ESSEX beat Surrey by 156 runs at The Oval to retain their unbeaten record in the Friends Provident Trophy and their position as table-toppers of the South/East Division.
A magnificent first wicket partnership of 269 by openers Mark Pettini and Jason Gallian underpinned a mammoth total of 391-5 wickets before David Masters claimed five wickets including that of main threat Mark Ramprakash to complete a marvellous weekend for Pettini's men following their championship win over Middlesex on Saturday.
A concentrated assault by Pettini and Gallian brought about the destruction of the Surrey attack as records went tumbling with the Essex score of 391-5 wickets setting a new county record in limited-overs matches
Clean and uncomplicated hitting saw both openers pummel the hosts attack mercilessly as they set a new highest partnership for Essex against Surrey in limited-overs cricket and spanning just 39 overs.
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It was also the highest first wicket partnership ever recorded against Surrey by any county.
Pettini played straight but cut and pulled crisply whilst Gallian also produced some handsome strokes punching the ball powerfully on both sides of the wicket as the pair galloped along against an attack that wilted in the sun and noone would have felt the heat more intensely than Jonathan Batty
The Surrey wicket-keeper, so usually a dependable performer, dropped Pettini who had made only a single, with the socre on 11 and was made to pay dearly for the error as the Essex captain returned to form with a vengeance to strike his second century in three innings in the competition.
It was hard to appreciate that he arrived here reflecting on a "pair" in the championship match with Middlesex last week. By the end of the third and final powerplay, the scoreboard showed 126 runs and the duo continued to pile on the runs with Pettini reaching his century from 90 balls with 14 boundaries that included two sixes. The first was a straight drive off Pedro Collins whilst the second was clubbed over deep mid-on from the hapless Jade Dernbach.
By the end of the 30th over, the total had moved onto 198 and five overs later, Gallian moved into three figures having faced 104 deliveries that included 13 boundaries. It was a memorable return to a ground where the 36 year-old had gained the second of his three Test caps when he faced a fiery West Indies attack in 1995 but the opposition on this occasion lacked any hint of intimidation or threat.
Both batsmen fell within five deliveries with Pettini the first to return to the pavilion when offering Batty another chance that was accepted, as he shaped to cut. His 144 embraced 19 boundaries including two sixes form 120 deliveries and is his highest one-day score whilst Gallian reached 117 from 116 balls before he was caught at deep extra cover searching for his 16th boundary.
Any relief the home side might have felt at seeing off the two centurions quickly disappeared as Ryan ten Doeschate continued the battering with 60 from 31 balls and his partnership of 74 with James Foster spanned just 35 balls, only two of which failed to yield at least one run. Foster, giving forceful support struck three sixes in his 46 as Essex flourished against an attack laws in line and length coupled with some abject fielding.
With the visitors passing their previous one-day best figure if 388-7 recorded against Scotland in a Benson & Hedges Cup match at Chelmsford in 1992, the Brown Caps new ball bowler Dernbach suffered the ignominy of conceding the worst bowling figures by a Surrey bowler in one day cricket. His 10 overs were plundered for 107 runs without even the consolation of a single wicket.
The visitors took less than 3 overs to grab their first victim when Andre Nel persuaded James Benning to pick out Chris Wright at backward square leg but a 94 runs stand in 14 overs offered Surrey some hope. However, Graham Napier, playing his first senior match of the campaign produced a full length delivery to remove Scott Newman for 49 and although the imperious Ramprakash played with typical fluency and effectiveness, he lacked necessary support.
Mark Butcher was brilliantly stumped for 18 by Foster standing up to ten Doeschate to leave Surrey 152-3 but it was the introduction of Masters that ended all interest for the home side. Held back until the 31st over, the paceman grabbed two wickets in two deliveries trapping Ramprakash with his second delivery when the prolific run getter was within two runs of a century and he then had Ali Brown caught behind for a first ball duck.
Masters then bowled Batty in his next over to earn figures of 3-6 at that stage and Napier then picked up two more wickets including Usman Afzaal who attempted some valiant defiance before he was bowled as Surrey totally capitulated.
The accurate all-rounder also bowled Saqlain Mushtaq leaving Masters to collect another two wickets in one over to complete the victory and record his best limited-overs figures of 5-17.
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