DAVIES
COMPLETES CONVINCING WIN FOR THE LIONS by Marcus Hook
Lancashire Lightning 165 (39.3 Overs) v Surrey Lions 166-2 (23.5
Overs). Surrey Lions win by 8 wickets.
A breathtaking 82 not out off 69 balls from Steven
Davies capped a dominant Surrey display at Old Trafford, where they
had not tasted victory in one-day cricket since 1996. The Lions'
eight-wicket win over Lancashire, which was achieved with more than
sixteen overs to spare, lifts the Brit Oval outfit back up to second
place in Group A of the Clydesdale Bank 40League, just behind the
Somerset Sabres, whom they are due to play next, when the
competition resumes at the end of July.
It was a day to forget for the Lightning, who were
reduced to 39-5 after winning the toss and electing to bat. Only
Mark Chilton and Luke Sutton's sixth wicket stand of 108 in 23 overs
spared the home side total ignominy.
In the second over, Chris Tremlett trapped Tom
Smith leg before. In the next, Andre Nel had Paul Horton caught
behind off an inside edge to make it 8-2. Eight overs later that
became 33-3 when Ashwell Prince got a leading edge to third man off
the bowling of Jade Dernbach, who then had Stephen Moore dragging
the ball on to his stumps; though not before Steven Croft was run
out for a duck following a dreadful mix-up in the 11th over.
The hosts only found the boundary on twelve
occasions. A former Lancashire player, Chris Schofield got through
his eight overs, which he bowled unchanged from the Brian Statham
End, without conceding any. Chilton eventually threw off the
shackles in the 24th over when he reverse swept and cover drove Rory
Hamilton-Brown for fours before bringing up the fifty partnership
for the sixth wicket.
Six overs later, Chilton progressed to a 63-ball
half century, which he celebrated by reverse sweeping Matthew
Spriegel for four in the 31st over. But when the acting Lancashire
skipper was bowled around his legs by Nel four overs later, the
hosts fell apart again, losing their last five wickets for 18 runs
in the space of 28 deliveries.
In reply, Surrey raced to 59 without loss in seven
overs. Hamilton-Brown enjoyed a couple of slices of luck when he
picked up fours off inside edges. In the fourth over Davies
deposited Daren Powell over the fence at third man for the first of
his three sixes. In the next, Hamilton-Brown square drove and then
pulled boundaries off James Anderson.
The sixth over nearly saw Davies decapitate Lanky
- Lancashire Lightning's mascot - with another maximum to third man
off Powell. In the next, the former Worcestershire keeper launched
Smith straight down the ground for six.
In the ninth over, Hamilton-Brown went to 30 by
lifting Smith over mid-off for four. The Lions' skipper should have
been caught at backward leg next ball, but Powell optimised
Lancashire's woeful display by spilling the chance.
By the end of the 11th over, Surrey were nearly
halfway towards achieving their objective thanks to Hamilton-Brown
cutting Stephen Parry's first delivery to the boundary before
working him through extra cover for another four.
Two overs later the 22-year-old brought his fifty
up in 35 deliveries when he danced down the wicket and hit Parry
straight down the ground for six. Smith's return to the attack, in
the 15th over, saw Hamilton-Brown despatching the ball through the
off-side for two successive boundaries before being bowled off his
back leg for 65.
Davies's half century, which came off 47
deliveries, arrived in the 17th over when he pulled Parry through
straight mid-wicket for four. Other than Laurie Evans departing to a
catch at short fine leg two overs later the visitors charge for the
line was unimpeded, Davies taking his side to within 14 runs of
victory with successive fours to wide long-on off the bowling of
Croft.
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