Surrey leads the table

Surrey is on the verge of winning the National League 2nd Division thanks to an unbroken partnership of 93 in 119 balls between skipper Adam Hollioake and Jason Ratcliffe against Derbyshire at The Oval.

Batting first Derbyshire were 89 for 2 at one stage. Australian Michael Di Venuto made 30 from 44 balls before he was caught by wicket keeper Jon Batty off Martin Bicknell. The trouble started when Saqlain Mushtaq removed Dowman as Derbyshire slipped to 118 for 6. Then Bailey who top scored with 43 (76 balls) joined Paul Aldred who made a quick 25 to take Derbyshire to 175. For Surrey, Saqlain claimed 2 for 34 while Ian Salisbury took 3 for 32.

In reply, Surrey lost Mark Butcher very early, run out while backing up. Then Ian Ward and Nadeem Shahid put on a stand of 55 from 99 balls to put Surrey in a better position. Hollioake (48* from 66 balls) and Ratcliffe (42* from 58 balls) saw Surrey through. Aldred was the best bowler for Derbyshire with 2 for 26. This defeat keeps Derbyshire rooted at the bottom of the division.