Buck claims first Championship wicket in draw at Surrey

Date: Monday 03 August 2009

Final Report: Surrey (10 pts) 608-4 dec (Ramprakash 274, Walters 188, Afzaal 70*) drew with Leicestershire (8 pts) 593-5dec (Taylor 207*, du Toit 100*, Dippenaar 86, Ackerman 75, New 53, Smith 46) and 23-0 dec

Mark Ramprakash and Stewart Walters shared a record-breaking stand as Surrey and Leicestershire played out a draw on the final day of the Championship match at The Oval.

Ramprakash (274) and acting captain Walters (188) put on 404 for the third wicket, which was a record partnership for any Surrey wicket against Leicestershire in the history of the game.

It was another day of hard yakka for County’s bowlers, with Nathan Buck rewarded for a promising debut with the notable scalp of Ramprakash.

Claude Henderson took the other wicket to fall in the day – that of Walters – but it was certainly not a match to remember for the bowlers in general.

In total, 1224 runs were scored for the loss of just nine wickets, with three batsmen making 669 between them.

Only one session of play was lost to weather, which meant that not even a wicket a session was averaged on a pitch that was perfect for batting.

In the morning’s play today, it was pretty much a replica of the majority of day here as Ramprakash and Walters booked in.

County started with a relatively new ball but both batsmen reembedded themselves at the wicket and continued to construct their stand.

After an opening burst from Buck and AJ Harris, Henderson was bought on to tie down an end and the slow left armer fulfilled his role dutifully.

However, with just slow spin on offer in general and little assistance for the seamers, it was another day where the bowlers’ patience was severely tested.

It was certainly a match for batting milestones and the final day was no different.

Firstly, Walters moved to his second Championship hundred in two games from 238 balls with 12 fours and a six.

The 300-run stand and team tally of 400 also came up within the 120 overs which meant Surrey claimed their full allocation of batting bonus points.

In that time, Ramprakash moved past his double-hundred from 309 balls. At that point, the innings contained no fewer than 30 fours and a six, with the batsman again demonstrating his talents against Leicestershire.

The duo upped the ante during the period before lunch, with Boeta Dippenaar rotating the bowlers from the Pavilion End.

He tried Jacques du Toit and James Taylor and even turned his arm over himself in a bid to break the stand, but there was nothing doing from the home batsmen.

Ramprakash bought up his 250 from the 352nd ball faced in his dig, adding another seven fours between his double-century and this landmark.

He continued to find the boundary – including three fours off his legs before lunch – and went in at the interval with a triple-century very much a possibility.

The batter was on 271 at that stage with Walters unbeaten on 149, but Buck struck straight after the interval to give County a welcome relief.

The 18-year-old had probed away manfully during the innings and finally gained reward when Ramprakash attempted a cut off a ball that was too short for the stroke.

Buck was delighted with his scalp and boy, was his first Championship wicket hard-earned and well-deserved in equal measure.

Walters moved to 150 from 320 balls shortly after Ramprakash’s wicket and the team were now hoping that an opportunity was there for some more success.

What the team didn’t need was Usman Afzaal continuing his outstanding form this season – but that is exactly what they got.

He started ominously with well-timed strokes through covers and mid-on and helped add Walters add 84 for the fourth wicket.

The captain had passed his highest score for the county earlier in the day but missed out on a double-hundred as Henderson claimed another wicket.

The tweaker worked tirelessly for the cause in sending down 64 overs and created problems throughout. His accuracy and patience was rewarded when a ball turned and bounced sharply and Walters edged a catch through to HD Ackerman at slip.

That wicket proved to be the last of the game as Surrey declared later on 608-4. Walters then invited County to bat again as the home side needed to drag back their over rate.

The prospect of a second bowl on the featherbed must have filled Surrey’s hearts with joy, but fortunately for the hosts, they only had to send down nine overs before the captains shook hands on the inevitable draw.

All that remained was for County to ensure they built a lead of some description by 4.50pm.

Greg Smith (14*) and Matthew Boyce (8*) duly obliged, ensuring the bowlers did not get the wicket tally into double figures for the game by closing on 23-0.

Leics took eight points away from the match, with Surrey claiming ten. However, the team also took other tangible success from the game; not least the brilliance of James Taylor, the general all-round batting and the promising debut of Buck.

The side also stuck to their task in the field, with a lack of wickets down to the quality of the pitch rather than the want of trying.

There is little time to recover for the team as they travel to Colwyn Bay tomorrow in preparation for the Championship game against Glamorgan that starts on Wednesday.

It is the second of five four-day games this month, so County will hope to build on the promising signs here during their gruelling August schedule.