Defeat by Northamptonshire in the Vitality Blast quarter-finals left Surrey with just one aim – becoming county champions again.
Ravi Bopara’s coruscating 105 not out from 46 balls ensured Northamptonshire won by seven runs in a match reduced to 14 overs per side by heavy rain.
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Nine of Surrey’s 11 wins in the competition – which had seen them top South Group – had come batting first, but they chose to chase, and it rebounded on them.
Yet the hosts made a perfect start, Jordan Clark reducing Northants to 2-2 after the first over.
But Bopara – now 40 and with his international career long behind him – feasted on a supply of short deliveries in driving his side to 153-4.
Only Clark, who claimed 3-13 in his three overs, and Chris Jordan (1-22) found a way to contain him as he cracked 12 fours and five sixes in an innings lasting just 46 balls.
Bopara utterly dominated a fourth wicket partnership worth 47 with Justin Broad (9) and another unbroken alliance of 74 in the final six overs with Saif Zaib (17 not out), most of Surrey’s bowlers finding it as hard to grip the ball as their fielders did to keep their feet on several occasions, groundsman Lee Fortis and his team having done a remarkable job to get the match started 80 minutes late.
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Losing Ryan Patel to the first ball of the reply and Jason Roy (8) soon after, Surrey also had a bad start but were given hope by Ollie Pope (41) and Sam Curran (69) adding 74 in seven overs.
But the loss of Pope and Dan Lawrence inside the same George Scrimshaw over proved a serious blow, and although skipper Curran hit five fours and three sixes in his 38-ball stay, it was not enough as Ben Sanderson and David Willey gave a textbook display of how to bowl yorkers in the closing three overs.
It was a particular disappointment for Surrey, who had reached finals day for the previous two seasons – being knocked out in the semi-finals – but have not won the competition since its inaugural year of 2003.
“It was a great game of cricket and credit to everyone for getting it on,” said a philosophical Curran afterwards.
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“We’re gutted – it hurts very much when you get close but credit to Northants – they held their nerve and nailed their skills in tough conditions.
“Ravi played an incredible knock and showed that world-class experience – in these kind of games, it takes that one innings.”
Compensation of sorts for Curran came with his recall to the England squad for the T20 series against South Africa this week and the matches against Ireland which follow it.
The 27-year-old, player of the series when England won the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022, has been ignored in both white ball formats since November last year, appearing not to fit into coach Brendon McCullum’s plans.
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Surrey are now back in four-day action, having resumed their quest for the Rothesay County Championship title on Monday with Warwickshire’s visit to The Oval.
They went into the final stage of matches with a nine-point advantage over Nottinghamshire, who arrive on September 15, the programme being completed with a trip to play Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl on September 24.
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