England Test opener Rory Burns added 52 to his first-innings hundred to lead Surrey to their first victory of the Bob Willis Trophy campaign, at the final attempt, in a six-wicket win against Delray Rawlins and his Sussex teammates at the Kia Oval.
Surrey captain Burns was joined in a decisive third-wicket partnership of 64 in 14 overs by Jamie Smith, who scored 33 from 51 balls as a fourth-innings target of 156 was chased down in 44.5 overs on a turning pitch.
There was a late twist to a well-contested match, however, when 16-year-old debutant James Coles – Sussex’s youngest first-class cricketer – dismissed both Smith and Burns in the space of four balls to leave Surrey 120 for 4.
Ben Foakes, on 1, then edged Rawlins just short of slip but he survived to finish on 13 not out, hitting the winning blow when he pulled the same bowler for six after a necessarily circumspect fifth-wicket stand of 37 in 18 overs with Will Jacks, who ended up unbeaten on 22.
For the second time in the match Rawlins claimed the prize wicket of Hashim Amla the top South African batsmen, Rawlins would finish with figures of 17.5-3-60-1.
