Amar Virdi’s special spell (8/65) ensured that Surrey dominated Middlesex in the field on day two of their Second XI friendly at Guildford, ultimately securing a lead of 83 runs over their opponents.
The well-contested two-day fixture was eventually drawn but only after Nick Kimber (68) and Tim Lloyd (54*) had smashed blistering half-centuries in the second innings, negating Blake Cullen’s impressive opening spell, where he took four early wickets. Closing on 159/5, Surrey were 242 runs ahead of Middlesex by stumps.
Resuming play on 13/0 in the morning, Middlesex’s openers Jack Davies and Josh de Caires added just 12 runs before James Taylor, who asked probing questions from the visitors all day, got the first breakthrough, getting de Caires caught by Lloyd at square leg for ten.
Wicketkeeper Robbie White (ten) then walked to the middle to accompany Davies but soon enough Virdi found the edge of White’s bat that was pouched by Conor McKerr in the first slip, leaving Middlesex 51/2.
Surrey and Virdi kept the visitors on their toes throughout the innings, continually stopping partnerships before they could develop into significant stands. When the visitors reached 73/2, the off-spinner found the gap between captain Joe Cracknell’s bat-pad and clean bowled him in a manner any spinner would be very proud of.
Next batter to join opener Davies was Martin Andersson, and the two of them steadied Middlesex’s ship and added 50 runs together, pulling Middlesex to 123/3. However, in the last over before lunch, Virdi spoilt the visitor’s good work when he got Davies caught in the slips by McKerr for a battling 58.
The Three Feathers began the afternoon session just how they concluded the morning one as Virdi pinned Nathan Fernandes lbw for one and picked up his fourth, with Middlesex 125/5.
From there on, incoming Daniel O’Driscoll and Andersson offered much-needed resistance as the visitors ticked along to 164/5 before Virdi removed the latter on 48 and completed his five-for.
Blake Cullen, the latest Middlesex batter, combined O’Driscoll for 43 more Middlesex runs before pacer Nathan Barnwell disrupted their budding partnership by getting Cullen caught down the leg for 19.
With the visitors on 220/7, Virdi having already put in an excellent shift at Guildford, made it even better when he ran through Middlesex’s tail inside five runs, dismissing Toby Greatwood (four), O’Driscoll (44) and Ishaan Kaushal (0) and finishing with an incredible 8/65.
Surrey started their second innings 83 runs ahead of their opponents as captain Ben Geddes and Sheridon Gumbs strolled out to the middle.
The Three Feathers were treated to an opening spell of the highest order by pacer Cullen, who repeatedly got the ball to sharply nip both ways from good areas, as he swifty got the wickets of Geddes (six), Nico Reifer (0), Gumbs (14) and McKerr (nine)
On 37/4, Kimber and Lloyd found themselves at the crease. Despite the score, the duo played an expansive brand of cricket, hitting boundaries freely, and rapidly taking Surrey to 159/4 runs.
In the process, Kimber reached a stylish half-century from 53 balls while Lloyd needed one more delivery than his partner to cross the 50-run mark.
When de Caires took Kimber’s wicket for 68 off 70, the umpires decided to call it a day and this entertaining friendly at Guildford reached its close, with Surrey finishing with a lead of 242 runs.
A match report from day one can be found here.
