Sussex 171 (19.3 overs)
Surrey 175-3 (15.3 overs)
Surrey won by seven wickets
Sussex were thumped by Surrey at Hove as the visitors’ inconsistent Vitality Blast season received a major boost, winning by seven wickets with 4.3 overs to spare.
Surrey must have thought they would be facing a chase well in excess of 200 when Sussex surged to 92 without loss in seven overs.
But Sussex failed to double their score from that position, losing ten wickets for 77 runs as bowlers Dan Lawrence and Tom Lawes put a stranglehold on the home team.
That left Surrey needing just 172 for victory and Will Jacks, with memories of his century here last season, and Australian Josh Philippe, making his first appearance for the club, led the way with a century stand for the second wicket, each scoring fifty from 25 deliveries.
After the early loss of Jason Roy, Surrey raced to 124-1 at the halfway stage. Philippe fell for 52 but Jacks, with an unbeaten 70 off 39 balls, saw Surrey comfortably home in the company of Lawrence with 27 balls remaining.
Sussex had chosen to bat and made a great start to their innings, striking 80 without loss off the six-over powerplay.
Dan Hughes, Sussex’s leading scorer in the competition this season, was matched by opening partner Harrison Ward, fresh from a 41-ball century for the second team at Horsham in midweek.
When Surrey captain Sam Curran came on to bowl the last over of the powerplay Ward hit him for 4-6-4-6-dot-4, the first six flying over square-leg and out of the ground.
But from 94-0 in the eighth over Sussex lost quick wickets as Lawrence and Lawes brought some control back to the Surrey attack.
Ward was first to go, LBW to Lawrence whose opening over cost just two runs. Ward’s 29-ball 49 included seven fours and two sixes.
And in the next over Hughes drove Tom Lawes straight to Chris Jordan at extra-cover for a 19-ball 45, with six fours and two sixes.
James Coles, playing probably his last Vitality Blast game for Sussex before joining England’s T20 squad, had scored just two when he lifted Lawes to Jordan at long-on.
In the next over Oli Carter was bowled by Lawes for another two and when John Simpson swung Lawes straight into the hands of Lawrence at deep midwicket Sussex were suddenly 122-5 and had lost five wickets in as many overs for just 28 runs.
At that stage Sussex, with a long tail, relied on Tom Alsop, and he played well for 31 before clipping Reece Topley to fine leg.
Unusually, Lawrence and Lawes bowled out their full allocation in one spell, and in tandem, taking the first five wickets and turning the game.
Sussex captain Tymal Mills said: “We were very poor. We were poor in the first half of the tournament but we were in games and we lost a couple of very close ones.
“We needed five wins out of six to qualify so we’ve obviously made it pretty difficult for ourselves at the get-go. We wanted to start well today and carry momentum into the rest of the competition. It’s a very disappointing night.
“It’s a trend that we throw away good starts. We’ve had analysis done and we’re the best batting team in the country in the powerplay. And then we fall off a cliff pretty much every game.
“It’s a pattern. We lost four for 15 today and you’re not going to win games doing that, especially against teams like Surrey. We need high scores at Hove in particular. It’s a high-scoring ground, a nice ground to bat on. But we fell away after getting ahead of the game.”
Josh Philippe said: “It’s always nice to go somewhere new and start off well personally and also with a win for the group.
“It was a beautiful wicket and our spinners did a great job getting us back into it.
“I was pleased with the way I played. But I didn’t want to get out at that point. I wanted to be there at the end after doing the hard yards.
“But it was so nice to start well with a new team and with good people and I’m happy with that.”
