Surrey move fourth after beating London rivals

Surrey 182 for 3 beat Middlesex 173 by 9 runs
Scorecard

Surrey moved to fourth in the Friends Life t20 South Group and inflicted an 11th defeat on basement side Middlesex after clinching a nine-run success at Lord's.

A St John's Wood crowd of around 16,000 were left subdued for much of an encounter that Surrey edged from the moment their captain Rory Hamilton-Brown won the toss and went on to play a cameo role in his side's impressive total of 182 for 3.

Visiting openers Jason Roy and Steven Davies gave the Lions a roaring start by posting 92 for the first wicket, including 64 in their six powerplay overs. They were assisted by some slack Panthers fielding and wayward Middlesex bowling from all bar Steven Finn, whose four overs cost 26.

Steven Cook sent down three wides and conceded 35 in his only three overs, while replacement Ryan McLaren leaked 19 from his opening over, including the first six of the night by Roy over long-on.

Middlesex skipper Neil Dexter temporarily stemmed the flow of boundaries with his medium-pacers from the Pavilion End, but left-arm spinner Tom Smith proved expensive at the Nursery End as Roy plundered another straight six on his way to a 35-ball half-century.

But two deliveries later Roy drilled the first ball of the night from off-spinner Jamie Dalrymple into the hands of Chris Rogers at wide long-off to make it 99 for one at the innings mid-point. Left-handed Davies lofted a cover drive to the ropes to post the second half-century of the match from 25 balls and with eight fours, only to fall to Dalrymple's next delivery. Drawn down the pitch, he edged his drive to keeper John Simpson, who whipped off the bails for good measure.

Simpson stumped Hamilton-Brown off Smith, but blotted his copy book by dropping Tom Maynard when on 17 as Finn returned to complete his tidy four-over allocation and keep Surrey below 200.

Chasing at a rate of 9.15 an over, Middlesex were in trouble in the opening over when Paul Stirling saw Stuart Meaker hold a swirling, high chance on the run at long-on. Three balls later Scott Newman, aiming to pull a short one from Chris Tremlett, gloved one leg-side to the keeper Davies to make it 10 for two only seven deliveries into the home reply.

Rogers went for 18 after playing inside a leg-cutter from left- armer Dirk Nannes that clipped off stump, but Dexter and Dalrymple salvaged home pride in a stand of 74. Even so Panthers' asking rate continued to escalate and, with pressure mounting Dexter sallied down the pitch to be stumped by a yard against leg-spinner Chris Schofield and go for 49 off 36 balls.

Dalrymple deposited a full one from Gareth Batty into the Grandstand for six and carved four through backward point in Meaker's next over, only to lose Simpson when he splayed a Nannes full-toss to deep cover.

Dalrymple miscued to mid-wicket to go for 48 off 35 balls then McLaren and Cook followed in successive balls to give Nannes his maiden five-wicket haul in t20 cricket and help Surrey to their sixth win of the campaign.