On the day that Leicestershire’s win at Headingley condemned them, beyond any implausible mathematical possibility, to a further stint in the basement division of the totesport League, Surrey enjoyed their most convincing one-day victory for some considerable time by killing off Derbyshire on the stroke of 4.00pm with seven balls short of thirty overs to spare.

The Phantoms were going for their fifth straight victory in the competition, which would have seen them maintain their own push for promotion to Division One, but Mark Butcher’s rejuvenated Lions had other ideas. His bowlers jumped at the chance of being given first use of a seaming pitch, courtesy of what soon became a questionable decision on the part of Derbyshire’s out-going skipper, Luke Sutton, to establish a target.

With Tim Murtagh taking a career best four for 14 and Azhar Mahmood enjoying his best limited-overs return of the summer, the home side made their lowest one-day total this term. The Phantoms’ 88 all out represented the worst score against Surrey in the National League since May 2002, when Lancashire were dismissed for 68 at the Oval.

The Derbyshire innings contained just five boundaries, two of which were struck by Tom Lungley who made an unbeaten 21 off 74 balls after his side had collapsed to 34 for six in the sixteenth over. Michael Di Venuto was out for a rare duck when he spooned a catch to mid-on in the second over and Tim Murtagh was in on the action again when Steve Stubbings went down the pitch and lofted Azhar Mahmood to third man three overs later.

There was then a moment of controversy when, in the seventh over, Alistair Brown claimed he had caught Jon Moss low down at second slip off Mahmood. The umpires consulted one another and ruled that the ball had dropped short. Brown, however, saw things differently and entered into a discussion with David Constant before Butcher stepped in and sensibly led him away.

As it turned out, the decision had no bearing on events. Sutton was caught behind feeling for one outside off-stump, soon to be followed by Travis Friend, who was leg before playing down the wrong line.

Tim Murtagh then took his totesport League tally for the season to twenty-five wickets by pushing back Moss’s off stump and having Graeme Welch leg before offering no stroke. Lungley and Botha then put on 25 in twelve overs for the seventh wicket before the latter pushed forward to James Benning.

Lungley had a life, on nine, when he was put down off Nayan Doshi’s first delivery by Jonathan Batty. But in the next over, the 33rd of the innings, Mo Sheikh was caught at short extra cover. Upon his return to the attack, Azhar accounted for Andy Gray before Lungley and Hunter’s late flourish was ended by Doshi.

By the time Benning took three boundaries off Welch in the ninth over of the Lions’ reply - the first two pulled and the third despatched through the covers - the visitors were well on their way. Two overs later, Batty, who played second fiddle in an opening stand of 49, cut Ian Hunter high to second slip.

Benning raced to his fifth one-day half-century in 11 innings in just 38 deliveries, but, two balls later, was walking back to the pavilion after playing across the line to a ball the skidded through.

That left 22-year-old Stewart Walters and 20-year-old Chris Murtagh, who was making his county debut, to knock off the remaining requirement, which they did without further mishap until Walters was nearly caught and bowled off what proved to be the final ball of the match. Hunter parried it instead to mid-off, allowing the visitors to scamper the victorious run.

GO TO:

BACK TO: