That is stumps at the Oval, on what emphatically became Middlesex’s day. Enjoy your evening, folks, and speak in the morning.
Roy is gone, having batted beautifully. After a long spell for Rayner, Voges speculatively tossed the ball to Malan to toss up a few leggies as the day wound down. But second ball - his first to Roy - has seen him just prod it to short leg. Looked a probing length but nothing madly threatening. Burke in now and Surrey in strife.
Roy, all of a sudden and after a gritty start, is batting like a dream once more.
Jason Roy has just hit one of *those* PPV straight drives again. #countycricketlive
— Vithushan (@Vitu_E) May 16, 2016
Updated
Just occurred to me that I’m watching not just a London derby, but a rare cable-knit derby too. Always good to see. Only three teams in Div One still in proper sweaters - Middlesex, Surrey and Somerset. Roy is currently batting in his sleeveless number, while various Middlesex fielders are donning theirs.
Since tea, another wicket has fallen at the Oval, and it was a rather soft one for Steve Davies. He snatched at Murtagh and got a top-edge into the legside, which saw Paul Stirling run back - a fair distance - and take over his shoulder. It was a very, very fine catch. Since, Roy and Foakes have played with the restraint the situation has required, but Middlesex aren’t giving them an inch.
Tea at the County Ground, and nothing has happened to dispel the notion that unless something untoward happens with the pitch, this match is heading for a stalemate. At the moment Alex Wakeley and the opener Jake Libby have put together an unbroken second wicket stand of 118. Aside from the occasional play and miss, neither batsman has looked troubled.
According to the sage Peter Willey, this surface is by no means the norm here. Were it so, and I were a bowler here, I would hand in my chips and find another job.
And that’s tea at the Oval. Didn’t expect to be typing this, but Ollie Rayner has turned that session on its head. He got Burns and Harinath in an over, then did for Sangakkara a few minutes later. Davies has made a fine start - beating third man with an upper cut off Rojo (who has also bowled well) - while Roy sent his first ball, from the same bowler, whistling through wide midwicket for four of the best runs you’ll see. Worth six or eight, surely. It’s 68-3 and, interestingly, the last ball of the session stayed very low outside Davies’ off-stump. Should be a cracker from here.
Ollie Rayner - who is bowling really very well here, at the ground he specialises in - cannot believe his luck. He’s just got Kumar Sangakkara out with the last ball of an over the great Sri Lankan had just prodded and left respectfully, and run off to the catch - Tim Murtagh at point - whooping and hollering in delight. He’s miscued a half-hearted drive - was he done in the flight?! - and Murtagh took an easy catch. Scenes, I tell you. Scenes: Rayner is one-fifth of his way to his 15-fer.
Worth noting that we have another really good crowd at the Oval today. There were 3,000 in yesterday, and I’d guess that while there’s probably only half that today, it is a Monday.
Bit of movement around the grounds, I see. Notts now four down and a fair way off Warks (another Read rescue job on the cards?), Sussex have lost a couple to Worcs and Glamorgan are level with Gloucs with half their wickets still standing. Think (read: hope) we’ll see a few more results this round.
Updated
Oh, Surrey. Rayner - on the sight of his 15-fer three years ago - has come on to bowl some of his lovely apologetic offies. It’s the first ball of his third over and runs have been hard to come by, so Burns looks to turn him hard to leg, but gets a leading edge and it just loops up to Dawid Malan, who doesn’t need to move at mid-off. Then, after a massive appeal for LBW against the young Sri Lankan overseas, Sangakkara, Harinath is pinned leg before two balls later. After a very sleepy start to the session, we have ourselves a game. Sangakkara and Davies at the crease.
Yorkshire bowlers: Brooks 0-106, Plunkett 0-87, Patterson 2-80, Rhodes 1-70, Lyth 0-41, Rashid 4-160 #SOMvYOR
— Graham Hardcastle (@tykestravels) May 16, 2016
Hello, hello. Intriguing first 13 overs of the Surrey innings here. The Middlesex fielders have been extremely loud, and with good reasons, because Murtagh and RoJo have had the Surrey openers playing and missing and fending and fishing but, as yet, have had no luck. A couple of huge appeals, and just 20 runs scored. Good, hard cricket as people who like cliches say. Harris on for a trundle now.
