Sharks top Brown Caps in Hove

22 June 2009

Surrey Brown Caps fell to their fourth defeat of this year’s Twenty20 Cup, losing by six wickets to the Sussex Sharks at the County Ground in Hove.

After captain Usman Afzaal won the toss and decided to bat, Surrey were quickly one down when the skipper tried to pull his first ball over the leg side and only managed to top edge a catch to James Kirtley.

However, as soon as Mark Ramprakash walked to the crease to replace Afzaal, the players left the field when it became clear that two of the four Hove floodlights were not working.

Following an extended break of around 35 minutes, the players returned to the crease and continued the game – with no overs lost to the technical hitch – and Ramprakash and Newman quickly found the centre of their bats and got Surrey off to a flyer.

The first over from Luke Wright saw Newman dispatch one ball into the hospitality area behind the leg side boundary for a maximum and smash another four via a powerful crisp straight drive.

Ramprakash got into the action off the next over, taking two more fours off Robin Martin-Jenkins, before Newman fell trying to push into the leg side and looping a simple catch to Rory Hamilton-Brown at mid wicket.

With Stewart Walters his new partner, Ramprakash continued his forward momentum, crunching Luke Wright for three seemingly effortless fours through the off side and Surrey raced to 38-2 off four overs.

Martin-Jenkins struck again next over, taking the crucial wicket of Ramprakash, who was superbly caught at point by West Indian Dwayne Smith, diving low to take a tricky but crucial catch.

With both quick starters back in the pavilion, the Brown Caps began to struggle to keep up their rapid early rate and although Walters and Matthew Spriegel ran well between the wickets, the relaxation of the fielding regulations after six overs and the introduction of the Sussex spinners enabled Michael Yardy to slowly strangle the Surrey innings.

Walters and Spriegel were hitting the ball well but struggled to find the boundaries and a succession of tight overs from Yardy, Piyush Chawla and Dwayne Smith saw the Brown Caps 76/3 after twelve overs before Yardy, in his final over, accounted for them both – Spriegel caught at long off by Dwayne Smith and Walters bowled next ball trying to get the ball away on the off side.

Chris Schofield and James Benning were the new batsmen and Benning was accounted for next over, pushing forward to Chawla and being bowled for one. Chris Jordan next partnered Schofield and lasted an over before himself being bowled by Chawla.

Gary Wilson was next to fall, caught and bowled by Rory Hamilton-Brown without scoring, but a late cameo from burly South African Andre Nel – taking 18 off Hamilton Brown’s final over – saw Surrey end on 123 all out with Nel bowled off the final ball for a vital 19 off 13 balls.

The Sharks started their chase very well, with England star Luke Wright and Zimbabwean Murray Goodwin combining good running between the wickets and power hitting to reach 38-0 after the six powerplay overs, the pick of which was an excellent over from Nel that went for just two.

Goodwin and Wright put on 71 together before the England man went from the first ball of Afzaal’s first over, well stumped by Gary Wilson attempting an up pitch sweep.

Another England star, Matt Prior was next in and quickly hit eleven before becoming the second man down, LBW to Chris Schofield and Surrey then struck again next over, Goodwin bowled by Stewart Walters for 38.

There was a chink of light for Surrey when the new man Rory Hamilton-Brown, emboldened by an initial big hit, tried to smash Afzaal into the Cromwell Road and only found the bucket hands of Andre Nel at deep mid off.

However, with Dwayne Smith continuing to score quickly and Sussex having a wealth of batting options to offer him support, the Sharks were comfortable and eventually ran out victors by six wickets with three overs and one ball left to bat when Smith smashed Schofield through mid on for four.

The Brown Caps are next in action on Wednesday evening at the Brit Oval when they play the Kent Spitfires with the game starting at 5.30pm.