SURREY, the Benson and Hedges Cup holders, made their triumphal march as group champions at the Oval yesterday and ensured that Somerset had no realistic chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals which will be played on May 27.
Somerset made a gallant attempt to achieve a massive target, inspired by a fine 95 in 104 balls from Michael Burns, which, as an exception, highlighted their miserable time with the bat this season.
Before yesterday Somerset had managed to score only four individual fifties in all cricket - only one of those in the upper order, by Burns - whereas Surrey had recorded a total of 14, including two hundreds.
Until Somerset can solve the problem they will be going nowhere this summer. The tail cannot do all the bowling and most of the batting indefinitely.
Alec Stewart's elegant hundred and Ben Hollioake's 91 off 98 balls gave the Surrey innings its substance as the scoring rate increased in a straight line on the graph, owing to a less explosive start than usual.
Hollioake reached his fifty with the first of three sixes in one over off Mushtaq Ahmed, all towards The Cricketers at midwicket, and he looked destined for a hundred when he missed, attempting to turn Marcus Trescothick to leg.
Roy Palmer gave the lbw decision. Before the start the umpire had visited the Surrey shop to deliver a bundle of cork 'Surrey player' table coasters, which he had crafted during the winter, and he must have wished he had remembered to include Hollioake's face among them after that spectacular Gold Award innings.
With Surrey certain of a home quarter-final tie in Monday's draw, Palmer's coaster sales at Surrey should increase - perhaps all the way to Lord's - and it seems that only wholesale complacency can prevent Adam Hollioake from raising the cup again.
It was not all plain sailing yesterday. Dermot Reeve, coaching from the front on this occasion, and the admirable Burns put Somerset well ahead of schedule with an opening stand of 158 until Reeves holed out at midwicket, to his obvious annoyance.
Burns was bowled by a top-spinner from Ian Salisbury, and the middle-order squandered an opportunity to bring Surrey to their knees, though victory prospects never quite disappeared beyond the horizon.
A sparky innings of 26 by Mushtaq Ahmed at No 10 kept Somerset in the hunt, and 15 runs off a wayward over from Joey Benjamin reduced the winning target to 21 off the last three overs with two wickets standing.
Mushtaq holed out at long-off with eight balls remaining at a time when some judicious ones and twos might really have had Surrey sweating.
The Pakistani's assault suggested that, if Surrey had any weakness, it was in the back-up seam-bowling to Martin Bicknell.
But that would hardly matter while the Gatling gun run-scoring of Stewart and company continued.