20-year-old Ollie Sykes announced himself with a blistering 44 not out off 18 balls, including three sixes in a James Coles over and a humongous out-of-the-park hit against Tymal Mills, as Surrey cruised to a 48-run win over Sussex Sharks at the Kia Oval.
The Three Feathers joined Somerset at the top of the Vitality Blast South Group as Sussex never threatened to reach a target of 211 and were dismissed for 162 in the final over when top scorer Danny Lamb was bowled by Chris Jordan.
Although this season’s leading scorer Jason Roy failed to add to his 265 runs after falling for a second-ball duck, Dom Sibley (45), Will Jacks (43) and Sam Curran (38) made good contributions before left-hander Sykes arrived, a major contributor of 66 runs that were scored in the last four overs, with Surrey reaching an imposing 210 for six.
Without the injured Harrison Ward and Tom Alsop, scoring at 11 an over looked a tall order for Sussex, even more so when Reece Topley picked up two wickets to quickly reduce them to 14 for three. Lamb made a career-best 49 and left-hander Tom Clark scored 45 but slow left-armer Mitch Santer spearheaded an impressive performance by Surrey’s attack with 3 for 26.
Openers Jacks and Sibley added 52 in the first five overs after Surrey had been put in before Jacks (43 off 20 balls) was caught at deep mid-wicket trying to hit Mills for a third six in the over.
In the next over Roy was held at deep extra cover off left-armer Brad Currie but Sibley and skipper Sam Curran had little difficulty adding 61 from 44 balls for the third wicket before Sussex took three wickets in 15 deliveries to check Surrey’s progress.
Sam Curran (38 off 28) was caught and bowled by Coles off a leading edge, Sibley (45 off 32) clipped Henry Crocombe to deep backward square and in the next over Nathan McAndrew claimed his 14th wicket in this season’s Blast when Laurie Evans holed out to deep mid-wicket.
But Sykes soon wrested back control for Surrey, hitting four sixes and two fours in an impressive display of ball-striking as his sixth-wicket partnership with Tom Curran yielded 50 runs from 21 balls.
“To get this opportunity and then to take it like I did, very happy.”
Mark Church spoke to Ollie Sykes after a brilliant 44* off just 18 balls as Surrey smashed 210 at the Kia Oval.
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Sussex needed to make a good start but instead lost three wickets in the first three overs. Debutant George Thomas, signed from Somerset in the winter, lost his off stump to Topley’s sixth ball which Thomas played around, Dan Hughes dragged a widish delivery from Tom Curran onto his stumps and Topley struck again courtesy of a superb diving catch in the deep by Sykes to remove Coles.
Clark and skipper John Simpson gave Sussex hope with a stand of 62 from 35 balls for the fourth wicket but the experienced New Zealander Santner had Clark (45 off 25) and Simpson (21) caught on the leg-side boundary by Jacks in successive overs. Santner picked up Jack Carson in his final over and Topley finished with 3 for 34. Lamb’s 49 from 34 gave Sussex some solace on a night when they were well beaten.
