SURREY won an exciting victory that was narrower than the final margin suggests. From the depths of 82 for six, they were rescued by a buccaneering stand of 154 in 21 overs between Azhar Mahmood and Adam Hollioake, a county record for the seventh wicket in Sunday matches.

Essex got off to a flier but lost wickets too regularly until the final pair were left to make 34 off 32 balls. Two overs were still left when Graham Napier, instead of pushing singles, skied a catch to mid-on off Azhar.

Some careless strokes in the first half of their innings had proved costly for Surrey. On a pitch that gave early encouragement to the Essex seam bowlers, Jon Dakin caused problems in a good opening spell, beating Ian Ward with a full-length ball and finding the edge of Ally Brown’s bat.

Mark Ramprakash and Graham Thorpe both played on and when Jon Batty was sixth out, playing across his front pad, the innings was in need of serious rehabilitation.

For Hollioake, careful reconnaissance has seldom been much of a consideration in one-day cricket. Finding his timing almost immediately, he drove sumptuously through extra cover and then lifted Paul Grayson high over long-on, making a mess of one of the press-box windows without actually breaking it. This mighty blow was the first of his four sixes on a day when 12 of them were hit.

Azhar, far too good a batsman to be coming in at No 8, began no less positively, swinging Napier for a huge six over wide long-on. Soon, the pair were matching each other shot for shot as they raced along at seven an over.

Hollioake finally chopped the ball on to his stumps, trying to run Scott Brant down to third man. His 77 had come off just 66 balls. Azhar intensified the ferocity of his assault over the closing overs and finished with 98 off just 73 balls with three sixes and nine fours.

Surrey’s total looked insufficent initially while Will Jefferson was using his considerable height to help him to strike the ball at the top of the bounce. He fired off a fusillade of fours — eight in the space of just 19 balls. It was brilliant strokeplay.

By the time Darren Robinson, already bowled twice off “free-hits”, was eventually caught and bowled by Azhar in the eighth over, there were 65 runs on the board.

Surrey were back in the game, however, when Alex Tudor ended Jefferson’s 36-ball assault and then bowled Andy Flower off an inside edge. Saqlain Mushtaq managed to slow the scoring rate as well as bowling Nasser Hussain when the England captain tried to cut a ball that was too close to off stump for the purpose.

After failing to take more than one wicket in 13 one-day matches for Surrey last year, Saqlain returned match-winning figues of three for 27.

Ronnie Irani threatened to win the match for Essex, but fell for 64 off 60 balls when he needed to stay a few overs longer.