Ralphie Albert, the England Under-19 all rounder, fell just four runs short of a rampant century in his first innings for Surrey as the visitors posted 289-8 against Notts Outlaws in their Group A Metro Bank One-Day Cup match at Trent Bridge.
It was his side’s highest ever individual score for a maiden List A innings and helped bring victory by ten runs. This still looked unlikely, however, when, in reply, the Zimbabwean Dane Schadendorf and locally-raised Sam King both made their first fifties in any Notts cricket in an 85-run third-wicket partnership.
But Albert, bowling left-arm spin, struck twice in 13 balls as Schadendorf fell for 51, caught behind sweeping, and Ben Martindale, returning with a runner after retiring hurt in the sixth over, soon drove him to mid-off. Seven balls later Albert took the catch that left Notts six down, needing 104 from 86 balls.
Wicket-taker Ollie Sykes added two more successes in his next nine balls, King out for 67, and Notts now seemed certain of  defeat. But No9, Bob Lord, hammered a late bravura unbeaten 72, batting with a runner, almost to suggest a miracle, until 23 from the last over proved just too much.
Earlier, with an onslaught of 146 at seven per over, Surrey’s List A record for the sixth wicket, Albert and wicket-keeper Josh Blake, who made 72, rebuilt their innings after being 102-5 from 26 overs.
In their reply the Outlaws soon faced trouble when two of their trio of first-team regulars, Ben Slater, driving loosely, and Haseeb Hameed, caught behind glancing, went in South African Ari Karvelas’s first four new-ball overs. In between, Ben Martindale, who’d suffered cramp when bowling, retired hurt.
The last of the regulars, Jack Haynes, left for 38, neatly stumped by Blake as Yousef Majid, another left-armer, spun one past the bat. Soon after, exactly 200 were required from the last 31 overs but it had become only 127 from 19.4 before Albert’s second intervention, this time with the ball.
When Surrey batted first it proved a terrific start on Notts first-XI debut for Tom Giles as the 19-year old fast bowler claimed two England Test batters in his opening 18 balls. Giles induced a bottom-edge from Rory Burns, bowled for 25 cutting, and found a beauty for Ben Foakes who lost off stump for 20.
Adam Thomas followed 162 at Derby on Friday, a List A score only ever bettered by five Surrey batters, with just eight and when Surrey skipper Sykes followed the two Test men for ten, his side were 69-4 in the 17th.
With Nik Gorantla driving to cover for 21, it was not until 33 overs had gone that Surrey suddenly picked up the tempo with vengeance. Blake’s fifty arrived in 56 balls, Albert’s in 53 and in all 187 were plundered from final 17 overs, Giles not escaping the brutality in his second spell. Dropped on 77, Albert selflessly fell in the deep with 11 balls to come after Blake was leg-before.
Josh Blake, Surrey wicket-keeper, made 72 in the key 6th-wkt stand said:
“A great match, I thought. It went all the way. We lost a couple of early wickets that put us under lots of pressure but came back to post a score.”
“There was obviously pressure again in their stand between King and Schadendorf but we’ve seen in every game that one of the youngsters will do well and Ollie Sykes stood up this time to take those crucial wickets. He shows such maturity that people forget he’s only 20 in fact. All in all, we’ve had a nice blend of youth and experience in these games, with Rory Burns and Ben Foakes to give a lead. Everyone has responded.”
“It’s great that we now meet Notts again in two weeks in what is a massive game to come at the Oval that may decide the Championship title. I’m really looking forward to it.”
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