Spriegel takes his chance against Scotland

Surrey 257 for 7 beat Scotland 209 for 9 by three wickets
Scorecard

Surrey maintained their perfect start to the Clydesdale Bank 40 with a comfortable 48-run win over Group B rivals Scotland in Edinburgh. The visitors always looked on target for a fourth victory in as many games after some devastating late hitting from Matt Spriegel helped them to 257 for 7 batting first.

Scotland's bowlers had done well to rein in Surrey after an initial onslaught from Steve Davies and Jason Roy, but Spriegel helped his side take 52 from the final 20 deliveries as he finished unbeaten on 82 from 73 balls. It proved a match-winning blast as Scotland battled manfully in pursuit, but simply failed to supply the same type of power hitting to finish on 209 for nine. Neil McCallum top-scored for the hosts with 53 from 51 balls.

After his batting heroics, Spriegel claimed the first Scottish wicket when he bowled Fraser Watts and when fellow opener Ryan Flannigan fell from the last ball of the 10th over Scotland were 50 for 2. By contrast, Surrey had been 93 for 1 at the same stage - after Davies and Roy's powerful start - but the hosts patiently built towards the total in the middle overs thanks to a 72-run stand between McCallum and Preston Mommsen for the fifth wicket.

Mommsen departed for a run-a-ball 45 when England Lions seamer Jade Dernbach had him caught by Tom Maynard but with McCallum in touch Scotland reached 200 in the 37th over - the same stage Surrey passed the mark. But where Spriegel stepped up another couple of gears McCallum could not, despite twice clearing the ropes, as he also perished to Dernbach shortly after reaching his half-century to snuff out home hopes.

Earlier, Surrey made a blistering start to their innings as they quickly overcame the second-over loss of skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown when he offered a return catch to Matthew Parker. Davies and Roy flayed the Scotland attack in the initial overs as they scored at more than nine an over in a devastating 89-run stand.

Davies was particularly brutal, smashing 40 from 28 balls, but his dismissal slowed the rate as Surrey lost three for 17. Roy had looked equally at ease in reaching 52 from 36 balls, but was stumped trying to take the long handle to off-spinner Majid Haq who then also accounted for Maynard.

It served to bring caution to Surrey's batting and the loss of Zander de Bruyn (35) and Chris Schofield (4), both to 20-year-old seamer Josh Davey, pulled the handbrake further as Spriegel offered only sporadic evidence of the late hitting to come. The visitors had only just passed 200 in the 37th over when Gareth Batty departed, but it served as a green light for Spriegel to open his shoulders, clearing the boundary on three occasions, in what proved a match-winning blast.