One-Day Cup: Surrey reach quarter-finals, knock out Middlesex
Wednesday 3 August 2016 09:18, UK
Surrey beat Middlesex by five wickets (D/L method) to reach the Royal London Cup quarter-finals at their rivals' expense in a rain-disrupted contest at a soggy Lord's on Tuesday night.
A match both sides needed to win was reduced to 18 overs and then 16 because of bad weather.
Middlesex were asked to bat first and made 101-8 in miserable conditions as John Simpson top scored with 29 while paceman Tom Curran claimed 3-26.
Surrey's chase began terribly with Jason Roy dismissed by Toby Roland-Jones for a golden duck and Steve Davies following at the start of James Harris' next over.
They were soon struggling on 35-4, but wicketkeeper Ben Foakes (45) and Zafar Ansari (29 not out) reignited the chase to see Surrey home with four balls to spare.
The win pushed Gareth Batty's men above Hampshire and Middlesex into fourth in the South Group and set up a visit to Northants in the last eight.
Hampshire were dumped out after falling agonisingly short in their pursuit of 251 against already-qualified Somerset at the Ageas Bowl.
A six off the final ball would have sent Hampshire through but Brad Wheal, having already hit a maximum in the previous over, was caught and bowled by Tim Groenewald as Somerset won by five runs.
The result means Hampshire miss out on the last eight while Somerset, already guaranteed top spot in the South Group with Essex's game being washed out, progress with six wins from eight matches.
Somerset will host Worcestershire in the quarter-finals.
Essex qualified for the last eight despite their final South Group match against Gloucestershire at Bristol falling victim to the weather.
With leaders Somerset defeating Hampshire, the point for the washout was enough for the Eagles.
Rain reduced the match to 38 overs per side but, after Essex elected to bowl, the rain returned and the umpires called off the match around 6.30pm.
Essex will be at Warwickshire in the last eight.
Kent progressed to the quarter-finals after they overcame an inexperienced Sussex side by seven wickets at Hove.
A stand of 103 in 112 balls for the third wicket between Sam Billings and Sam Northeast provided the platform for Kent's comfortable win in a match reduced to 43 overs a side because of rain.
Sussex looked well short of a competitive total when they were restricted to 182-8, Harry Finch putting on 68 for the fourth wicket with Craig Cachopa and 50 for the fifth with Fynn Hudson-Prentice.
Sussex, already out of the competition, experimented with a young line-up, with 21-year-old Abidine Sakande making his List A debut while Hudson-Prentice and Christian Davis had played just five previous matches between them at this level.
The Royal London Cup quarter-finals will be played on August 17 and 18.
