Essex chalked up their highest score in limited-overs cricket to make it three victories out of three in the Friends Provident Trophy. On a day when individual and team records were rewritten, the Eagles were indebted to their captain, Mark Pettini, 24, who blasted his way to 144 from 120 balls, his highest score in one-day cricket. Under a cloudless South London sky, he shrugged off being dropped behind when on one to put on 269 with Jason Gallian for the first wicket, also a county record.

By the time Pettini perished in the 39th over, edging an attempted cut to Jonathan Batty, who had let him off earlier, Essex were well on their way to exceeding their previous best, 388 for seven, against Scotland in 1992.

On that day it was Graham Gooch, one of the county's most illustrious captains, who was the top scorer with 127, but it is his doubtful whether it was a more commanding innings than that played by Pettini, who is obviously a batsman of huge potential.

Gallian, who made 117 off 116 balls, fell five balls after his captain as Essex temporarily stumbled before James Foster and Ryan ten Doeschate put on 74 off 35 balls for the fourth wicket.

Surrey were not helped by a poor display of ground fielding and some woeful bowling by Jade Dernbach, who suffered the ignominy of being dispatched for 107 runs in his ten overs, the worst performance by a Surrey bowler in limited-overs cricket.

Despite facing a daunting target, the home side matched the Essex rate of progress until the halfway mark and were threatening to take the match to the wire with Mark Ramprakash under full sail, as he passed fifty off 37 balls before eventually falling to David Masters two short of a century.

Ramprakash, who put on 94 for the second wicket with Scott Newman, scored with abandon, dispatching Chris Wright for 20 in one over, in which he found the boundary four times.

His departure, trapped leg-before by Masters's first ball, sparked a Surrey collapse, with the last seven wickets falling for 46 runs, as the former Leicestershire seam bowler claimed a career-best five for 17.

There was more woe for Surrey off the field when it was announced that Chris Schofield was facing six weeks on the sidelines after having surgery on his left thumb. The leg spinner broke it while fielding to his own bowling in the Friends Provident Trophy match against Sussex at Hove last Thursday.

The layoff means that Schofield will miss Surrey's opening Twenty20 Cup game, against Essex, on June 11. The 29-year-old was the leading wicket-taker in last year's competition, claiming 17 opponents at an average of 8.82.

Essex

*M L Pettini c Batty b Saqlain 144
J E R Gallian c Butcher b Nicholson 117
R N ten Doeschate b Collins 60
G W Flower c Benning b Nicholson 5
J S Foster c Dernbach b Collins 46
J D Middlebrook not out 0
G R Napier not out 1

Extras (lb 5, w 5, nb 8) 18
Total (5 wkts, 50 overs) 391

V Chopra, D D Masters, C J C Wright and A Nel did not bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-269, 2-273, 3-306, 4-380, 5-390.

Bowling: Dernbach 10-0-107-0; Collins 10-0-55-2; Nicholson 10-0-71-2; Saqlain 10-0-63-1; Afzaal 7-0-62-0; Benning 3-0-28-0.

Surrey
S A Newman b Napier 49
J G E Benning c Wright b Nel 2
M R Ramprakash lbw b Masters 98
*M A Butcher st Foster b Ten Doeschate 18
U Afzaal b Napier 43
A D Brown c Foster b Masters 0
J N Batty b Masters 5
M J Nicholson b Masters 6
Saqlain Mushtaq b Napier 4
J W Dernbach c Middlebrook b Masters 1
P T Collins not out 0

Extras (lb 4, w 3, nb 2) 9
Total (38.2 overs) 235

Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-110, 3-152, 4-189, 5-189, 6-202, 7-230, 8-234, 9-235.

Bowling: Nel 8-0-56-1; Wright 7-1-46-0; Napier 7-0-41-3; Middlebrook 8-0-35-0; Ten Doeschate 2-0-19-1; Masters 4.2-0-17-5; Flower 2-0-17-0.

Umpires: M J D Bodenham and V A Holder.