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Higgins' best innings is in vain in One Day Cup defeat

23 May 2018

An innings of 81 not out by Ryan Higgins - his highest score in any format - could not prevent Gloucestershire from tasting defeat for the first time this season in the Royal London Cup against Surrey at the Kia Oval.

Higgins shared a sixth wicket stand of 110 with Jack Taylor (54) which pulled round the Gloucestershire innings from 131-5 after they had being put into bat, but after being set 283 to win Surrey recovered from the early loss of Jason Roy to produce a well paced reply, set around an 86 ball century from teenager Will Jacks.

When the 19 year old was finally out for 121, having struck 14 fours and dour sixes, the runs rate was down beneath five an over, and with some explosive hitting from Ben Foakes to finish it off, Surrey completed a six wicket win with more than four overs in hand.

Watch head coach Richard Dawson's reaction to the day's play here:　

Reaction from head coach Richard Dawson to today's @OneDayCup defeat by @surreycricket at the Kia Oval pic.twitter.com/xNiKyBd1EN

— Gloucestershire CCC (@Gloscricket) May 23, 2018

With Dan Worrall ruled out by injury, Craig Miles was drafted into what was otherwise the same team that has won the first two games, but this match has a different dynamic as after losing the toss for the third game in a row Gloucestershire were asked to bat first by Rory Burns.

Jade Dernbach and Sam Curran shared the first ten overs, and both picked up a wicket - Hankins striking Curran's second ball straight to Jason Roy at point, and Dent working Dernbach into the grateful hands of Borthwick at mid wicket.

Aside from the later stand between Jack Taylor and Higgins, the other partnership of note was the one between Benny Howell and Gareth Roderick, both of whom had played their part in the two previous wins. Howell was quickly into his stride, striking four early boundaries and lofting spinner Gareth Batty for six over wide mid off when he was introduced at the Vauxhall End.

With the more orthodox Roderick offering a contrast in approach, the pair added 58 in 14 overs before Howell, having reached his half century and struck leg spinner Borthwick for six towards the pavilion, was tempted into repeating the stroke only to find the hands of Clarke low down at mid off. His body language as he walked off having made 60 needed no translation, and for a while Surrey took control through their three spinners.

Between them, Borthwick, Batty and Jacks - who can bowl as well as bat - sent down 23 of the 50 overs, Borthwick inducing a gentle lob to mid wicket by Cockbain for 16 after Roderick (27) had chopped a delivery from Rikki Clarke into his stumps. The situation called for a workmanlike sixth wicket stand, and Higgins and Jack Taylor delivered it.

Dealing heavily in singles, it was a rare boundary by Higgins off Dernbach that brought up the fifty partnership, and another to each batsman when Borthwick was brought back suggested the tide, rather than the ball, was turning. There were still nine overs left when the score reached 200, and both men reached their half centuries in the 45th over, Taylor off 62 balls and Higgins off 51, between them striking six fours and a six.

It wasn't until the 47th over that the stand was split by Sam Curran as Taylor tried to clear the shorter leg side boundary but only found the hands of Borthwick at deep mid wicket. Burns dropped Higgins in the same over, and in the last three Gloucestershire added 37 runs, aided by one wayward over from Dernbach that cost 16 of them. It had been a bumpy road at times, but 282-6 looked a workable total, and Surrey hadn't negotiated the first over before Jason Roy, back from the IPL, skewed a drive off Craig Miles high to third man where Matt Taylor took the catch.

What followed centred around a young man low on experience, but not on confidence. Will Jacks has come up through Surrey's second XI and on the evidence of his innings he's a name to note, driving Miles down the ground both straight and past mid off in his first spell before pulling Matt Taylor twice through mid wicket. Ten boundaries in the first eight overs gave Surrey a flying start and the hundred came up in the 17th over as Higgins and Liddle were unable to apply the brakes.

Jacks survived one chance - a juggling spill by Dent at short extra cover when he'd made 70 - but striking the ball powerfully throughout he raced to his century off 86 balls, completing it with a third six in quick succession off Tom Smith.

At the other end, almost un-noticed. Dean Elgar quietly offer Jacks solid support, perhaps as much between overs with some experienced advice as on the scoreboard. With a deft touch he completed his own fifty at half the scoring rate of his partner before being bowled by Howell, and Jacks had made 121 out of 185 when he was finally caught at deep square leg off Chris Liddle.

98 were still needed to win, but it was an innings which had shaped the match and it left Surrey skipper Rory Burns and wicket keeper Ben Foakes with little time pressure over the remaining 21 overs. Gloucestershire skipper Chris Dent rotated his bowlers but to no avail until a stand of 57 was broken by Higgins, Burns (27) pulling the former Middlesex all rounder straight to Liddle on the square leg boundary.

Foakes and Pope completed Surrey's six wicket win, Foakes reaching his own fifty with three sixes off Smith in the same over to end Gloucestershire's unbeaten start in the competition, and put the focus firmly on the home games to come against Hampshire and Sussex at the Brightside Ground.

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