Sussex savaged by Hollioake's 52-ball century
Surrey 337-3 Sussex 323-8 Surrey win by 14 runs
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Not content with one record-breaking cliff-hanger in the previous round of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy, the Surrey captain, Adam Hollioake, had to go through the whole process again yesterday in their latest nail-biter.
Hollioake's batting contribution in that fourth-round tie with Glamorgan was negligible but he more than made up for it this time. Having seen Mark Ramprakash score a perfectly paced century, he smashed a fabulous unbeaten 59-ball hundred himself, yet had to endure some tense moments as Sussex showed themselves almost equal to the task.
Rather in the manner of Glamorgan a month ago, and inspired by the third unbeaten hundred of the match from Murray Goodwin, the home side scorched along at the required rate of 6.5 an over only to run out of steam and fall 15 runs short of victory.
It was all thoroughly entertaining stuff. But the most gripping moments were the 49 exhilarating minutes during which Hollioake mesmerised the crowd with the ferocity of his batting.
His innings was uncharacteristic even for this most talented of batsmen. He blazed away like a man possessed. "There were times out there when I wondered if it was me batting," said Hollioake, who on Monday made his final farewells to his brother Ben at a Thanksgiving service for the former England and Surrey player.
"I don't think it was the way Ben would have batted," Hollioake added. "He would have done it with more style. I hit it more with the ugly stick." But he played down any suggestion that his innings was anything to do with the death of his brother. "That was a life problem. You cannot compare that with chasing a little red ball around a cricket field."
Hollioake powered the ball to all parts. He is one of the strongest men in the Surrey squad and he used it to the full, especially when short-arming a couple of his big sixes, in completely dominated the unbroken 148-run partnership with Ramprakash. The former Middlesex man was on 76 when Hollioake joined him at the fall of the third wicket and so savage was the assault that he only just won the race to three figures a dozen overs later.
Ramprakash had done a fine job and had scored at better than a run-a-ball, but although he took only 98 balls to reach his hundred, it paled in comparison with his partner's whirlwind 52-ball effort. Hollioake pulled and drove five sixes and helped himself to 11 fours in his career-best one-day score. What with Rikki Clarke's mature half-century Surrey's total looked too big. But Sussex were not intimidated.
Richard Montgomerie opened up from the start and smacked a fierce and feisty 88. Goodwin then picked up the baton and got them so close to a place in the last four with his unbeaten 86-ball hundred.
C&G TROPHY SEMI-FINALS
Yorkshire v Surrey (Wednesday 31 July)
Somerset v Kent (Thursday 1 August)
(Matches start 10.30am)
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments