Wessels ton in vain as Steelbacks crash to defeat at Surrey
An early batting collapse condemned Northamptonshire to an inevitable Pro40 defeat at Surrey - with Riki Wessels' battling century the only real bright spot.
A limited-overs best from Stewart Walters ensured Surrey picked up only their second win in NatWest Pro40 Division Two against Northants at the Brit Oval.
Walters finished on 91 from 83 balls out of a total of 268 for six and then snapped up three vital catches as the Brown Caps comfortably ran out winners by 63 runs with four overs to spare, despite Riki Wessels scoring a century.
The Steelbacks were reduced to seven for three early on as Matt Nicholson snapped up the wickets of Stephen Peters and Rob White, both for ducks. Sandwiched in between, Niall O'Brien was trapped leg before wicket by Jade Dernbach for five.
Thanks to a century stand between Wessels and David Sales, the visitors recovered to 114 for three before Sales holed out to Walters at deep point for 38 in the 19th over. Then, in the next over, Lance Klusener chopped onto his stumps without scoring.
The sixth wicket fell in the 26th over when Andrew Hall (10) smashed to Walters at long on in former Steelbacks' star Usman Afzaal's first over and debutant Robert Frylinck picked his first scalp with the dismissal of Johan van der Wath for seven.
He then followed that up with the prized wicket of Wessels, who after completing his century from 85 balls holed out to deep mid-wicket in the 33rd over, and Johann Louw, caught at long-on for 16, to finish with figures of three for 52.
The innings was wrapped up with the final ball of the 36th over when Jason Brown was stumped for a duck off the bowling of Afzaal.
Earlier, having been put into bat, Surrey were soon in trouble when they lost opener Scott Newman for six in the second over. The left-hander looked to force through the leg side but was bowled by Louw off his pads.
The Brown Caps then rallied as James Benning and Walters shared an 89-run partnership for the second wicket which was eventually broken with the score on 100 in the 16th over.
Benning had advanced to 55 when he was surprised by a ball from Hall that kept low and gave a simple catch to O'Brien behind the stumps off a bottom edge.
Afzaal made his intentions clear with an immediate boundary but after scoring a quickfire 23 he was deceived by the flight from skipper Nicky Boje and clean bowled off an attempted drive.
Meanwhile, Walters went to his half-century in just 55 balls and added a further 72 runs for the fourth wicket with Jonathan Batty who fell in the 34th over to the returning Louw.
In the next over Walters fell nine short of his century when he was beaten by some late turn from Brown as he tried to force through the off-side, and Matt Nicholson was run out for 13 in the penultimate over after a mix-up with Mark Ramprakash who was undefeated on 36.
- BREAKING NEWS: Man dies following motorway smash on Northamptonshire border
- BREAKING NEWS: Police inundated with hundreds of complaints over snowball fights
- Huge cigarette haul by masked burglars in armed raids at Northampton stores
- BREAKING NEWS: Police name man killed in crash on motorway in Northamptonshire
- Student flats planned for Northampton town centre revealed
- BREAKING NEWS: Fishmarket art gallery offered new home
- Student flats planned for Northampton town centre revealed
- New manager of Northampton’s Grosvenor Centre says ‘This is the beginning of a new era’
- Neighbours raise concern about bid to build new house three inches from their home
- Four-storey replacement for Fishmarket gallery should open in September
- Exclusive: Saints voluntarily move key Heineken Cup match to Milton Keynes
- Sooty may be left with bullet in neck following senseless attack
- Ashton determined to end Saints career on a high
- Sons honoured for care of their father
- West Northamptonshire Development Corporation in bid to purchase site of former power station
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Northampton
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -3 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -0 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: South west
