Ed Barnard led some determined resistance by the Warwickshire lower order after Surrey’s relentless seam attack, spearheaded by Jordan Clark, looked to have put the county champions in control at The Kia Oval.
Clark took four for 50 to help reduce Warwickshire to 167 for 6 but Barnard, unbeaten on 96 at stumps, shared stands of 55 with Michael Burgess and Aamer Jamal to help wrest back the initiative as his side reached 318 for 8, having been put in.
Much of the first day had unfolded like so many in recent years at The Kia Oval. Surrey bowled first on a green-tinged pitch offering good pace and carry and their seam attack worked their way steadily through the opposition batting.
There was some lavish swing with the new ball for Dan Worrall, who went wicketless despite beating the bat on numerous occasions, but Rob Yates and Alex Davies made serene early progress with Davies, the first division’s leading scorer, passing 500 runs as they rattled up 59 in 12 overs before Clark nipped one back into the right-hander with his 11th ball to make the breakthrough.
The returning Sean Abbott took just seven deliveries to make an impact, when he shaped one back into Yates’s pads and just before lunch Sam Hain, who was making his first appearance of the season, was undone by some clever bowling from Kemar Roach, who bowled a succession of inswingers before moving one enough off the seam the other way to take the edge.
After lunch, Clark picked up his second wicket when a quicker delivery trapped Dan Mousley on the crease working to leg. Clark struck again in the seventh over of a consistently probing spell from the Pavilion End by finding some extra bounce off a good length to end skipper Will Rhodes’ patient resistance, courtesy of a regulation catch at slip by former Bear Dom Sibley.
Roach returned shortly afterwards and needed just six balls to have Jacob Bethell held by Ollie Pope at second slip to leave Warwickshire in strife 167 for 6.
But Barnard was established by then and found a reliable ally in Burgess, who played all his age-group junior cricket in Surrey. They added 55 in 17 overs either side of tea with Barnard reaching his fifty with his sixth boundary when he slapped a full toss from Cameron Steel to square leg.
Clark broke the stand when Burgess got in a tangle and lost his leg stump as he played on but Jamal gave Barnard more solid support, even when Surrey took the new ball. He was on 25 when he tried to leave a delivery that flicked his glove and gave Abbott a wicket in his first over with the second new Dukes.
Pope hadn’t quite managed to hold on to a tough chance diving to his left at first slip when Barnard was on 76 – a rare misjudgement by the phlegmatic 28-year-old who has so far faced 156 balls and hit nine fours.
“The boys stuck in there pretty well and I think we’ll be happy where we’ve finished up.”
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) May 10, 2024
After picking up four wickets, @Clarksy16 spoke to @TheMiddleStump 🎤
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