Clinical Surrey trump Somerset

Surrey's defence of their CB40 title began in fine style tonight with an impressively efficient 105 run win over Somerset.

Somerset won the toss and under leaden skies chose to bowl first. Surrey, who selected a middle order spin trio of Spriegel, Ansari and Batty, omitted Jacques Rudolph who was relegated to twelfth man duties. Character building I'm sure.

Somerset didn't bowl especially badly but neither did their bowling carry much of a threat. Hamilton-Brown and Davies played good, sensible cricket but scored at a very healthy rate. Their partnership reached 163 in just the 22nd over before Trego bowled Davies for 72. The 2010 vintage RHB-Davies partnership was well and truly back.

Hamilton-Brown carried on his merry way but Jason Roy, looking to continue to force the pace was LBW to legspinner Max Waller for 12, looking to reverse sweep. The skipper went to an excellent hundred from just 87 balls before he tried one big shot too many and was caught on the long off boundary. It was another impressive innings of substance from our standout performer of 2012.

De Bruyn and Maynard called the powerplay and kept the rate ticking over nicely before both got out when well set. Ansari, Spriegel and Batty all contributed to a spritely end to the innings and Somerset's target was a steep-looking 296 runs.

The pitch was good but timing the ball wasn't as easy as Hamilton-Brown and Davies made it appear. Kieswetter and Compton opened the Somerset innings and while the latter looked a man in supreme form, Kieswetter was beaten for pace by a super Stuart Meaker yorker in the second over. It marked the beginning of a superb spell from the young fast bowler, he was very difficult to score off.

Trego and Compton looked to rebuild but Trego was soon Jon Lewis' first and only victim of the night, a sharp caught and bowled. Hildreth came to the crease and played well until he walked past a Gareth Batty off-break and was easily stumped by Davies. That marked a good period of spin bowling, Ansari and Batty bowling in tandem and the pair ended with six wickets for 65 runs, the genius of Adams' spinner-heavy selection laid bare for all to see.

Wickets fell all too regularly for Somerset and they never got going, Meaker clean-bowled Dockrell to win the game and finished with 3-24, easily the best bowler on show for either side. A nod to Ansari and Batty as well, the former is a supremely exciting cricketer and I for one cannot wait until he finishes his studies in order to play for us more regularly in 2012.

Somerset's bowling was weak and towards the end of the game they did bowl poorly, but make no mistake, this was an impressive Surrey performance. We've got our title defence off to the best possible start, and the game against Scotland on Sunday is a great chance to keep that winning habit up.