Rain thwarts Surrey in two games

The Great British Summertime returned to scupper Surrey's latest efforts to maintain their 100% start to the CB40. Both Sunday's game with Hampshire and today's with Scotland fell victim to heavy rain.

Against Hampshire the start was delayed and when they finally did get going the game was reduced to 29 overs aside, but the way Rory Hamilton-Brown and Steven Davies set off you could've been forgiven for thinking it was 20 overs. They raced to a fifty partnership before the fifth over was out and were setting the side well on course for a dominant total. Shortly after Davies was expertly snapped up at slip off Danny Briggs the rain brought the day to a premature end.

Hampshire are a good side and it would've been a real boon to record a win over them at this stage, given the position we were in it has to go down as a point lost.

Today's game with Scotland always looked likely to be a shortened affair at the very least. As it happens I was surprised to see even 23 overs at a very chilly Oval. Surrey, asked to bowl by their opponents started a little sloppily with three wides in the first two overs, along with a dropped catch of Dernbach's bowling, but normal service was resumed shortly after.

Both Dernbach and Meaker used their pace well in settling just short of a good length. The tactics paid dividends in Meaker's second over as he hurried MacLeod who offered a simple catch to Davies behind the stumps. In the seventh over Dernbach dug another delivery in and Josh Davey mis-timed his shot to Jon Lewis at mid-on. Four balls later Dernbach had his second wicket as he trapped Wallace LBW for a duck.

Kartik was introduced into the attack in the 11th over and after his first six balls disappeared for nine runs, including two boundaries he hit back as Chalmers looped a very simple caught and bowled chance right back at him.

Thereafter Scotland recovered very well. Mommsen and Symes looked far more at ease than their colleagues who preceded them, Symes in particular looked in very good touch, delightfully reverse sweeping Kartik for four and helping a Meaker delivery over the boundary for six. When rain intervened they had put together a very good 78 run partnership at almost eight runs an over.

Despite the Scotland recovery Surrey were still in a strong position. The pitch looked to be playing well and our powerful batsmen would have caused problems for the Scottish bowlers.

We will have to hope that two no-results don't cost us in the final analysis. Durham, who lie third with two games in hand could go level on points with us if they win them both. Of course in the CB40 only one team from each group qualifies, so every point is vital. Attention turns immediately back to the Championship as tomorrow Adams' troops head to Horsham to face 'benchmark' team Sussex in a crucial match.