A nail-biting contest meant that if Surrey were distracted by the news that Alec Stewart and Ian Ward have probably played their last games for the county, the Lions did not have time to show it. But in overcoming the Glamorgan Dragons by eight runs, Adam Hollioake’s men clinched their first National League title in seven years with a game to spare.

Afterwards a relieved Hollioake said: “We were limping over the line, if there’s ever such a saying. We’re on our last legs here. To get this side together just for today was hard work, but we’re happy to have won it. I’d just like to pay credit to a great bunch of guys. It’s been a real tough year in more ways than one. But they’ve stuck to it and I’m very proud of their performance.”

The day began with Alec Stewart revealing in the News Of The World that he had not been offered the hoped for one-year extension to his Surrey contract. Although he said he was available to play against Essex on Wednesday, Stewart admitted he could see little the point with the county champions unable to hold on to their four-day crown.

Ian Ward, meanwhile, chose to make the shock announcement that he had parted company with the Oval outfit live on Sky Sports. It had been rumoured that the left-hander was considering an offer to work full-time for the satellite television station, but Ward indicated that he would be playing elsewhere next summer, possibly as captain. He said: “I am desperate to resurrect my England career and I feel a move away with new ideas and new drive is what I need.”

With Surrey about to embark on a £20 million re-development of The Oval, cricket manager Keith Medlycott defended the club’s decision, which was purely financial. Medlycott said: “We have not got enough money within our budget to maintain the depth of squad that we have. Ian’s and Alec’s contracts were up. It’s excessively disappointing to think it’s that luck of the draw that’s decreed what’s going on. We would have preferred to have kept our squad together. We believe it’s the best squad in the country – we’ve worked towards that – but sometimes we have to appreciate that we’re part of a bigger industry.”

On the field the Lions missed Ward’s straight bat after winning the toss and turning down the opportunity to bowl first, despite every other game at Cardiff this year having been won by the side batting second. On a low and two-paced pitch the visitors lost Brown, Newman and Thorpe inside the first eleven overs. Alistair Brown struck three fours off the wayward David Harrison before attempting to whip the 21-year-old through square leg. Mike Kasprowicz got one to nip back off the seam to Scott Newman and then had Graham Thorpe caught at short extra cover.

After the departure of a frustrated Clarke, Mark Ramprakash and Adam Hollioake put on 76 in sixteen overs for the fifth wicket. The Surrey skipper reached his half-century in 49 deliveries in the same over as Dean Cosker was taken for 21. Cosker was clubbed for two sixes by Hollioake, who was undone in the next when Robert Croft pushed one through. Ramprakash, whose fifty took 91 balls, followed close on his captain’s heels – caught low down at mid-off – to become the second of Adrian Dale’s four successes, after which the visitors sauntered through to 198 for nine.

Needing less than four and a half an over, Glamorgan started in similar fashion, losing Maher and Wharf to successive balls in the fifth and Thomas to superb catch down the leg side in the twelfth. However, Martin Bicknell conceded two sixes in his one and only spell – the first over mid-wicket off the blade of Jimmy Maher and the second, which was sent straight down the ground by Ian Thomas.

But then, just as it looked as though Michael Powell and David Hemp were going to cut loose, Tim Murtagh and Rikki Clarke restricted the Dragons to 40 runs in twelve overs. Murtagh duly picked up the wickets Powell, with one that swung in late, and Hemp, who was brilliantly caught low down to Batty’s left, in consecutive overs before Clarke got in on the act by accounting for Mark Wallace.

With Dale popping Hollioake to Thorpe at short mid-wicket and Croft lobbing the Lions’ skipper to Bicknell, who had to run in from long-on, not even some nerve-jangling heroics from Kasprowicz and Harrison could stop the visitors getting their hands on the National Cricket League trophy a week early.

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