PRESSURE can make the most comfortable stroll seem like a mountain climb, as Worcestershire found out on a balmy evening in South London. Worcestershire should have won, they were winning for three-quarters of the game then collapsed so spectacularly that, chasing 146 to win, they needed 29 off the last over. To beat a champion, you have to be a champion and Worcestershire showed none of the required mettle last night. Surrey, the champions, remain unbeaten in 13 games in the competition.

All that was required was some sensible batting. Perhaps the late withdrawal of Ben Smith, their captain, with a hamstring injury unsettled them. But Worcestershire have lost their past three games in the competition chasing and have not really got close in any of them.

Andrew Bichel and Andrew Hall, Worcestershire’s two overseas players, threatened briefly but neither was a match for the hunger of Adam Hollioake. Hollioake, in his final season and his benefit year maybe a fading force in all other forms of cricket, but he is the master of Twenty20.

He scored an unbeaten 45 off 29 balls to take his Twenty20 average to 178, then took three for 31 in four overs at the end to take his tally of wickets to 17 this season — the most in the competition.

Surrey’s batting was an innings of two halves. They started dreadfully as Worcestershire’s seamers found bounce and movement. James Benning and Hollioake rescued them from 50 for five after ten overs and 95 came off the second ten.

Worcestershire were much more assured even after Graeme Hick, who had started the evening as the leading run-scorer in the competition, was caught behind in the third over hooking at Rikki Clarke.

Vikram Solanki carried on from his majestic century against Warwickshire in the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy. His sweet timing looked likely to trump Hollioake’s sledgehammer. Solanki was dancing down the track to the Surrey seamers and driving at will. Tim Murtagh was brought into the attack and promptly smashed out of it by Solanki with a cover drive and an effortless six.

Worcestershire were cruising towards the semi-finals but then Solanki drove Jimmy Ormond straight to extra cover and the wheels came off. Nayan Doshi proved the perfect foil for Ormond as the two bowlers changed the game. Doshi, a left-arm spinner, had been plying his trade for Ealing in the Middlesex league before this season. Doshi caught and bowled David Leatherdale, Gareth Batty chopped Ormond to third man in the next over and suddenly Worcestershire were 78 for four. Having been 70 for one after nine overs, they were 85 for four after 14 and had left themselves too much to do.

SHOW-STOPPER: Hollioake’s straight six off Andrew Hall that kept rising into the pavilion.

SHOW-DOWNER: Surrey’s first ten overs as 6,000 people wondered why they had left work early.

SHOW-BUSINESS: Hollioake, the best show in town.

SCOREBOARD FROM THE OVAL

SURREY

S A Newman c Solanki b Hall 4
A D Brown c Moore b Bichel 5
M R Ramprakash c Leatherdale b Malik 6
R Clarke c Leatherdale b Malik 20
T J Murtagh c Bichel b Malik 4
J G E Benning c and b Batty 29
A J Hollioake not out 45
*J N Batty c Bichel b Hall 18
J Ormond not out 0
Extras (b 1, lb 5, w 6, nb 2) 14
Total (7 wkts, 20 overs) 145
P J Sampson and N D Doshi did not bat.
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-13, 2-16, 3-34, 4-50, 5-50, 6-99, 7-139.

BOWLING: Bichel 4-0-22-1; Hall 4-0-32-2; Malik 4-0-23-3; Kabir Ali 4-0-32-0; Leatherdale 3-0-20-0; Batty 1-0-10-1.

WORCESTERSHIRE

V S Solanki c Murtagh b Ormond 33
*G A Hick c Batty b Clarke 4
G J Batty c Brown b Ormond 23
D A Leatherdale c and b Doshi 2
A J Bichel c Ramprakash b Hollioake 17
A J Hall c Brown b Hollioake 18
Kabir Ali b Sampson 3
D J Pipe not out 5
S C Moore c Ramprakash b Hollioake 12
Extras (lb 6, w 6, nb 2) 14
Total (8 wkts, 20 overs) 131
S D Peters and M N Malik did not bat.
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-19, 2-70, 3-73, 4-78, 5-107, 6-111, 7-117, 8-131.

BOWLING: Clarke 3-0-16-1; Sampson 4-0-31-1; Ormond 4-0-14-2; Murtagh 1-0-14-0; Doshi 4-0-19-1; Hollioake 4-0-31-3.

Umpires: D J Constant and B Leadbeater.