Despite a career-best 98 by Connor Brown, Surrey beat Glamorgan by five wickets in their final Royal London One-Day Cup match at The Kia Oval.
The Welsh county made one change to their line-up for this afternoon’s encounter with Connor Brown replacing Ruaidhri Smith, and the young batsman was out in the middle to face the fourth ball of the innings as to the third Nick Selman sparred at a short delivery from Morne Morkel and edged to second slip where Will Jacks parried the ball to wicket-keeper Ben Foakes who caught it at the second attempt.
0/1 then became 0/2 as Aneurin Donald dragged the fourth ball of the second over from Sam Curran onto his stumps. Brown then got the scoreboard moving with a nurdle to third man before Colin Ingram swatted a free hit from Morkel to fine-leg followed by a pull to the ropes at mid-wicket against Curran. Brown then square-drove Morkel for four before Ingram threaded an off-drive against Curran to the ropes at the Vauxhall End.
Brown also off-drove Tom Curran when he replaced Morkel at the Pavilion End, whilst Ingram also biffed him over deep square-leg for a massive six into the OCS Stand. Brown also square-drove Curran for four as Glamorgan passed the 50-mark in the 15th over, before nurdling the next delivery to third man.
Ingram then greeted the introduction of Gareth Batty into the attack by depositing him over deep extra-cover for another six. But the bowler had the last laugh as two overs later he trapped the visiting captain l.b.w. as he attempted a reverse-sweep. 85/3 saw David Lloyd arrive at the crease as Morkel returned for a second spell at the Pavilion End and ten runs later the experienced pace bowler claimed the fourth wicket as Lloyd swatted a ball to Tom Curran at fine-leg.
After being struck on the helmet by Morkel, Kiran Carlson showed no ill effects as he lofted Batty over extra cover for four before Brown completed a maiden fifty by clipping a full length delivery from Sam Curran – his 87th delivery – to third man for four. Having mainly accumulated in singles, Carlson danced down the wicket to Batty and pulled him for four before cutting Tom Curran through point for four and then impishly nurdling the next delivery to the vacant third man.
Carlson then lofted Tom Curran for six over mid-wicket before Brown drilled the same bowler over mid-off for another four, but with the total on 160 Carlson was trapped leg before by what appeared to be a slower delivery by Clarke. Chris Cooke joined Brown who on 68 had a life as Jason Roy dropped a catch a deep gully. Cooke celebrated his partner’s good fortune by pulling Curran for four to mid-wicket as Glamorgan entered the final ten overs on 176/5.
Brown duly opened his shoulders to hoist Sam Curran over deep square-leg for six before drilling Morkel through mid-off for four. Cooke also lofted Curran over long-on for six but next ball he swatted the bowler to deep square-leg where Jacks pouched the catch. 204/6 saw Graham Wagg join Brown who flayed Morkel over mid-on for four whilst Wagg, from the outset, unleashed some combative blows, smearing Curran through backward point.
Tom Curran then returned and was flayed for hearty sixes over mid-wicket and long-on by the muscular Wagg who then hoisted Clarke over deep mid-wicket for another maximum. But Wagg was caught at cover from the final ball of the over as Glamorgan lost their seventh wicket on 249. Andrew Salter joined Brown who two short of his maiden 1st XI century holed out at deep mid-wicket in the final over. Salter struck the penultimate ball for six as Glamorgan ended on 266/8.
Jason Roy and Mark Stoneman began the chase with the latter square-driving Lukas Carey for four in the opening over before steering a delivery into the hands of Salter in the gully. 7/1 saw Jacks join Roy and he began by striking three successive deliveries from Wagg to the ropes before cover-driving Carey for another four. Roy then cover-drove and leg-glanced Wagg for successive fours before pulling Carey for six.
Jacks then drilled Timm van der Gugten’s first delivery through the covers as Surrey, needing to boost their run rate, raced past the 50-mark in the 5th over, before pulling the Dutchman for a pair of sixes in his second over. The youngster then completed a 30-ball fifty by edging Carey to third man.
With the total on 84 in the tenth over, Salter joined the attack and bowled Roy with his second ball as Rory Burns joined Jacks. The latter greeted the return of van der Gugten by adding another cover driven four to his tally, followed next over by a punched four through backward point.. It was then an all-spin attack as Ingram began a spell at the Pavilion End, and having been restrained for a couple of overs, Jacks was bowled by Salter as he advanced down the wicket to the off-spinner.
125/3 saw Ben Foakes join Burns, with the pair restricted to singles for five overs, until Burns chanced his arm with a flat-batted stroke advancing down the wicket to Salter. Later in the over, he punched Salter in the same direction off the back foot. Carlson also had a trundle and was twice cover driven by Burns, as well as being pulled for four by the home captain as Surrey reached the halfway stage having reduced the target to 101.
Wagg returned and was pulled for four by Foakes, before a reverse-sweep for six against Salter saw Burns complete a 52-ball fifty, followed by a pull to mid-wicket for a further four. Wagg then switched to spin mode whilst Lloyd had a spell at the Vauxhall End with Burns hoisting him for four over extra cover before miscuing a drive and holing out at mid-on.
204/4 saw Ollie Pope join Foakes who responded by glancing Lloyd to fine-leg before Craey returned for a final salvo with the target reduced to 49 from sixteen overs. It did the trick as with his first ball, he removed Foakes who tamely chipped the ball to Wagg at short mid-wicket. This heralded the arrival of Sam Curran who quietly worked the ball around with Pope before biffing Carey through extra-cover.
Van der Gugten also replaced Lloyd at the Vauxhall End but the two young batsmen continued to accumulate in one’s and two’s oblivious of the fact that Essex’s victory over the Kent Spitfires at Chelmsford had knocked Surrey out of the tournament. Nevertheless, Pope drove van der Gugten through the cover before Curran swatted Carey to long-on for four. He then survived a chance at deep point before Pope struck three successive fours against Carey in the 41st over as Surrey cantered to a five-wicket victory.