Warwickshire beat Surrey side by three runs in a thriller at Rugby School.
Chris Benjamin’s cleanly-hit 75 (51 balls) and Michael Burgess’ classy 60 (58) offered high entertainment to a 2,500 crowd in the delightful, sylvan setting as they lifted the home side to 311 for nine. James Taylor (three for 43) and Cameron Steel (three for 58) led the bowling for a Surrey side missing 15 players on England or Hundred duty.
Surrey’s reply fell just short at 308 for nine despite a brilliant List A-best 149 (142) by Dom Sibley against his former team-mates. Sibley struck 12 fours and four sixes but only Ben Geddes (62, 70) offered significant support.
After choosing to bowl, Surrey enjoyed early success when Ed Barnard edged Taylor to slip in the fourth over. Rob Yates (a run-a-ball 40) and Will Rhodes (44, 68) then added 58 in 11 overs but perished before turning their innings into match-shaping ones.
Yates’ fluent knock ended when he pulled a delivery from Geddes to deep square leg, his first professional wicket. Rhodes was bowled off-stump by Cameron Steel. Hamza Shaikh (39, 47) belted a Steel full toss into the trees over mid-wicket but then sought a straighter six off the spinner and found only Conor McKerr at long on.
Benjamin and Burgess supplied impetus with a stand of 117 in 14 overs. Benjamin has endured a difficult season but struck the ball with a sweetness and power which evoked memories of his burst into prominence in 2021. He raced to 50 in 38 balls and Burgess followed to his eighth List A half-century (51 balls) before top-edging a sweep at Steel.
Benjamin, having struck six fours and four sixes, hoisted McKerr to mid off but a cameo from Kai Smith (26, 13) lifted the total over the 300 mark.
Surrey’s reply was given a perky launch by openers Sibley and Ryan Patel before the latter drove Barnard straight to extra cover.
While Sibley and Geddes were together, adding 124 in 24 overs, Surrey were ascendant but the fall of Geddes, who edged Michael Booth to wicketkeeper Burgess, triggered the loss of four wickets in eight overs. Rory Burns was bowled behind his legs, sweeping at Yates, Ben Foakes lifted Barnard to mid off and Steel fell lbw, reverse sweeping Jake Lintott.
Sibley reached his fourth List A century, his first for Surrey, the previous three having come for Warwickshire (from 116 balls) but Josh Blake’s lively 26 (20) ended when he scooped Olly Hannon-Dalby to deep mid-wicket.
With 39 needed from three overs, Sibley lifted Hannon-Dalby for successive sixes but edged the next ball to Burgess. Last pair Nathan Barnwell and Taylor had a real go at collecting the required 20 from the last over, failing only narrowly at the end of a fine game of cricket.
Surrey batter Dominic Sibley said: “To get that close and not get over the line is hard to take, especially with us having no wins on the comp. We took it as deep as we could but it is pretty frustrating. We just kept losing wickets at important phases of the game and came out on the wrong side.
“We have just got to keep trying to improve. Obviously we have got to win some games. I don’t know how many games you need to win in this competition to qualify but we have just got to not look too far ahead and try to win the next game.
“It was great to see old friends and people that mean a lot to me. I had a great time at Warwickshire and have got a lot of love for a lot of people here so it was nice to see some familiar faces and it was just a shame that they got the better of us today. It was nice to come to a ground I hadn’t played at before, It’s a lovely venue and a good cricket wicket with two scores over 300 so a good day’s cricket.”
