AN ASTONISHING innings from James Benning, who carried his bat for a magnificent 189 off 146 balls, almost swept Surrey to one of their most unlikely one-day victories. No one else made more than 22, but despite the lack of support, the gifted 23-year-old reached his first one-day hundred and maintained his concentration to take Surrey within two runs of the 339 scored by Gloucestershire, their highest in 50-over cricket.

It was ironic that Benning’s staunchest ally proved to be Neil Saker, the Surrey No 11, who came in with 60 still wanted off 49 balls.

Thanks in part to the fact that Ian Harvey, on his return from injury, could not come back for a second spell, the pair got the equation down to eight off the last over, bowled by Carl Greenidge.

Perhaps unwisely, Benning took a single off the first ball and could not get the strike back. He called Saker for a suicidal single to mid-wicket off the fifth ball and an inevitable run-out followed to end a memorable run-fest.

Harvey, despite scoring an 80-ball hundred, was upstaged for once with the bat by one of his own team-mates. The Australian played superbly but in terms of explosive hitting, David Brown, 23, made even more of an impression, crashing an unbeaten 63 off 26 balls. Seldom can a total unknown — this was his county debut — have had such an impact.

Yet another product of Durham University, the powerful six-footer from Burnley, whose brother Michael is on the Hampshire staff, walked almost unnoticed to the wicket at 262 for seven after 43.4 overs.

Had it not been a “dead” game, he would not even have been playing, and there was little indication of the carnage to follow when Brown collected five singles off his first ten balls.

From that moment on, however, he dealt only in boundaries, smiting seven fours and five sixes off the last 16 balls he faced. Giving himself room, either getting his left leg out of the way or using his feet, he hit magnificently down the ground and pulled savagely.

Benning initially batted in similar vein, hurtling to fifty off 28 balls. Despite the regular fall of wickets, he charged to his century off 85 balls. Playing shots all round the wicket, and improvising intelligently, he struck 28 fours and four sixes.