham Napier (17), Aron Nijjar (19), Aaron Beard (14), Tom Moore (33), Jamie Porter (44), Matt Dixon (30).

Surrey team: Oliver Batchelor, Ryan Patel, Gary Wilson (14), James Burke (8), Olly Pope, Will Jacks, Conor McKerr, Matt Pillans. Freddie van den Bergh (5), Matt Dunn (4), Mark Footitt (6), Guramar Virdi.

 

Umpires: B J Debenham & I N Ramage

Scorers: J E Booth & P Parkinson

Toss: Surrey won the toss and decided to bat

Once again the weather had a deciding hand in a Second XI Championship match, with Essex’s run chase barely able to get to the lunch interval on Day 3.

Set 321 to win in a minimum of 80 overs, the wicket of Jaik Mickleburgh in the last over before the interval was the last action in the match.

Surrey elected to bat first and thanks to some tight bowling found it hard to find the boundary.  Graham Napier, returning from injury, made a double breakthrough in his 2^nd over; Oliver Batchelor well held at first slip by Kishen Velani, then Gary Wilson trapped leg before first ball.

James Burke took a more positive route, hitting 5 fours and a six in 52, as he and Olly Pope added 76 in 22 overs.  Tom Moore returned to dismiss Pope, one of three excellent leg-side catches for Matthew Cross, and Matt Dixon proved too good for Will Jacks and Burke on his way to 3-32.

Matt Pillans also played a positive innings, striking well down the ground, with 7 fours and 2 sixes in an unbeaten 66.  With assistance from the last three in the order, Pillans rescued the Surrey innings from 156-7 up to 252.

Essex didn’t find it any easier on the first evening, reaching 92-3 by the close; two wickets falling to the off-spin of Guramar Virdi (3-56), who found excessive turn.

Liam Gough was patient for his 36, but a flurry of wickets midway through the morning session, 2 for Matt Dunn (3-25), saw Essex struggling at 122-7.

Aron Nijjar (31) and Aaron Beard (22) put on 45 for the 8^th wicket, but the side was dismissed 60 runs behind at 192.

In contrast to what had gone before, Surrey’s opening pair of Batchelor and Ryan Patel eased their way to a stand of 121; the only troubling moment came from a Napier bouncer that struck Patel flush on the side of the helmet.

Batchelor lost his off-stump to Jamie Porter, and the unfortunate Wilson picked up a king-pair, falling to another leg-side catch by Cross to slow the momentum before rain ended play early on 143-2, a lead of 203.

Patel eventually fell on the third morning for a Championship-best 80, giving Dixon his 5^th wicket in the match.  Burke hit 6 fours and 2 sixes in his 2^nd 50 of the match, bludgeoning 97 in 10.1 overs with Pope, who added 4 sixes in his unbeaten 50.  This allowed Surrey to declare after an hour with a 320 run lead, but the run chase never materialised once the rain started during lunch.

CREDIT TO:http://www.essexcricket.org.uk/2016/06/30/match-report-essex-second-xi-v-surrey-second-xi/