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Ormond's efforts prove in vain

Surrey 475 and 137 Warwickshire 293 and 350 Warwickshire win by 31 runs

David Llewellyn
Sunday 14 July 2002 00:00 BST
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Warwickshire pulled off a superb victory over Surrey on the Championship leaders' own patch yesterday, with just 11 balls to spare. It is the first time in Warwickshire's history they have won after following on, and only the second time since 1893 that Surrey have lost a match after enforcing it. The landmarks did not stop there, either. It turned out that Warwickshire had not won at The Oval since 1975, while it was Surrey's first defeat in the competition since August last year.

Warwickshire's heroes were the South African captain Shaun Pollock, who put the skids under Surrey by taking two of his four wickets in the opening over; and Jim Troughton and Michael Powell, whose runs helped to set up a seemingly inadequate target of 169 off 34 overs. Surrey never really recovered from the loss in the first over of Jon Batty and Mark Ramprakash. Within a further seven overs, Ian Ward and Nadeem Shahid had joined them.

Although Alistair Brown and Adam Hollioake plundered 71 runs between them in 13 exciting overs, they flattered to deceive. Brown, at the non-striker's end, called for an unlikely single after Hollioake had squirted a Dougie Brown delivery to backward point. Dominic Ostler ran round from slip and, despite ending up on his backside, still managed to throw the ball to the wicketkeeper Keith Piper to end Brown's interest in proceedings.

That was the beginning of the end. In the next nine overs Surrey lost a further four wickets, among them Hollioake's. He could not resist a tempting long-hop from Brown and was well taken at long-leg by Neil Carter for a belligerent 52, including four big sixes. It was his second fifty of the game and his third consecutive half-century.

The last rites were administered with nine men around the bat when Neil Smith bowled to James Ormond. The former Leicestershire player, who had earlier claimed his first 10-wicket haul in a match, shuffled in front of the stumps and fell lbw. It was a sad end after his efforts with the ball when he picked up 5 for 62 to achieve his career landmark after Warwickshire tried to make a fist of following on 182 behind.

Troughton's lineage may be theatrical – father David and grandfather Patrick, not to mention a couple of siblings and an uncle, were or are actors – but he is clearly more suited to the sporting stage.

After making his entrance last year, he followed up his maiden hundred this season with another in his next innings and looked set for a third until falling half a dozen short. On the way he shared in a crucial fourth-wicket stand of 113 with his captain Powell (95), and watched as Pollock, Dougie Brown and Neil Smith all departed to Ormond in a wicked spell of 17 balls.

Ormond then changed ends and, with the second ball of his new spell, finally ended Troughton's resistance. Melvyn Betts became victim No 10, losing his off stump to give Ormond a match return of 10 for 178.

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