With Surrey scoring back-to-back one-day victories for the first time this summer one could say they are on something of a roll. Indeed, if the Brown Caps put together two more performances as polished as the one they turned in yesterday, to overcome Warwickshire at Edgbaston, the Oval outfit may yet take promotion to Division One of the Pro40 League from an otherwise depressing season that is still to see them win a game in the LV County Championship.

The visitors were indebted to James Benning's 74 off 79 balls and an unbeaten sixth wicket partnership of 87 in ten overs between Mark Ramprakash - who made his second one-day fifty in three innings - and Matthew Spriegel, who is yet to let his side down with the bat in any form of limited-overs cricket.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, Surrey's first wicket pair put on a brisk 39 in six overs before Scott Newman, trying to launch Chris Martin down the ground for six, was caught at the second attempt by Neil Carter; though not before the 28-year-old left-hander had taken two fours off the Kiwi in the same over. In tandem with Stewart Walters, Benning then starred in a second wicket stand of 66 in twelve overs.

Benning's second one-day half century in as many innings came off just 42 balls and included eight fours. His ninth boundary, a pulled four in Ian Salisbury's first over, brought the Brown Caps' hundred. However, Walters departed in the next over, the 18th, when he was bowled attempting to cut Ant Botha off his stumps.

Surrey's next boundary did not arrive until the 33rd over. Benning, who was fortunate to survive a stumping chance off Botha when 65, was caught low down to the left of the South African at short mid-wicket in the 27th over. Two overs later, Usman Afzaal holed out to long-on and, in the next, Jon Batty was run out by Jonathan Trott as he attempted to get back for a third run.

Ramprakash and Spriegel's assault did not begin until the 37th over, but with each of them hitting slower balls from Tim Groenewald over straight mid-on for six it went for 21. The 38th over, bowled by Martin, cost ten runs and the 39th, which included two successive maximums by Spriegel off Trott, went for seventeen.

Needing to score at nearly a run a ball, Warwickshire, in reply, left it all to Trott. The 27-year-old struck a superb 92 in 99 deliveries, including nine fours, but lacked support. Only Jim Troughton, who contributed 41, made more than fifteen for the home side.

Carter went in the first over, caught at backward point off Pedro Collins. Trott and Troughton then added 98 in sixteen overs for the second wicket. Trott cover drove two fours off Lee Hodgson's first over as a Surrey bowler. In the 22-year-old seamer's fourth, Trott flicked the ball to the fine leg boundary and, off the very delivery, guided Hodgson past backward point for another four.

Trott reached his fifty off 53 balls, but Troughton departed to the very next ball, stumped by Batty off Afzaal. Darren Maddy was caught at deep square leg off Alex Tudor in the following over and eight overs later, in the 26th, Tim Ambrose swept Spriegel's off-spin to the same area, where the same man, Benning, held on again.

Five overs later, Ian Westwood flicked Afzaal straight to short mid-wicket to give Hodgson the first of two catches. With everything falling on Trott's shoulders, Warwickshire went into the last six overs needing 50 to win.

Botha and Trott both perished in the first over of Jade Dernbach's comeback spell. Botha was caught at long-on, but the decisive wicket of Trott owed much to the agility of Batty.

In the next over Salisbury was dropped at long-off by Collins, but by that time the result was largely beyond doubt. When the former Sussex and Surrey man was caught on the straight boundary in the 37th over, it most definitely was.

GO TO:

BACK TO: