A look at everything that happened on the first day of play between Gloucestershire and Surrey at Bristol in the LV= County Championship.
WHAT HAPPENED
Hashim Amla top scored for Surrey as they began their LV Insurance County Championship with a rain affected day against Gloucestershire in Bristol. 220/9 was the score when rain eventually won out and saw an end to the day 26 overs short of the scheduled allotment.
After losing the toss, Surrey were asked to bat first. That decision proved a wise one for Gloucestershire early on as they removed openers Rory Burns (caught for 4) and Mark Stoneman (lbw for 8) to leave Surrey 12/2.
Ollie Pope played a few trademark exquisite drives but it was that shot that proved his downfall when he was caught for 22. Amla saw Pope come and go but remained resolute himself until he played around a straight one and was lbw for 56.
Gloucestershire’s bowlers pitched the ball up and targeted the stumps throughout the day. That meant many of Surrey’s runs were scored through drives but also that bowled and leg before wicket were likely methods of dismissal.
Ben Foakes was the third man out lbw, for 26, beaten by one from Higgins that nipped back, and Jordan Clark, sharply held by wicketkeeper James Bracey standing up to Higgins for 8, quickly fell to leave Surrey in a hole at 144 for six.
From which point regret might linger for Gloucestershire as Jamie Overton made a streaky 40 – edging Payne just wide of second slip and Scott also narrowly past at catcher at takeable height. He went on to flick Shaw to fine leg to raise a batting point but eventually fell dragging Payne into his off stump trying to force off the back foot.
Jamie Smith also lost his off stump, for 20, to one that nipped back from Shaw and the same delivery accounted for Gus Atkinson in just his third first-class match. Reece Topley and Amar Virdi will resume in the morning, hoping to add as many runs as possible to Surrey’s overnight score of 220/9.
SCORECARD
Click here to see the full scorecard.
TEAM LINEUPS
Surrey XI: Burns, Stoneman, Amla, Pope, Foakes, Smith, Clark, Overton, Atkinson, Topley, Virdi
Gloucestershire XI: Bracey, Dent, Lace, van Buuren, Hankins, Higgins, Taylor, Scott, Payne, Taylor, Shaw
MILESTONES REACHED
- Reece Topley’s Surrey first-class debut
- Josh Shaw’s 100th first-class wicket
SHOT OF THE DAY
ELSEWHERE IN GROUP 2
Middlesex batted first against Somerset at Lord’s, with Sam Robson the stand out batsman making 165.
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