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LV CC Division One, Kia Oval, Close, day three: Yorkshire 434, Surrey 572-4

To The Oval! …late on Thursday afternoon for the fag end of the cricket season in South London. The Pauper’s Pleasure of the post-tea session once again served me well. I wheeled in the Brompton, took up a freebie seat in the Peter May and splashed out my savings on five pints of Carling.

Chin chin.

Only joking.

It may have been thirsty work out in the middle for the Yorkshire attack, but this was no time to get tired and emotional on a rare BATTING DAY for the ‘rrey.

The scoreboard read 450-3 for the home team upon my arrival. You don’t need a GCSE qualification in cricketing statistical skills to work out that a SHED LOAD of runs had been made by not many batsmen.

The man / boy of the moment was young Dom Sibley, who at 18 years and 21 days old / young, was about to have a rather good day at the office.

It was an improved performance from the last time that I saw the young man at The Oval. An unfortunate GASH incident led the fine fella limping off before his Pro 40 innings against Essex really got going at the start of last month.

From GASH to GOSH.

Yer man / boy Dom had already become the youngest Surrey player to reach a first class county century, whilst I was still counting down to my retirement days back in the SE17 day job.

But why stop at a single century? With his 173 to his name as I took up my freebie seat of no shame, Sibley was set to keep on breaking the records as the Surrey season finally found a little momentum.

The Summer Game is all about timing - line and length, etc; so what if the ‘rrey have finally found the future during the last game of the season with a big red RELEGATED mark already rubber stamped against their name?

Sibley was joined at the crease by Vikram Solanki, no slacker himself when it comes to running between the wickets. Only 56 more runs were needed from Solanki at the start of his knock to become the first (and only) Surrey player to reach 1,000 first class runs for the season.

Solanki danced the wicket as the South London Indian Summer came into view for a glorious fifteen minutes or so late afternoon. Slogs / strokes were dispatched to the boundary, depending on how bitter you feel about the style of play of Surrey this season.

The ‘rrey should get relegated more often…

Ryan Sidebottom was an ungainly sight of hair and hard toil for the visitors. Ball after ball was boundary bound from Solanki. He finally fell short of the 56 personal target, having made an impressive half-century off only 45 balls, taking Surrey past the 500 mark.

But Solanki was the WHAM BAM for Sibley’s more resourceful, um, stroke play. The Surrey season may be over, but as the fading Transpontine rays started to descend behind St George’s Tower, the Member’s didn’t bugger off and hibernate for another six months.

The Oval was gripped with the ever-knowledgeable crowd knowing that cricketing history was about to be made. The 18-year-old schoolboy was about to become the youngest player ever to score a double century in the history of the County Championship.

Here’s hoping that his GASH would hold up.

When the unthinkable moment finally came, young Dom Sibley was rewarded with an Oval standing ovation and handshakes from the Yorkshire players. I decided that now would be a good moment to celebrate with the remaining four pints for the final five overs in the day.

And so at 18 years and 21 days old / young, Dom Sibley had batted out for five consecutive sessions, making what should have been a gallows humour late September afternoon at The Oval into something rather special.

Now go and finish your homework, fella.