A captain's innings from Mark Butcher proved to be the inspiration Surrey required to register a hard fought victory over Worcestershire, which now sets up a tilt at the Pro40 League division two title. With the Brown Caps just needing to overcome bottom-placed Somerset at Taunton today, a league double would appear to be very much within Surrey's grasp; certainly if they show anything like the grit and determination they displayed at New Road yesterday.

The visitors made a poor start, losing Scott Newman and Alistair Brown in the third over. Newman, who fell to a routine slip catch, did little to justify his inclusion ahead of James Benning. Brown was then adjudged lbw to a ball from Zaheer Khan that the television replays showed had pitched outside leg stump and was going over the top of off. Nevertheless, umpire Roy Palmer's decision was final and the visitors had their work cut out.

Butcher duly dug in. In partnership with Ramprakash and Batty, the Brown Caps' skipper laid the foundation for a late innings charge that brought a crucial 74 runs off the last eight overs.

Mark Ramprakash, playing with controlled aggression, seemed to have gained the measure of the conditions until he was deceived by one that Kabir Ali cut back off the seam. The fifty came up in the twelfth over and at the end of the fielding restrictions the visitors, at 67 for three, were still not out of the woods.

In the 25th over, Jonathan Batty brought the hundred up with the first boundary for ten overs by reverse sweeping his namesake, Gareth. However, Batty then reached for a ball and gave Vikram Solanki a simple return catch.

Butcher posted his half-century off 73 balls with four boundaries in the 29th over. But with Azhar Mahmood and then Rikki Clarke - who struck 33 off 16 balls - taking the initiative, the visitors were certainly the happier of the two sides at the break with a total of 220 for six in the book.

Like their counterparts, Worcestershire lost both openers early on. The fifth over of the Royals chase saw Stephen Moore fall to a brave catch at short mid-wicket by Tim Murtagh off the bowling of Mohammad Akram. A delay, caused by a change of ball, in the seventh over then seemed to interrupt Lou Vincent's concentration and the leading run-scorer in this summer's Pro40 League was cleaned up by a delivery that pitched on off-stump and straightened.

With Solanki racing to 26 off 25 balls, however, the home side were 46 for two after ten overs. In alliance with Ben Smith, the Royals' skipper added an ominous 89 in 14 overs for the third wicket. Smith despatched anything pitched slightly short of a length from Clarke to the mid-wicket boundary, while Solanki set about reminding the England selectors what they were passing up on by making an attractive 39-ball half-century that included ten fours.

Nayan Doshi tempted the Worcestershire captain down the pitch to one that went on with the arm. But with Smith progressing to 50 in 63 deliveries and Graeme Hick adding to Surrey's worries, the Royals, needing to score at just over a run a ball for the last ten overs, appeared to be on course for victory.

However, the Brown Caps' spinners managed to peg things back. With 31 balls to go and the hosts wanting 42, Chris Schofield found himself on a hat-trick after having Hick caught at long-on and Smith, next ball, sweeping in the air to deep backward square leg.

That knocked the stuffing out of Worcestershire, who proceeded to lose four more wickets before falling thirteen runs short of their objective.

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