Yesterday, despite a heroic 89 not out off 85 balls from their skipper Mark Ramprakash, Surrey were powerless to prevent the Bears running out comfortable winners in the Lions’ last totesport League fixture for more than a month.

Five of the previous six one-day contests at Whitgift School had gone to the side batting first and after the loss of Alistair Brown in the 29th over of the hosts’ reply for a 34-ball 52, the visitors’ imposing 309 for eight - a new ground record not to mention Warwickshire’s second highest total ever in the National League - proved to be too tall an order for the profligate Lions.

For the third time in seven totesport League outings Surrey were taken for more than 300. The platform for the Bears’ mammoth total was Neil Carter’s 58 in 36 deliveries, which, surprisingly, was only the second half-century of the 30-year-old’s one-day career.

In partnership with Nick Knight, the visitors hit the ground running as the opening pair put on 96 in thirteen overs for Warwickshire’s first wicket. Things took off in the sixth over when Carter launched Tim Murtagh for successive maximums. The left-hander also gave Dominic Thornely short shrift. Thanks to three leg-side fours and a huge six over square leg from Carter, the Aussie soon found himself nursing figures of 2-0-25-0.

Ramprakash persevered with Thornely, who repaid some of the faith shown in him, but it was puzzling that the same sort of faith was not shown in Neil Saker. Mohammad Akram’s analysis suffered from him being asked bowl unchanged for the first eight overs from the South Field End. As for James Benning, who took 3-31 in last week’s match against the Durham Dynamos, one could only assume that the man some people regard as the natural successor to Adam Hollioake was unable to bowl for fitness reasons.

Surrey also missed the presence of Rikki Clarke in the field. The 23-year-old was out with the injury he picked up to the index finger on his right hand in the championship fixture between the two sides. With Graham Thorpe available for this week’s encounter against Middlesex at Lord’s, Clarke could be one of the ones to miss out as Surrey wrestle with the problem of integrating not just Thorpe, but Thornely as well.

Carter eventually holed out to long-on. Knight followed shortly afterwards, strangled down the leg-side for 47. After Trott departed, caught at mid-on off Saker, Jim Troughton and Alex Loudon added a further 108 in 16 overs while posting fifties of their own. Troughton’s, which included a straight six off Harbhajan Singh, was brought up in the 35th over off 60 deliveries with a cover driven four off Ian Salisbury. Loudon’s arrived two overs later at precisely a run a ball.

After five wickets fell in the space of six overs Tony Frost put the finishing touches to Warwickshire’s effort by clubbing an unbeaten 25 off 13 balls, including a six that disappeared over mid-wicket and out of the ground in the final over, which Salisbury was brought back on to deliver.

Benning got the home side off to a promising start by hitting seven fours in the opening four overs. Scott Newman could not live with him, however, and was soon caught at short extra cover attempting to force Brown through the off-side. Murtagh, promoted in the order, reeled off successive back foot drives straight down the ground off Heath Streak before skying a catch to midwicket in the ninth over.

James Benning mistimed a drive to short midwicket and, after cutting Brown and Warren for four, Thornely was leg before playing around his pads to Carter. But then Ramprakash and Brown seemed to put Surrey on course for victory. The veteran pair added 92 in just 12 overs for the Lions’ fifth wicket.

Alistair Brown, who was held back until Streak, Carter and his namesake had bowled most of their allocations, needed only 32 balls for his fifty, which included an on driven six off Streak’s first ball back. However, the second ball of the Zimbabwean’s next over was too full for Brown to be driving. Thereafter, despite spirited, but brief efforts from Batty and Salisbury, Ramprakash lacked support he needed to engineer an amazing turn around.

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