Luke Griffiths’ boundary off the final ball ensured Surrey would end their Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign on a high with a two wicket victory over Essex in Chelmsford
Ryan Patel recorded his fourth List A century that crucially helped Surrey to a second victory in the competition and ensured the Three Feathers would not finish bottom of Group A.
Patel shared partnerships of 62 with late call-up Krish Patel, 60 with Josh Blake and 51 with Conor McKerr as Surrey chased down 260 to win with a boundary off the last ball. McKerr also claimed career-best List A figures of 4-55 in Essex’s 259-9.
Essex were indebted to two significant stands in reaching a slightly below-par score on a dead pitch. Beau Webster (69) and Noah Thain (63) lifted them from 79-4 with a fifth-wicket partnership of 109 in 24 overs, while Jamal Richards (31 not out) and Ben Allison put on 52 for the ninth wicket.
There was drama before play started when captain Rory Burns twisted an ankle in the warm-up and Surrey had to register 17-year-old leg-spin all-rounder Krish Patel.
Essex tails were up when they had Surrey’s best hope of anchoring their response, Dom Sibley, out first ball to a bottom edge and having his middle stump jagged back. But they had not factored in Ryan Patel.
Josh Blake joined Patel in a 60-run partnership that took up 10 overs before picking out the square-leg boundary sweeper to give Richards a wicket in his first over. Ben Geddes followed to a catch at mid-on off Aron Nijjar.
The left-handed Patel hit three fours in the first over and reached his fifty from 50 balls with a six over midwicket. But he lost Cameron Steel to a running catch at long leg off Webster.
The debutant Patel joined his namesake and had revised the target to 116 off 20 overs. The lateness of his call-up did not affect his nerves and even found time to deposit Nijjar for six over long off to mark the fifty partnership. He was eventually out for a 46-ball 30, lbw going back to Nijjar.
The senior Patel reached three figures with his 13th boundary, punched through extra cover, from his 102nd delivery faced. McKerr’s 20 from 24 balls kept Surrey on course before he was bowled by Webster.
Patel’s 45-over innings ended when he drove Allison to Webster at short extra cover and suddenly Surrey needed 33 from six overs with three wickets in hand, then 15 from 12 balls. They lost Ealham to another Webster catch in the covers off Allison as the target rose to 13 from eight balls.
A sweep off the first ball of Beard’s final over by Griffiths reduced the figure to nine off five balls, but only a single from the next two balls heightened the suspense. However, Moriarty nudged another bourndary followed by another to leave three required off the last ball. But Griffith’s drive through mid-on for four from a full-toss decided the outcome.
Essex lost their first three wickets to sloppy shots inside the powerplay. Nick Browne, captaining the side in his first List A game of the season, lofted Amar Virdi straight for six but perished next ball when he chipped tamely to short mid-on.
Feroze Khushi also departed after hitting Dan Moriarty’s second ball over the ropes before being stumped off a legside wide. And Luc Benkenstein became the third to fall in the first 10 overs when he chased a wide one. Charlie Allison did not last long either, dragging on against Steel to leave Essex four down and only 14 overs gone.
However, that was the prelude to a steadying century stand between Webster and Thain that helped Essex out of their nosedive.
Thain’s second six, driven straight off Tommy Ealham, brought up the hundred stand in 21 overs before the pair were back in the pavilion in the space of 13 balls, both falling to McKerr. Thain pulled to short midwicket and Webster edged a lifting ball behind.
The returning Virdi grabbed two quick wickets for List A-best figures of 3-38 with Beard playing all around one to be lbw and Will Buttleman bowled off his pads.
