Yesterday the Lions opened their National League Division One account with a 15-run victory over the Essex Eagles thanks to Adam Hollioake and Azhar Mahmood’s rearguard action with the bat followed by a resolute Surrey fielding display. Although victory was clinched with two overs to spare, the visitors had to battle all the way to outdo a robust Essex side, which, for once, included the England Test captain Nasser Hussain.

Hussain cannot fail to have been impressed with Hollioake’s individual performance, which hopefully caught the attention of the selectors, even though it appears unlikely to change their thinking on who should be England’s next one-day captain. The Lions’ skipper, who struck 77 in 66 deliveries and conceded just 22 runs off six overs at the death, not only proved a point but earned his side a valuable four in what is likely to be this season’s most keenly contested competition.

A record seventh wicket partnership between him and Azhar Mahmood, worth 154 in 21 overs, was almost exclusively responsible for lifting the visitors to a respectable 268 for eight. Their coalition eclipsed Surrey’s one-day league record for the seventh wicket, previously held by Grahame Clinton and Robin Jackman (who made an unbeaten 88 against Nottinghamshire at The Oval in 1980). It also established a county record for the fixture, beating Clinton and Stewart’s 109 for the second wicket at The Oval in 1989.

After winning the toss and inserting the visitors, Essex gained the early initiative by reducing Surrey to 82 for six in the twenty-first over. Ian Ward was trapped leg before by Jon Dakin. Five overs later Scott Brant accounted for Mark Ramprakash with one that kept a bit low. The former Middlesex man was followed shortly afterwards by Alistair Brown, who edged a ball that left him off a pitch, which, at that stage, was giving a great deal of assistance to the bowlers.

Rikki Clarke, who never got the measure of Graham Napier’s opening spell, lunged forward once too often before the young all-rounder accounted for Graham Thorpe and Jonathan Batty in the space of three deliveries. Thorpe departed when the ball cannoned off his pads and into his stumps. Batty, who was promoted in the order, then fell victim to umpire Allan Jones’s third lbw decision of the innings.

Hollioake immediately stated his intent by taking eleven runs off his first three balls. The Lions’ skipper chipped into the gaps and often beyond, hitting a total of ten boundaries including four sixes – the first of which, off Grayson, cracked a window in the Press Box.

In the 35th over the Surrey captain reached his fifty in 45 deliveries when he pulled James Middlebrook over the fence wide of mid-on. Two overs later, requiring one ball more, Azhar Mahmood brought up his half-century – on one knee – with a six over long-on off the same bowler.

With the score on 236 and both batsmen on 77, Brant had Hollioake playing and missing, after which Azhar powered on to a 73-ball 98 before playing over a full-length delivery to give Dakin a third scalp.

Needing to make their highest total in the fixture to win, Essex’s response could not have started more positively. After three overs they were 31 without loss and the last ball of the fifth over saw the fifty being posted. In just 16 deliveries Will Jefferson had struck seven boundaries – his extra cover driving alone marking the 23-year-old down as one to keep an eye on.

The introduction of Alex Tudor had the desired effect. After conceding a single off his first over the England fast bowler accounted for Jefferson, who made 47, with one that nipped back off the seam and claimed the valuable wicket of Andy Flower, playing on, immediately after Azhar Mahmood had made the initial breakthrough.

With Essex being gifted such a good start Nasser Hussain and Ronnie Irani had no real need to take risks. Nor did they, adding 61 in eleven overs until the former went to cut the ball off his stumps.

Saqlain Mushtaq, who never took more than one wicket for Surrey in limited-overs cricket last year, then added the wickets of Paul Grayson and Jon Dakin to his tally. Grayson was deceived in the flight, while Dakin was hit on the back leg trying to sweep.

Sandwiched in-between these, however, was the crucial wicket of Irani, who made 64 in 60 deliveries, including 3 sixes and 6 fours. With fourteen overs to go and his side needing to score six an over, the Essex captain went to cut and was caught behind off Clarke.

With the help of Dakin and Napier, James Foster took up the Eagles’ plight, but the writing was on the wall when he was caught on the long-on boundary for 41 trying to pull Tudor for another six.

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