There is an opportunity now for a Northamptonshire batsman or two to fill their boots, having seen Joe Denly become the latest this season to help himself to a double century. But it won’t be Ben Duckett, who flat-batted a widish ball from Darren Stevens straight to Sean Dickson at cover point, and then stood there in disbelief at what he had done. Missed out, is what he had done. Northants have gone in to lunch now on 17 for one in reply to Kent’s 396.
Denly carried on whence he had left off yesterday, and was able to add a further 90 runs to his overnight 116 before Rory Kleinveldt claimed the last wicket. It was an increasingly violent innings, with his fourth half century coming in just 34 balls. In all , in just over seven hours, he hit 25 fours and two sixes and made scarcely a mistake. He can thank the contribution of Matt Hunn who the scorebook will show made only 3 from 46 balls, contributed nonetheless to a ninth wicket stand of 68 that saw Kent to a further batting point while depriving Northants of one for bowling.
The innings had seen a long bowl for Monty Panesar, and there was nothing discreditable about his final figures of 40-8-122-3. Monty taking over one end would be a huge help to Northants.
More for Dan Lawrence enthusiasts here...
Just look at the wrists on @Lawrenc28Daniel. The youngster brought up his second FC 💯 earlier for @EssexCricket pic.twitter.com/ypvo62CHNU
— County Championship (@CountyChamp) May 16, 2016
Just as a few of us here in the press area were talking about Surrey being forced to take the extra half-hour, Tim Murtagh’s joyous innings has been brought to a close as he played all around a full ball and was bowled to become James Burke’s third wicket. RoJo finished unbeaten on 44 - playing brilliantly - as Middlesex were all out for 395. Looks a pretty good total to me. Hard to disagree with the former Guardian man here:
main conclusion of the morning is that T Roland-Jones a very good number 10. Middlesex finally all out 395, TRJ 44no with 2 sixes
— Andy Wilson (@andywiz) May 16, 2016
Here at the Oval, Tim “the Lambeth Lara” Murtagh and particularly Toby Roland-Jones are having the time of their life. RoJo has played some outrageous strokes, and just plonked Batty into the new Peter May Stand for six. He has 37, and Middlesex have moved to 380-9, which is looking like an increasingly good score with Batty getting some turn and Curran having found both reverse and conventional swing these first two days. Middlesex have the stronger bowling attack, and the 82 added so far today seem like vital, vital runs.
For those of you who are Dan Lawrence enthusiasts (and those of you who aren’t should be), try this for size. Another ton for the youngster...
#Wrists pic.twitter.com/CJJdZR1e7C
— Vithushan (@Vitu_E) August 17, 2015
Guys, if you read one thing today, make it this interview with Jonny Bairstow by the peerless Don McRae. Goes into fairly excruciating detail about the death of his father, his mother’s illness and his early career. I might have shed a little tear or two here at the Oval.
Updated
Here’s Batty getting Franklin...
Watch Gareth Batty bowl James Franklin for 32 https://t.co/oRbM2R3NC3
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) May 16, 2016
What fine timing that is from Gareth Batty, who has bowled very well these last two days. In the 109th over, he’s bowled Franklin through the gate for 32 to get Surrey a valuable third bowling point. And they really deserve it. I expect Rojo to give it some humpty in the company of Dial M for Murtagh here.
No sooner than I typed my praise of (Marcos?) RoJo’s bowling, than he’s into bat, as Curran - who has toiled and toiled and deserved the wicket - bowled Harris. Franklin had lumped Batty down the ground for six the previous over. Middlesex are not going to get a fourth batting point, I don’t think.
