Advantage Durham

posted by John Winn

Cheered by the prospect of improving weather I made my way by train and bus this morning to The Riverside for the first day of the championship game between Durham and Surrey. Heartened by their narrow  victory over Middlesex two weeks ago this game presented Durham with the opportunity to move off the bottom of the table and overhaul their brown capped visitors.

Batting has been very difficult at The Riverside this season, especially for Durham's top order whose failings I have described in recent posts. At last today's side showed a change I have been urging, namely the dropping of Muchall who has been short of form, luck and runs and I cheered the news that we would see young Jennings in his place. As the Surrey openers came down the pavilion steps I was amazed to find skipper Batty had won the toss and chosen to bat, at least we would be spared the prospect of Durham losing three or four wickets before we could open our luncheon hampers.

We did see four batsmen return to the pavilion before lunch, Messrs Ansari, Burns, de Bruyn and Roy, not a top order to strike fear into a bowler's vitals, especially the likes of the in form Onions, Rushworth and Stokes who reduced Surrey to 67 for 4 at the interval. In pleasant sunshine I sat among plenty of familiar faces and was entertained by the usual eclectic conversation which even touched on cricket before returning to the intricacies of the Derbyshire Wayfarer ticket.

Things got no better for the visitors after lunch and although Jon Lewis with a few lusty blow helped his skipper add 37 for the eighth wicket Surrey were all out for 129, the sort of total that has been typical of Durham's first innings this season. Top wicket taker for Durham was Ben Stokes. Last year I suggested on the blog that Stokes might best forget his bowling and concentrate on his batting.I might need to alter my position on this issue.

Smith and Stoneman began Durham's reply but the latter soon fell to Dernbach and so, making his first class debut ,Jennings came to the crease. A somewhat streaky first ball four got him off the mark and seemed to help his confidence and he and Smith got through to tea at 32 for 1. My friend Peter Sixsmith had offered me a lift home which made a pleasant change from the two hour train/bus journey so I left with him at tea and we were disappointed that by the time we arrived at my house Durham had lost three further wickets and subsided to 58 for 4. Fortunately Collingwood and Benkenstein saw them to stumps without further loss and a deficit of just ten.

The forecast for the next few days is very good and it is hard to see the game extending into a fourth day. Depending on the match situation I may return on Thursday but will content myself with the twenty minute drive to Clifton Park tomorrow to see MCCU in action against Yorkshire II. Sun cream and deck chair will travel with me although I note from Brian's posting there were showers there today. Might just take the 'pac a mac' I inherited as part of a promotion for The Cricket Paper at the test match last week. The accompanying binoculars were collected by the bin men today