Cricket: Sussex self-destruct

A century stand between Richard Montgomerie and Chris Adams had taken the county to 138-2 in the 35th over and a victory target of 240 and a place in the semi-finals of the Benson and Hedges Cup was suddenly in their sights.

Perhaps the enormity of what they might achieve in beating a Surrey team composed entirely of international cricketers suddenly hit home.

Because all of a sudden Sussex, with two of their most experienced players at the crease, lost their nerve and ended up defeated by 53 runs.

It will be a while before Adams is recovered enough from his broken thumb to get real power into his shots. But he was just getting into his stride when he had his off stump knocked out by a ball from Alec Tudor which moved late off the seam.

The captain's dismissal for 35 sparked a dismal collapse which saw Sussex lose their last eight wickets for 48 runs in 13 overs which were shared around by Tudor, Ben Hollioake and Ed Giddins, whose prediction that his new county would be too strong for his old one proved numbingly accurate.

As Surrey moved in for the kill, Will House fatally played across the line at Tudor, Umer Rashid stopped on a drive and Sussex's last hope disappeared in the 42nd over when Montgomerie lofted a drive to mid off after making a well paced 83 from 124 balls with five boundaries.

The rest went quietly. Robin Martin-Jenkins drove Giddins straight to mid off, Matt Prior was run out by Ben Hollioake's direct hit, Giddins castled James Kirtley with a yorker his former team-mate would have been proud of and Hollioake junior polished things off by bowling Mark Robinson with 16 balls unused and Sussex all out for 186.

The Surrey seamers all bowled well, none more so than Martin Bicknell who took 2-29, both wickets coming in his new ball spell when he defeated Murray Goodwin as the Zimbabwean tried to run him down to third man before winning a leg before decision against Bas Zuiderent, who was squared up by one which moved off the seam.

On a flat pitch few balls beat the bat all day, but Surrey's greater experience was always going to be decisive.

No wonder former Prime Minister John Major was smiling at the end.

The Conservatives look like losing the election in a fortnight's time, but Surrey's president could be consoled by the prospect of watching his team in action in a Lord's final if they see off Nottinghamshire in the semi-final at the Oval.

What will have disappointed most the 3,000 crowd basking under a cloudless sky was that Sussex subsided so meekly after dragging themselves back into the contest earlier in the day.

Surrey made 239-7, but when gold award winner Alistair Brown and Mark Ramprakash were putting on 126 in 25 overs for the second wicket, it looked as if they would post a total of around 300.

However, Ramprakash's dismissal for 53 started a steady decline in their fortunes and they finished on 240-7 from their 50 overs even though Brown carried his bat for 108.

With the England squad for the triangular one-day tournament due to be announced tomorrow, Brown couldn't have timed his second limited overs century in the space of three days any better.

On a pitch which Sussex's attack soon discovered allowed no margin for error, Brown stroked seven boundaries in his first 50 which came up in the 21st over off 66 balls although, crucially as it turned out, he was dropped by Robinson when he'd made 40, the Sussex seamer spilling what he would have considered a straightforward chance low to his right in his follow through.

At the other end Ramprakash was matching Brown shot for shot as the pair quickly overcame the early loss of Alec Stewart who fell leg before to his first ball when he pushed tentatively forward at a delivery from Robin Martin-Jenkins which held it's line nicely.

Adams did a good containing job, bringing himself on as early as the 12th over for a seven over stint which cost just 27 runs and staunched the flow of runs.

But Surrey were 127-1 at the halfway stage and the game was in danger of getting away from Sussex when Robinson, whose first three overs had cost 26, returned to the attack and dragged his side back into contention.

Ramprakash had made 53 off 66 balls with five boundaries when he deposited the veteran straight down the throat of House on the deep square leg boundary and two overs later he induced a mistimed drive from Graham Thorpe which flew straight to short mid-wicket.

Sussex were suddenly energised again in the field and three run outs helped to slow Surrey's progress even further.

Robinson deflected a straight drive from Brown onto the stumps at the non-striker's end with Ian Ward out of his crease backing up and in his next over Brown failed to respond to his captain's call for a comfortable third and Adam Hollioake was run out by the length of the pitch.

By now Brown had gone into his shell although trying to hit a ball which he later compared to a grapefruit must have had something to do with his sudden slowdown.

The Reader ball, which the players hate because it goes soft so quickly, was twice changed at the batsmen's request although it appeared a third appeal later in the innings by Adams was turned down by the umpires.

Brown duly reached his second B&H century against Sussex in the 47th over just after Tudor had been yorked by James Kirtley, but of his last 39 runs 33 were singles while the last of his eight boundaries was scored in the 30th over.

Credit for that must go to the Sussex bowlers who bounced back from their mauling in the early phase of the innings.

Off-spinner Mark Davis showed good control in two spells down the slope while Robinson's second seven over spell cost just 23 runs.

The fielding noticably improved as the innings wore on with Adams running out Ben Hollioake with a direct hit.

In the end Brown's go slow made little difference and he was duly named man of the match while the Sussex supporters drifted home reflecting that their side will have to wait another 12 months to make an impression on a competition which has treated them badly down the years.