Surrey did not come down to earth with a bump, so much as a resounding crash as their twenty-one-match unbeaten run in all competitions came to an astonishing end at Derby last Wednesday. The home side booked their place in the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy semi-finals by brushing aside the star-studded Oval outfit for less than half their score.

Prior to the match the visitors’ unblemished run had stretched back to 18 August last year when, coincidentally, it was Derbyshire who inflicted an unexpected Sunday league defeat on Surrey. If that result was unforeseen, the sheer dominance displayed by Dominic Cork’s men made this one almost freakish.

In every department, save possibly their catching, the home side outperformed their illustrious opponents. Cork, who passed a late fitness test, and new-ball partner Kevin Dean followed up wonderfully crafted half-centuries by Michael Di Venuto and Mohammad Kaif with devastating spells that reduced Surrey to 26 for four – a position from which they never recovered.

In hindsight Adam Hollioake must have wondered if he had made the right decision by choosing to bowl first. With the ball seaming around as well as keeping low, opener Andrew Gait was caught behind without scoring as early as the fourth over. For the first and arguably last time in the match Surrey were on top. In trying conditions, Di Venuto and Bassano then put on sixty for Derbyshire’s second wicket.

Chris Bassano cover drove Philip Sampson, who was playing instead of the injured Martin Bicknell, and when the 22-year-old pitched short he lifted him over mid-wicket. By way of contrast Michael Di Venuto garnered his runs in the area between mid-wicket and cover. Their alliance was only broken when the former swung lazily at one from Jimmy Ormond and was bowled.

After being joined by India’s Mohammad Kaif, who was making his one-day debut for his new county, it was not long before Di Venuto posted his fifty. Although the overseas pair only shared the crease for four overs, their contributions were crucial in transferring the pressure away from the underdogs and on to Surrey.

Kaif, who was later named man-of-the-match, contributed a wonderfully paced 81 off 85 balls. It included seven fours, which underlined his propensity for taking ones and twos. His pulls and flicks to leg were of a man who, at just twenty-two, has already appeared in a World Cup final.

Both he and Dominic Hewson kept the scoreboard ticking over in addition to flaying Rikki Clarke, who, it has to be said, started economically. Ormond eventually had to be recalled and, facing his first ball, Hewson chased a wide delivery and was caught behind. By that time the damage had been done, or so the visitors thought. Two overs later Mohammad Kaif reached his fifty and upon Clarke’s re-introduction, in the 44th over, played with immense freedom. At one stage a hundred looked to be on the cards for the Indian, but it was not to be.

Derbyshire took 71 off the last seven overs. The fact that they lost wickets and only just used up their full quota was immaterial. Hollioake picked up two scalps, both caught at deep mid-wicket, while Azhar Mahmood claimed three more to finish with figures of four for 49.

Chasing 272 to win, Alistair Brown lost his off stump to the sixth ball of the Surrey innings. Five overs later Ian Ward guided Dean into the hands of backward point. Then, before Graham Thorpe’s eyes had adjusted to the glare of the afternoon sunshine, he lost Mark Ramprakash, caught at gully and Rikki Clarke, who was pinned on the crease by one that kept low and nipped back.

Thorpe, who was dropped on nine by Luke Sutton, top scored for his side with 37 in 55 deliveries. In partnership with Adam Hollioake he added 40 in eight overs before falling to a superb reflex catch at the wicket by Sutton off the bowling of Graeme Welch.

Welch picked up the next three wickets to claim figures of four for 26, but there was little doubt that what had gone before had been utterly decisive.

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