If today's fixture between the Sussex Sharks and the Essex Eagles at Hastings is rained off it will all have been for nothing, but Surrey did at least keep alive their frail hopes of reaching the last eight of the Friends Provident Trophy by avenging the embarrassing defeat they suffered at the hands of Essex two weeks ago. James Benning played a major role, first by accounting for Varun Chopra at a crucial time, but ultimately by laying the foundations for a routine victory by pummelling the new white ball for 38 in just 22 deliveries.

The forty-over match, which was played under floodlights throughout, was decided by a unbeaten stand of 109 in 21 overs for the third wicket between Mark Butcher - who has now scored 417 runs in eight days - and Usman Afzaal, who followed up his match-saving hundred against Yorkshire with a steady half-century.

Following a delay of 1¾ hours, Butcher won the toss and inserted the Eagles. Surrey gave Jimmy Ormond his first start of the season in one-day cricket and also handed debuts to 20-year-old all-rounder Matthew Spriegel and wicketkeeper Gary Wilson. The latter was the first to feature when Mark Pettini edged the third ball of the match low to the Irishman's left. No wonder the bowler, Jade Dernbach, looked relieved. When these sides met at the Oval the Essex skipper, who was dropped off Dernbach on one, hit a career best 144 while the 22-year-old recorded the most expensive analysis by a Surrey bowler in limited-overs cricket.

Dernbach had even more reason to celebrate when he accounted for Jason Gallian in the seventh over. With Ravi Bopara driving Matt Nicholson straight to mid-off four overs later, the home side were stumbling at 45-3. But then Chopra shared in partnerships of 47 and 60 for the fourth and fifth wickets respectively. The 20-year-old, who has yielded to Gallian in the championship this season, reached his fifty off 54 balls in the 19th over, though not before running out Ryan ten Doeschate, who lost out in a sprint with Benning.

With Neil Saker conceding 22 runs in three overs, the hundred for Essex, which arrived in the 20th over, became 150 six overs later; by which time Spriegel's off-spin had been introduced and Benning was into the attack.

It was Benning who enabled his side the rein the Eagles in by getting Chopra to hole out to long-on in the 27th over. Four overs later Spriegel dropped James Middlebrook at backward point, but immediately made amends by holding on to James Foster in the same position off the same bowler. Benning had Graham Napier caught at long-on and after Chris Wright departed to a sharp catch by Butcher at short mid-wicket, Essex lost all impetus. They collected just 18 off the last four overs, losing Middlebrook to a catch at third man and David Masters in the final over, which was bowled by Ormond.

When Surrey began their reply, it seemed as though Benning had a pre-arranged appointment to keep. At the end of the fourth over the visitors were 31-0, with 28 to the 25-year-old and just two to Scott Newman. Not to be outdone, the left-hander then collected three off-side fours in the next over, bowled by Wright.

The sixth over saw Benning hit Middlebrook out of the ground and into the river for his third six, but in the seventh Masters's switch of ends to the Hayes Close End drew a line under Benning's onslaught.

Butcher, who had been favouring his left ankle whilst fielding, came to the crease, but the runs still came at six and over instead of eight. Newman, who cut two successive fours off Wright in the tenth over brought up the hundred for the Brown Caps in the fourteenth with a slog swept six, off Middlebrook, into the new housing estate next to the Ford County Ground. Newman posted his half-century in the same over, off only 41 balls.

When Middlebrook had his revenge two overs later Surrey needed a less than exacting 106 to win in 24 overs. Butcher went to fifty, off 66 balls, with his fourth four, which was threaded past backward point of ten Doeschate in the 31st over. When Afzaal, having just been put down at slip off Danish Kaneria, hit the Pakistan leg-spinner to extra cover for four and then six the match was all but over with just 16 needed off seven overs.

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