It was meant to be a celebration of Adam Hollioake’s final game in front of his home crowd. The former Surrey captain delivered with 66 off 77 balls after his side had slumped to 72 for six. But by the time Hollioake came on for his first over of medium-paced all-sorts Mark Chilton and Iain Sutcliffe had already put 110 on the board in reply to the Lions’ 235.

The Lightning’s victory was sealed with 35 balls to spare, which just about keeps them in the chase for the totesport League title. For last season’s winners, Surrey, the result puts their chances of avoiding the drop in grave doubt. Needing wins in their three remaining matches to stand any real chance of staying up, the margin of yesterday’s defeat also saw the Lions’ net run rate drop to a deficit of 6.641 – the worst in the division.

Having taken a risk by resting Jimmy Ormond, Martin Bicknell and Azhar Mahmood – all of whom are expected to be fit for the forthcoming championship clash against Kent – the Ovalites can count themselves a tad unlucky to have encountered not one, but two batsmen who were determined to put their failings in the week very much behind them.

The Lancashire openers Mark Chilton and Iain Sutcliffe demolished the one-day league record for any wicket by either side in the fixture – the 140 put on for Red Roses’ third when Graham Lloyd, Neil Fairbrother (who retired hurt) and Mike Watkinson combined at Old Trafford in 1994 – before beating the county record; namely John Crawley and Graham Lloyd’s 197 against Durham at Old Trafford in 1997. When Chilton drilled Benning to cover in the 36th over for a limited-overs career best of 115 – his fourth century in one-day cricket – he and Sutcliffe had put on an awesome 223.

Chilton reached his half-century in the fifteenth over off 57 balls and Sutcliffe posted his four overs later in 49 deliveries with his eleventh boundary. Squalls of rain threatened to end proceedings early, but in light drizzle the Lightning’s top scorer brought up his hundred off 102 balls after which the former Leicestershire man coasted to an unbeaten 102 in 106 deliveries.

Despite the previous five one-day fixtures at Whitgift School going to the side batting first, Lancashire, perhaps harking back to Wednesday morning, decided to put Surrey in on a firm surface that looked ideal for batting.

After starting with a maiden, Dominic Cork went for twenty runs off his second over, but came back to capture the wickets of Alistair Brown and James Benning in his third and Mark Ramprakash in his fourth. That left the home side with no option other than to consolidate before seeking to mount a late charge. But their cause was further undermined when Scott Newman was adjudged leg before, Rikki Clarke punched Glen Chapple to low to extra cover and Jonathan Batty was run out by a superb throw from Schofield at point all before the end of the twentieth over.

A spirited 128-run partnership in 21 overs between Adam Hollioake and Alex Tudor, who made a one-day career best 56 off 70 balls, gave the home side hope. But not long after Hollioake lapped up the crowd’s acknowledgement for a career ending, it became clear that hope alone would not be sufficient against two batsmen hell bent on setting the record straight.

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