AN OPENING stand of 162 between Michael Slater and Kim Barnett - a competition record for the county - cushioned Derbyshire against the collapse that followed once it had been broken, with 18 overs of the innings remaining.

Martin Bicknell and the spinners, Saqlain Mushtaq and Ian Salisbury, bowled superbly to get Surrey back into contention, Derbyshire losing three more wickets in adding another 26. They now wanted 30 from the last 10 overs which, considering the way they had been restrained, was a stiff task.

But the newly-arrived Dominic Cork hooked and cover-drove two fours in an over from Ben Hollioake to ease the pressure and when Ben Spendlove edged a drive off Salisbury, Karl Krikken came in and picked up successive balls for fours to midwicket to settle the issue with 5.1 overs remaining.

Slater, who made 82 off 131 balls, and Barnett, voted the man of the match for his 60 that followed an impressive bowling performance, kept Derbyshire well ahead of the asking rate until a long interruption for rain, half-way through the innings.

Seam bowling being their main strength, Derbyshire would have been pleased to bowl first, for there was some mettle in the pitch by way of bounce and a cover of cloud to prompt the ball to swing.

Cork and Kevin Dean, who delivered the first 16 overs between them, struck a blow each. Mark Butcher, surprised by extra bounce, was caught behind square-cutting Cork and Alec Stewart, bat face open, was held at second slip off Dean.

Stewart was not recognisable as the batsman who, less than 24 hours earlier, had so spectacularly led England's final charge to victory. Emotionally exhausted after the tension of a crucial and hard-fought Test match, he struggled with his timing and took 22 balls to score three.

Another mishap lay only seven overs ahead. Off the second ball of Phillip DeFreitas's spell, Jason Ratcliffe drove a catch to cover and Surrey were 41 for three. The left-handed Ian Ward had batted with poise and comfort and he and Alistair Brown, who eschewed his attacking instincts, seemed to have restored order when Ward, having driven to extra cover, embarked on a suicidal run.

Runs were no easier to get against the support bowlers. Vince Clarke was steadiness personified and Kim Barnett, bowling in seam-up mode, varied pace and trajectory to keep the batsmen in check. Moreover, he accounted for the dangerous Brown who, aiming across the line, was leg before.

The impetus which enabled Surrey to finish with a total at all defensible came from Martin Bicknell and Ian Salisbury, who plundered 50 runs from the last five overs - 18 of them in the final over from Barnett.