The Lions’ woeful start in Division Two of the totesport League continues, but for Somerset things are beginning to look up after two wins in as many days. How the Sabres batsmen put Surrey to the sword after being inserted by the visitors. Thanks to attractive half-centuries from Marcus Trescothick, Sanath Jayasuriya and Keith Parsons – who top-scored with an innings of 85 off 75 balls, which included three huge sixes in the penultimate over – the Lions were never really in the hunt.

Instead, their depleted attack was simply hunted down. Neil Saker, making his one-day league debut, went for 54 off six overs. But his new-ball partner, Philip Sampson, wrote himself into the Surrey record books by logging the most expensive return in his side’s limited-overs history. Sampson’s analysis of 9-0-85-1 nudged Martin Bicknell’s 10-0-84-2 against Glamorgan in the NatWest Trophy three years ago into second place on the Ovalites’ all-time uneconomical list. The previous worst by a Lions bowler in the National League had been Robin Jackman’s 8-0-78-2 against Middlesex back in 1971.

But at least those undertaking the 230-mile round trip from London to Taunton and back were rewarded when Alistair Brown struck a thrill-a-minute 65 in 37 deliveries, which included seven fours and three sixes, after being dropped at mid-off on one by the Sabres’ captain, Marcus Trescothick.

Brown launched Parsons straight down the ground for two maximums in the 22nd over of Surrey’s reply, the second of which was caught by a watching Rikki Clarke, who was not playing due to an injured hamstring. Then the 35-year-old world record holder plonked Andy Caddick over the mid-wicket boundary upon his first reintroduction to the Somerset attack.

If setting a field to Brown became something of a lottery, the order in which the visitors’ batsmen emerged from the Old Pavilion seemed as if it had been decided on the basis of drawing straws. Perhaps the absence of their coach, Steve Rixon, who has flown back to Australia to attend to what was described in an official statement as a “family-related matter”, had something to do with it.

When the Lions’ skipper Mark Ramprakash, down at number seven, eventually arrived at the crease his side needed an impossible 166 off 15 overs with five wickets remaining. Four balls later Brown holed out to Blackwell on the long-off boundary and, had not been before, it was a case of game set and match.

To add injury to insult Richard Clinton favoured an arm whilst in the field and Ramprakash appeared to be hobbling badly just prior to being caught at the wicket in the 36th over of Surrey’s meandering response.

Earlier, Somerset compiled their highest total against the Oval outfit in one-day cricket, comfortably beating their previous best of 285-4 in the National League, set at Taunton in May 1996, and surpassing the 315-8 they racked up in the 1999 NatWest Trophy semi-final clash on the same ground.

After Burns had been palpably leg before on the back foot plus a 20-minute stoppage for rain Jayasuriya (61 off 49 balls) and Trescothick (52 off 43 balls) added 96 in a second-wicket stand that lasted just eleven overs. Both were caught in the deep off Nayan Doshi before James Benning pegged things back a little. But the Sabres’ sixth-wicket pair, Parsons and Hildreth, put the game completely out of reach by stealing 83 off seven overs.

Simon Francis accounted for both openers. In the eighth over his younger brother held on to Clinton at the second time of asking at backward point and Newman went to a catch at mid-on two overs later. Andrew Hodd, who was also making his first appearance in the one-day league, was bowled round his legs by Ian Blackwell. Brown and Batty put on 66 in seven overs to give Surrey a ray of hope, but that was extinguished when Jonathan Batty got an inside edge on to his leg stump in the 25th over.

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