As much as they are out of the quarter-final reckoning in the Twenty20 Cup, Brown Caps proved tonight that they could yet have a say in who goes forward to the last eight from the ultra-competitive South Division. The Brown Caps’ dramatic six-run victory - only their second success in this year’s campaign - leaves the defending champions needing to win at Hove on Friday to be sure of staying in the competition.

Needing fourteen runs off the final over with three wickets in hand, the Spitfires were shot down by brilliant catches from two of Surrey’s young guns, Chris Murtagh and Jason Roy. Roy’s catch at deep mid-wicket to dismiss Ryan McLaren off the penultimate ball was the champagne moment on a sultry evening at Canterbury.

Azhar Mahmood’s pugnacious 55 off 31 balls was another highlight, but the party atmosphere was soured somewhat when the former Brit Oval favourite had a contretemps with Jade Dernbach four overs from the end which required the intervention of umpire Tim Robinson.

When Mahmood came the crease in the tenth over of Kent’s reply, his side were 55-5 needing another 112 for victory. After his partner, Yasir Arafat, was dropped twice in one over from Matthew Spriegel it looked as though the visitors were going to pay the price.

The Pakistan duo added 68 in six overs for the sixth wicket. Mahmood collected two fours off the 13th over, bowled by Chris Schofield, and two further boundaries off the next, bowled by James Ormond. With Dernbach conceding fourteen off his penultimate over the target had become 48 needed off five.

But then Abdul Razzaq, who earlier top-scored for the Brown Caps with 39 off 33 balls, had Arafat trapped leg before. In the 17th over Mahmood picked Dernbach up over square leg for six, but with Spriegel going for just seven runs it was advantage Surrey with Kent wanting 25 off the last two.

With both of his eyes on the short leg-side boundary, Geraint Jones lost his off stump to Ormond in the penultimate over, which left the final say to either Mahmood or Razzaq. The latter rose to the occasion, but, in collecting figures of 4-17, he was indebted to Murtagh and Roy’s ability to remain cool under intense pressure.

Roy was fielding as substitute for Alistair Brown, who took a blow on the hand from a full-blooded drive by Scott Newman in the fifth over of the match. That did not stop the pair putting 66 on the board in the first six overs. But with four wickets falling in quick succession it looked as though yet another Brown Caps innings was going to run out of impetus. For once, thanks to Razzaq and a valuable 26 from Jonathan Batty, it did not.

Listen to Chirs Schofield talking to Surrey TV following the win.

Watch all the action from Canterbury with Mark Church on Surrey TV.

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