By Gary Watton
June 13 2017

A formidable Surrey (missing one England player) successfully defended their total against an under-strength Yorkshire (missing five England players). This is the second successive year that the south Londonders have conquered the Tykes in the knockout stage of the Royal London One Day Cup. The hosts remain incapable of negotiating the knockout fences in spite of making much progress at the group stage year after year. This is a conundrum that needs to be solved. Maybe the north group isn't as difficult to qualify from as the south group, though I scarcely believe that. Perhaps Yorkshire would be better suited to a season-long one-day league, akin to the old Sunday League?

Whatever the answers to Yorkshire's annual riddle, one thing is unquestionable: Kumar Sangakkara is a class act. His batting in recent weeks has been exceptional, even eclipsing that of our own Gary Ballance. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the misfiring Alex Lees. I do hope that he has played his last one-day fixture for the Tykes, as he seems incapable of shining in this format. Some people are just not cut out for limited overs cricket, and Leesy (like Joe Sayers before him) is one such individual. Whetehr he recaptures his form in the four-day version is now the challenge, and he will certainly have to improve, as our new acquisition Tom Kohler-Cadmore will soon be knocking at the door of selection.

Thus ends another white rose hard luck story in limited overs cricket. The county are clearly handicapped by the absence of several first team players, but nevertheless we are still required to soldier on with our talented youth. Hopefully, we can give a good account of ourselves in the Twenty20, though I fear that we will come up narrowly short in that tournament as well.

YORKSHIRE versus Surrey; in Leeds; Royal London One Day Cup; Tuesday the thirteenth of June. Surrey won the toss.

Surrey: 313 for seven (off fifty overs)

Borthwick lbw b Rafiq 36 (69-2)

Stoneman c Handscomb b Coad 5 (8-1)

Sangakkara st Handscomb b Rafiq 121 (250-4)

Burns c Bresnan b Carver 1 (70-3)

Foakes c Lyth b Rafiq 86 (259-5)

Pope c Handscomb b Bresnan 37 (307-6)

S.Curran run out [Fisher] 19 (311-7)

T.Curran not out 3

Batty not out 0

Extras: five

Rafiq 10-0-51-3

YORKSHIRE: 289 for nine (off fifty overs)

Lyth c Stoneman b Rampaul 75 (126-2)

Lees c Pope b Dernbach 9 (31-1)

Leaning c Foakes b Rampaul 42 (131-3)

Handscomb c Burns b Dernbach 60 (245-6)

Ballance c Sangakkara b T.Curran 36 (195-4)

Bresnan c Foakes b Rampaul 8 (236-5)

Waite b T.Curran 34 (287-9)

Rafiq run out [Dernbach] 9 (279-7)

Fisher run out [Rampaul] 3 (284-8)

Carver not out 2

Coad not out 0

Extras: eleven

Rampaul 8-0-54-3

Surrey won by 24 runs and qualify for the semi finals.