The ever-entertaining Gary Naylor is back with his weekly look across the shires. Great to see him giving Simon Kerrigan the credit he deserves. Toby Roland-Jones, too: I haven’t seen many better uncapped bowlers about. Great flat pitch bowler even if his run-up gives you long enough to make a cup of tea. Enjoy.
Good day for Tom Curran yesterday, and he’s bowling well again today. Players remain immensely proud upon receipt of a county cap.
Undoubtably the proudest day of my career. Feel truly honoured to have been awarded my County cap yesterday🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/JnFjHFXDwI
— Tom Curran (@_TC59) May 16, 2016
Five wickets for Tom Bailey at CLS! Great to see. Hopefully someone can stick around with Colly to see him through to a second ton of the season. No messing around from Nottinghamshire this morning, I see. You’d think they are pretty peeved with themselves for letting Warwickshire get away yesterday. On Hildreth ploughs at Taunton, despite being dropped.
We had an eventful Curran over after I said Middlesex had settled nicely. Harris nicked just short of first slip and then Franklin came perilously close to nicking behind, and Foakes threw the stumps down off the same ball. Not out, but both looked pretty close from where I’m sat which, admittedly, is the sort of view that would give me no authority on either. What I’m saying is that I’m guessing.
Updated
Solid start for Middlesex here. Batting conditions still pretty great and, while Curran and Pillans have started well, Middlesex - who bat really very deep with RoJo in next - have got themselves a third batting point.
Big, confident caught behind shout by Patterson and the slips is turned down by the umpire. Hildreth survives #SOMvYOR
— Graham Hardcastle (@tykestravels) May 16, 2016
I notice Selve mentions Adam Rossington’s glovework. I covered Northants’ rather dispiriting defeat to Essex a few weeks ago and was very struck by his work with the bat and gloves. He counter-attacked brilliantly, and has all the strokes, but there was a quite incredible legside stumping off the seamers which really stuck in the memory. Unlike some of his team-mates, he’s lost some timber, too.
Another sparkling morning at the County Ground where Kent continue their innings. Joe Denly will resume on 126 and as I write this has increased that by four, belting Monty Panesar’s opening delivery to the extra cover boundary. Northants did well to keep Kent in check and take wickets on what is a pretty heartbreaking pitch.
But it did necessitate one of the day’s highlights for me which was watching the wicketkeeping of Adam Rossington. His glove work was outstanding all day, but particularly when standing up to the seam of Azharullah. Some of the leg side takes were breathtaking.
Well good morning from the Oval, where the sun is just sneaking through after an hour or so of leaden skies. Good timing, because play starts in a matter of minutes. When I went for my morning run (rare, I know) at 8am, the weather was beautiful, but it all went rather grey for a while.
Anyway, we have a fine day in prospect: I reckon Middlesex should want 400 at least, but Surrey have a new ball (but no Ravi Rampaul, who has a hamstring strain) that is just nine deliveries old. Some very vocal warming up this morning by both sides this morning, so they are up for “The London Derby”, as some people call it.
Elsewhere, Mike Selvey has one more day at Northants before heading to Leeds, so there is some more Monty-watch. In Division Two, Worcestershire commence in a very strong position against Sussex, while Glamorgan are rather surprisingly in charge in Bristol. Essex ticked along rather slowly against Derbyshire, but there’s no question they are totally in charge of that game.
Lots of BTL favourites did well in Division One. At Taunton against the Yorkies, Marcus Trescothick, Chris Rogers, then James Hildreth piled them on, while at Edgbaston, Jonathan Trott, Chris Woakes and Keith Barker rescued Warwickshire from a hole against Notts. Finally, up at Durham, Badger Borthwick and Paul Collingwood were in the runs, which, frankly, is lovely news.
Anyway, the sun is now actually out, so I’m going to sit outside. Look forward to hearing from you all BTL. Enjoy the cricket.
Morning all,
Today we have Will Macpherson at Surrey v Middlesex and Mike Selvey at Northamptonshire v Kent. Here are their reports from yesterday:
Surrey v Middlesex
Northamptonshire v Kent
Enjoy the cricket
