Gone a little pear shaped...

Having tamed the Bears (Warwickshire) in last weeks match, today Surrey welcomed the Pears (Worcestershire) to the Oval for the latest round of the county championship.

I only stayed for the morning session, and I have to confess that it was a tough watch as Surrey were reduced to 15 for four in the first half hour. Fortunately Dan Lawrence then joined Ollie Pope in a stand of 148 to wrest back a degree of respectability. In the end Surrey were dismissed for 213, but by the close of play Worcester had subsided to 112 for seven - the game is very much in the balance, although the forecast for the next two days isn't great.

The photo is of Pears skipper, Brett D'Oliveira (grandson of the legendary Basil) taking a quiet moment in the morning just before the carnage commenced