Surrey may be the toast of the Twenty20 Cup – indeed, the Oval outfit are yet to be beaten in the short history of county cricket’s answer to the 60-second interview – but when normal service was resumed yesterday their wretched season in the totesport League showed no signs of improving. Far from it – they were out-thought, out-fought and out-played by the team that, before the match, sat just above them at the foot of the Division One table.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, the home side enjoyed the best of the conditions, but squandered the opportunity to use them. Had it not been for a third-wicket stand of 66 in fourteen overs between Greg Blewett and Graham Thorpe, plus thirty runs coming in extras, the visitors could have treated the Lions’ total as practice for the Twenty20 Cup. As it turned out Surrey’s 176 all out, which contained just eleven boundaries, was less than they have been able to muster in their three Twenty20 Cup outings.

Following the early departure of Newman and Ramprakash, the Oval outfit appeared to be laying a platform for a score in excess of two hundred; which would have been challenging on a slow pitch that offered the seamers a hint of lateral movement. But after reaching 117 for two in the 27th over, the promised dash for the line never materialised.

Thorpe had his middle stump removed by off-spinner Martyn Ball and Blewett was leg before trying to sweep Mark Alleyne. Shortly afterwards Clarke, attempting an expansive off-drive, was stumped and Brown was caught on the long-on boundary.

Alleyne then moved in for the kill by bringing himself back on to bowl. The Gladiators’ player-coach duly collected the wickets of Hollioake, Ormond and Sampson in the space of four balls, which left the Lions’ leading run-scorer in the totesport League, Jonathan Batty, to garner what he could with the help of his number eleven. It proved too little too late as Alleyne finished up with figures of four for 39.

Rikki Clarke also bagged four victims, but they came at a price. In his first four overs the 22-year-old accounted for Steve Adshead and Craig Spearman, both caught behind. But then Phil Weston and Matt Windows put on 106 in twenty-three overs for the visitors’ third wicket.

Windows made a run-a-ball 63, including two sixes over third man, before being deceived by a slower delivery in the 28th over. Weston was then smartly taken at slip for an otherwise assured 40 from 82 balls. But needing to score at just two an over, not even the Gloucestershire, who, other than reaching the last four of the C&G Trophy, have had a disappointing one-day season, were capable of slipping up. They did, however, lose Chris Taylor and Tim Hancock before sealing victory with 41 balls to spare.

The result gives them hopes of avoiding the drop, but last season’s champions Surrey must now be contemplating the very real possibility of making the long haul trips to Edinburgh and Chester-le-Street next summer.

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