A look at everything that happened on the first day of play between Surrey and Gloucestershire at The Kia Oval in the LV= County Championship.
WHAT HAPPENED
A captain’s innings of 103 not out by Hashim Amla guided Surrey to 285 for 5 on the opening day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match against Group 2 leaders Gloucestershire at the Kia Oval.
Amla batted serenely for five hours, facing 200 balls, although slow left arm spinner Tom Smith – who wheeled away without reward for 23 overs – was distraught to see Miles Hammond at slip fail to hold an edged cut when the former South Africa batsman had made 76.
Jamie Overton scored a responsible unbeaten 50, adding an unbroken 104 with Amla for the sixth wicket to ensure it was Surrey’s day, while Ryan Patel also passed fifty. Left arm paceman David Payne, who reached 300 first-class wickets, was the pick of a persevering Gloucestershire attack, but the Amla drop might prove a key moment in the game.
Patel and Mark Stoneman put on 50 for the first wicket, until Stoneman was perhaps a little unfortunate to be given out lbw for 22 to a fullish ball from seamer Ryan Higgins, which pitched on leg stump from around the wicket but did not appear to be straightening enough to the left-hander.
Amla, leading Surrey for the first time, added 55 with Patel either side of lunch as Surrey took early control, but three wickets in eight overs in the first hour after the interval brought Gloucestershire back into the match.
Patel, who had needed on-field attention after being hit on the helmet on 16 ducking into a skiddy bouncer from Dan Worrall, pulled Payne for two fours and also slashed the bustling Worrall square for another of his ten boundaries.
But, having reached an attractive 62 from 113 balls, he edged to slip a ball from Payne that bounced a little more than expected and Payne then cleverly angled one across Jamie Smith to give a second catch in the cordon for Kraigg Brathwaite.
Smith made only 2 and Laurie Evans, after one glorious extra cover four off Payne, departed for 6 when Matt Taylor squared him up from around the wicket with a superb ball snicked to keeper Jonny Tattersall.
At 133 for 4 Surrey were suddenly wobbling, having chosen to bat first on a pitch used for their rain-affected previous championship fixture against Middlesex and expected to take increasing turn.
But Will Jacks helped Amla to add 48, driving Taylor for offside fours off both front and back foot in his 24 before unluckily dragging a widish ball from Higgins into his stumps in the penultimate over before tea.
You can also hear a review of today’s play on our podcast later this evening!
SCORECARD & LIVE CLIPS
Click here to see the full scorecard with clips of each key moment available to view too.
TEAM LINEUPS
Surrey XI: Patel, Stoneman, Amla, Smith, Evans, Jacks, Overton, Abbott, Clarke, Moriarty Virdi
Gloucestershire XI: Brathwaite, Dent, Hammond, Lace, Cockbain, Higgins, Tattersall†, Smith, Taylor, Payne, Worrall
ELSEWHERE IN GROUP 2
Middlesex are at Leicestershire’s Uptonsteel County Ground this week.
Every Surrey home match will be available to view either on kiaoval.com or Sky Sports this season. Away matches will be streamed by the county hosting the match and shared here where possible.
The best way to get your seat at The Kia Oval is with a 2021 Membership, starting from £69 for adults and £20 for U16s.
