There was a period last summer when James Benning refused to be interviewed by the press because he felt that he wasn't backing up his words with runs in the scorebook. A winter in Perth, playing Grade cricket, gave him an opportunity not only to spend time in the middle, but also to work on his bowling, which fetched him nearly forty wickets. But when he returned to the UK a back spasm kept him out of the Brown Caps' pre-season games. After failing with the bat in the opening County Championship encounter, Benning has spent the first few weeks of the season kicking his heels in the Surrey second eleven, who have so far seen four out of six days' cricket completely washed out. But such is his resolve Benning has taken his opportunities in the Friends Provident Trophy with both hands by making 47 and 106.

Yesterday, the latter, which came off 84 balls and included 15 fours and two sixes, powered the Brown Caps to their first victory of the new campaign. Mind you, when Middlesex collapsed to 9-3 and then 55-5, it looked as though Benning was going to have plenty of time left to celebrate his 25th birthday. As it was, he still marked the occasion in style.

The Surrey opener raced to a 32-ball half-century in the thirteenth over of his side's reply to Middlesex's rather respectable 233-8, and moved to his first hundred at Lord's eighteen overs later. When the 25-year-old departed, caught at extra cover in the 33rd over, the Brown Caps needed just 69 to win with seven wickets up their sleeve. Victory was achieved with Alistair Brown hitting an entertaining 40 not out in 53 deliveries, although it has to be said he was abetted by some shoddy Middlesex fielding.

The main culprit was Ed Smith, who dropped the 38-year-old at long-off off Shaun Udal at what might have been a crucial time. Smith, who missed last week's Trophy win over the Kent Spitfires with a bout of flu, also made just two with the bat after misjudging the conditions at the toss.

With Jade Dernbach and Pedro Collins getting the new ball to swing lavishly, Ed Joyce, Smith and Owais Shah all departed after barely troubling the scorers. Andrew Strauss unfurled a beautiful straight drive off Collins for four in the eighth over, but in the eleventh dragged on. Eion Morgan also hinted at a Crusaders' counter-attack when he collected two consecutive fours off Matt Nicholson, but four overs later he too was walking back to the famous Lord's pavilion, having been caught at gully.

In the 24th over the hosts seemed to be in even more trouble when Ben Scott had to retire hurt after taking a blow on the elbow. However, with Vernon Philander joining forces with fellow South African, Gareth Berg, the Crusaders went from 85-5 to 153-6 in the space of twelve overs. Berg, who hit 65 off 71 balls was particularly severe on Surrey's spinners. The only six of the Crusaders innings came when he launched Chris Schofield into the Grandstand.

With Philander nibbling at one from Nicholson and Berg also going caught behind to the tall Australian, it was left to Scott and another former Surrey man, Tim Murtagh, to give the Crusaders' attack something to defend. The eighth wicket pair did just that by combining for 63 in twelve overs.

Eight overs into their reply, Surrey had only made 41, but a disastrous ninth over, bowled by Murtagh, changed all that as Benning followed up two leg-side fours off his former team-mate with a huge six over mid-wicket.

Scott Newman was run out attempting an impossible single to Joyce at mid-wicket in the 16th over and some of the momentum was lost when Usman Afzaal took just four runs off his first 23 deliveries; but once Benning had gone to three figures off 80 balls, in the 31st over, the result was never really in doubt.

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