An awesome batting display from Mark Ramprakash, who has now made 528 runs in three innings in all competitions without being dismissed, gave the Brown Caps just enough leeway to overcome a cantankerous 86 from Sussex's Murray Goodwin and the handicap of having to field under lights. Moreover, last night's 16-run victory on the south coast keeps the Oval outfit on course for a place in the semi-finals of the Friends Provident Trophy.

The slippery conditions made the visitors' ground fielding look sloppy at times, but they held on to some good catches. James Benning took two crucial ones to see the back of Adams and Wright. Nayan Doshi pulled off a brilliant catch low down at mid-wicket to spell the end for Martin-Jenkins, but Rikki Clarke's coolly judged effort on the straight boundary to account for Goodwin in the 47th over ensured that Ramprakash's unbeaten 142 was not made in a losing cause. The former Middlesex man clubbed 10 fours and 6 sixes on his way to making his highest one-day score since joining Surrey.

Similarly, Chris Schofield's 4-32 were his best figures as a Brown Cap. The former England leg-spinner was not thrown the ball by Mark Butcher until the 36th over. At that stage the home side needed 120 off the last fifteen with seven wickets in hand. Had Goodwin received more support from his colleagues the outcome might have been different. The Zimbabwean played well enough to deserve a century, but after Chris Nash chipped Clarke to mid-off, Schofield pounced. The 28-year-old picked up the wicket of Carl Hopkinson in the 42nd over, Robin Martin-Jenkins in the 44th, Luke Wright in the 46th and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan in the 48th.

Earlier, Surrey gradually came to terms with the loss of both openers early on to two balls of quality from James Kirtley, but Ramprakash turned the screw as the visitors collected 135 off the last ten overs. Wright, with one for 87 in his 10 overs, came in for the most punishment. The 22-year-old all-rounder was launched for four sixes by Ramprakash, who cracked his other two off Naved-ul-Hasan.

In reply, Sussex started steadily, taking 36 and just three boundaries off the first ten overs. The Sharks fifty arrived in the fifteenth over, though not before Richard Montgomerie, driving on the up, was caught at extra cover off Azhar Mahmood. Andrew Hodd went shortly afterwards, mistiming Neil Saker to mid-off. With a brilliant one-handed catch at backward point accounting for Chris Adams, the hosts found themselves with a mountain to climb at 75-3 in the 20th over. But Sussex were only ever in contention while Goodwin was at the crease.

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