da cassino online： Is there a venue where you can get closer to your heroes than Whitgift School
Emma John at Whitgift School11-Aug-2004
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Mark Ramprakash – taught Lancashire a thing or two at Whitgift School© Getty Images
Is there a venue where you can get closer to your heroes than WhitgiftSchool? The question came to mind at lunch, as impromptu games took place infront of the hexagonal brick pavilion and Surrey players shoutedencouragement to the young players from their balcony. The kids soonreturned the favour. When Surrey returned to the pavilion having bowledLancashire out for a mere 210, the children lined up on the outfield to clapthem off. Gloriously, not a single steward told them to get off the pitch.By the end of the day you sensed that the Lancashire players would havehappily have given Surrey directions off the pitch, and added a few otherinstructions too. Surrey went to their beds with a deficit of only 64,thanks largely to a partnership of 102 between Mark Ramprakash and ScottNewman. It wasn’t always a barrel of laughs – there was a certain amount ofsheer grind after tea – but both played some classy drives. Newman inparticular delighted the crowd; so much so that when they applauded one fineshot he thought he’d reached 50 and celebrated a run early.The Whitgift ground is almost in miniature, with a pavilion so small that itcan hold only the home team – the Lancashire players have to change in tentsalongside. The bank that slopes down to the pitch teems with picnickers who,meander around the pitch at the intervals, rubbing shoulders with thebowlers as they do their stretches.Not that Martin Bicknell or Jimmy Ormond needed much warming up. Bicknelltook the first Lancashire wicket in only the third over of the day,straightening Mark Chilton up with a good length ball that carried to firstslip. Ormond followed up in the next over, sneaking the first ball backthrough Iain Sutcliffe’s defences.There is no doubt that the pitch here undulates – from one angle it lookslike a badly laid rug. But although the bounce was variable it never stayedparticularly low and it was the amount of lift that the Surrey bowlersgenerated that seemed to throw Lancashire into confusion. Jamie Haynes andDinesh Mongia were both out to poor shots and suddenly Lancashire were fourwickets down in only the ninth over.Only Chris Schofield prevented a total rout. After his false coming asEngland’s Messianic leg-spinner, Schofield is now re-defining himself as abatting allrounder. He rode his luck today, dropped in the covers on 7and in the slips on 8, but refused to let the team’s situation get himdown. He hit eight fours on his way to a half-century, more than a couplewith a powerfully swatted pull shot that the slip cordon mimicked himadmiringly.For a while Schofield had the company of Glen Chapple, who set about ruiningOrmond’s figures, including six boundaries from just two overs. TheSchofield/Chapple partnership doubled Lancashire’s total, but when Chapplewafted to second slip, Azhar Mahmood moved in and picked off the stragglers.