Date-stamped : 01 May95 - 18:24 CC: Surrey v Gloucestershire, The Foster's Oval, 27-30 April 1995 ====> Day 1, 27 Apr 95 Symonds soon feels at home - Steve Whiting First day of four: Gloucestershire (392), lead Surrey (17-0) by 375 runs WHAT an uncomplicated game county cricket would be if it were not for overseas players. Take Matthew Symonds, who said he would play for England if they insisted but had really left his heart at home in Australia. Yesterday he smashed Surrey for a swash- buckling 161 in just under three hours. And then there is Waqar Younis. Pakistan`s fearsome fast bowler was being written off for the season only weeks ago, but he sud- denly popped up in London to announce that, as long as Surrey kept him in aspirin, his sprained back was better and he could be playing for them again in a fortnight. Which was something of a shock because hadn`t Surrey already signed the Australian Carl Rackemann as their overseas fast bowler to partner Martin Bicknell with the new ball? Well, no. Rackemann`s clearance from the Australian Board has yet to arrive at the Oval, and the same goes for his work permit from the Home Office. As it was, Bicknell, just 41 balls into a new county season, was carted off with a strained right calf, yet another sad episode in an injury saga that has dogged him for most of his career. The only shot he does not seem to possess is the forward defen- sive push Bicknell`s breakdown left Adam Hollioake, another Anglo- Australian, to take over and dismiss Monte Lynch with his sixth ball. Lynch, a Surrey fixture for 17 years, hooked high to Mark Kenlock at square leg and departed ruing an opportunity lost against a less than perfect attack on a perfect pitch. For a moment there was an opening and Joey Benjamin darted into it with three wick- ets for 12 runs in 26 balls as Gloucester slipped to 184 for six. But it would not have been right for Surrey, who had lost the toss, to bowl anyone out for less than 200. Symonds saw to it that they did not. Just before Christmas the 20-year-old - who was born in Birming- ham of West Indian parents, adopted and taken Down Under - hit England all around Toowoomba for 108 not out on behalf of Queens- land. He then announced he could never dream of playing for England - until Gloucester, who already had an overseas player in the Indi- an fast bowler Javagal Srinath, made their offer. The wisdom of that was evident yesterday, his being only the second championship century made by a Gloucestershire batsman on a debut. The only shot he does not seem to possess is the forward defensive push as he hit 21 fours and four sixes off 140 balls. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com) ====> Day 2, 28 Apr 95 Waqar-less Surrey up against it - Steve Whiting Second day of four: Surrey (217 & 74-0) trail Gloucs (392) by 101 runs WAQAR YOUNIS is so keen to play for Surrey again this season that he has promised to take 100 wickets and give up Pakistan`s home series against Sri Lanka in August for the privilege. But Surrey have yet to believe Waqar`s claims of a Lourdes-like recovery from the stress fractures in his back. Chief execu- tive Glyn Woodman said: "We have seen no reports other than the one from our own orthopaedic surgeon and that says he will not be fit." Waqar was due to visit the Oval yesterday. It was just as well he didn`t for he might have decided his back wasn`t up to the task of picking this Surrey side off the floor, after they were forced to follow on against Gloucestershire for the first time since 1933. Indian Test bowler Javagal Srinath took three for 83 with the wiles learned at Dennis Lillee`s school of excellence in Madras. Mike Smith took three for 60 and Kevin Cooper two for 22 off 20 overs as Gloucestershire applied shackles that Surrey rarely looked like shaking off. True, they were without England left-hander Graham Thorpe, who ricked his back at fielding practice on Thursday. But two more left-handers, Darren Bicknell and Mark Butcher, gave them all the impetus they needed with an opening stand of 96. But things never looked as good for Surrey again until the same pair came together for the second time, putting on 74 for the first wicket. ====> Day 4, 30 Apr 95 Benjamin strikes to turn tables as Surrey defy odds - S.Whiting Surrey (217 & 475) bt Gloucs (392 & 207) by 93 runs FOR all their great years in the Fifties, for all their 15 outright and one shared championships, Surrey have rarely seen a day like yesterday when they beat Gloucestershire despite being forced to follow on. They won when Gloucestershire`s No 11 Andy Smith finally ended over half-an-hour of catch-me-if-you-can games with the four slips, one gully and wicketkeeper by edging Joey Benjamin into the hands of Graham Kersey behind the stumps. It was the eighth wicket of the match for the bowler who was on the Ashes Tour. Gloucestershire were bowled out for 207 with seven overs to go, beaten by 93 runs after basking in a massive first-innings lead of 175, making 392 themselves and bowling Surrey out for 217 first time around. It was the first time a team had won after being asked to follow on since Nottinghamshire beat Kent by 74 runs at Trent Bridge in April 1993 - though that was small fry in comparison. On that oc- casion, Notts were only 152 behind. Surrey, though, were out on their feet. Martin Bicknell, their England strike-bowler, was, to all intents and purposes, out of the match injured and two of their front-line bowlers had played one championship match between them. They found one hero in Alistair Brown Heroics were necessary if the home side were to salvage their first win after following on in 127 years - when they toppled Cambridge University - and only their third in history. A histo- ry that goes back to 1845. They found one hero in Alistair Brown who batted on for half-an- hour in the morning to reach a career-best 187 before going to hospital for a check-up, which later proved satisfactory, on a chest battered by Gloucestershire`s Indian fast bowler Javajal Srinath. Then up stepped Benjamin and local left-arm seamer Mark Kenlock, whose school is so near to the Oval it is sometimes used as a carpark. This was only Kenlock`s second championship game but he took the chance, offered by Bicknell`s injury, to take the new ball. He proceeded to fire away at the off stump with unerring accuracy - and since Gloucestershire had a similar bowler in Mike Smith, the cupboard is perhaps not so bare as some might have us believe. At 44 for five Gloucestershire were looking for heroes of their own. Mark Alleyne and captain Jack Russell obliged temporarily, but Alleyne needed his luck - on nine he played on to Benjamin without disturbing the bails and at 42 he might have been caught by substitute Jason de la Pena. But when he and Russell had put on 63, Surrey introduced Nadeem Shahid, the leg-spinner they recruited from Essex. He may not be Shane Warne, but he bowled Alleyne round his legs with his second ball to end 130 minutes of defiance. Russell hung around for 130 balls, hitting six fours in his squat, knees-bend style before he fell to another bowler who could figure prominently in the Surrey averages for years to come. Richard Nowell, the 19-year-old slow left-armer from Croydon, lured Russell forward, his back foot slipped, and both he and Gloucestershire were on their way out. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)