Dalrymple proves to be thorn in Surrey's side once again

The name of Jamie Dalrymple does not bring a smile to Surrey faces. Just over a year ago in an ill-tempered London derby at The Oval, the Kenya-born player singlehandedly kept the Brown Hats at bay and denied them victory with a superb 244.

Yesterday he proved a thorn in the side again as he helped to squeeze a century stand out of the Surrey attack to steer Middlesex out of trouble from 148-5.

Dalrymple, seen as a long-term replacement for Paul Weekes, had been kept out of the side until Andrew Strauss left for the two-Test series against Bangladesh.

But he has certainly made the most of his limited opportunities. In the previous match he followed up a duck with a solid half-century and passed fifty for the second successive innings here as he and Weekes shared a sixth-wicket partnership of exactly 100.

The 24-year-old Dalrymple saw off the menace of Martin Bicknell, who had begun the afternoon session with two quick wickets on a grassy pitch that offered pace and bounce. First to go was captain Ben Hutton, who was bowled offering no shot. Next in Bicknell's sights was Owais Shah. The Middlesex man has just been banned from driving for eight weeks after being caught speeding along with Surrey's Rikki Clarke.

Clarke, missing from the Surrey side while he nurses an injured finger, was also banned for an identical period. On the evidence of the half dozen balls Shah faced yesterday, his ban extends to driving on the pitch. He was caught behind.

Jimmy Ormond then took up the cudgels and had Scott Styris and, crucially, the in-form Ed Joyce, both lbw. Tim Murtagh had done his bit in between by bowling Ed Smith.

But as the Middlesex innings threatened to skid out of control, so Dalrymple and Weekes got things straightened up and, if not quite saving the day, certainly frustrated their rivals.

Weekes went first, another victim of the excellent Ormond, while Dalrymple finally fell when he had a big heave at Indian Test off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and was taken at mid-wicket by Scott Newman.