A ferocious 117 not out from captain Adam Hollioake took Surrey past Sussex yesterday and into the semi-finals of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy, where the Oval outfit will meet Yorkshire in a repeat of last year’s fourth round tie.

Afterwards the man-of-the-match, who just 48 hours earlier had wrestled with the emotion of the Service of Thanksgiving in memory of his brother, Ben, said: “There were times out there when I wondered if it was me batting. I don’t think it was the way Ben would have batted. He would have done it with more style.”

Hollioake’s amazing innings, which occupied just 59 balls and included 11 fours and five sixes, managed to overshadow Mark Ramprakash’s unbeaten 107 in 103 deliveries, not to mention Murray Goodwin’s 110 not out off 86 balls for the seasiders. In fourteen enthralling overs Hollioake and Ramprakash put on 148 for the fourth wicket. The former Middlesex man, whose contribution was 31, supplied a hint of equanimity amid the Surrey skipper’s formidable display of clean hitting.

The first of Adam Hollioake’s five sixes, a drive over mid-wicket off Mark Davis, brought up the fifty partnership in 35 balls. In the next over, the 43rd, he pulled Murray Goodwin for a maximum to take the visitors to 250. Two overs later the he carved the Zimbabwean through point for successive fours before finishing the over with a short-arm jab over mid-wicket for six. Robin Martin-Jenkins, who had earlier been the pick of the Sussex attack, then went the same way as the hundred stand was posted in just 62 balls. After reaching his own century off only 52 balls, Hollioake made sure Martin-Jenkins was on the receiving end again, flat-batting him for a straight six as the innings drew to its conclusion.

Prior to the onslaught, the visitors had made 48 for two - with Ian Ward edging behind and Alistair Brown driving to mid-off - before Mark Ramprakash and Rikki Clarke came together in a third wicket stand worth 141 in 26 overs. Clarke, who took 15 balls getting off the mark, made a well-honed 55, while the former England batsman - who has now made 675 runs in all cricket since 3 July - advanced his case for a Test recall.

But like Glamorgan in the previous round Surrey’s C&G quarter-final opponents were not going to be intimidated by a huge total. Needing to score at 6.75 runs per over they got off to a lightening start thanks to Richard Montgomerie, who struck seven boundaries as Sussex raced to fifty inside seven overs.

The former Northants opener was so severe on James Ormond, whose first two overs went for 28, Rikki Clarke had to be pressed into action earlier than expected from the Sea End. But the 20-year-old followed up his mature performance with the bat with an equally impressive 10-over spell with the ball; capturing a couple of vital wickets in the process. In the eighth over Tim Ambrose edged a drive to Alistair Brown at slip and Chris Adams perished when he was caught behind after making room.

That brought Goodwin to the crease, and had Montgomerie not opened the face to Jason Ratcliffe in the thirtieth over the home side may well have gone on to victory. Matthew Prior offered the Zimbabwean good support, though, making 34 at more than a run a ball. But when two wickets fell in the 39th over, which - predictably - was delivered by Adam Hollioake, an ask of 97 runs off eleven overs proved just out of Sussex’s reach even in spite of Murray Goodwin’s valiant efforts.

Saqlain Mushtaq, who delivered ten overs - including three of the last six - without conceding a boundary was the pick of Surrey’s bowlers.

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