Maynard sets up Surrey semi win

Tom Maynard has hit five half centuries in 12 innings for Surrey in the CB40

Surrey hammered Sussex by 71 runs at The Oval to reach the CB40 final.

Tom Maynard led the way, blasting 60 in 33 balls, backed by Zander de Bruyn (43) and Steven Davies (36) as Surrey piled up a massive 228-7 in their rain-reduced 24 overs.

But, despite 55 from Chris Nash and 47 from Ed Joyce, Sussex never got close, being bowled out for 157.

Surrey will meet Somerset, who beat Durham in the other semi, in the final at Lord's on Saturday 17 September.

Heavy rain meant the game began three hours late, forcing a 16-over reduction which favoured Surrey's big hitters.

But Sussex did their hopes no favours by dropping both Surrey's openers, Davies and skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown.

Wicketkeeper Ben Brown put down Sussex old boy Hamilton-Brown in the first over when he had made just five and Nash spilled a difficult chance on the boundary when Davies was on six.

Both batsmen made Sussex pay, Hamilton-Brown hitting 24 off 17 balls, while Davies put on 60 with Jason Roy off just 31 balls as Surrey made the most of the batting powerplay before being bowled behind his legs by Michael Yardy.

Maynard then took the attack to the Sussex spinners as he hit Nash for two sixes and also cleared the ropes off the bowling of Monty Panesar and Yardy.

De Bruyn kept Surrey's momentum going before becoming one of two victims for Chris Liddle (4-38) in the final over.

Sussex's hopes of chasing down that daunting total faded further when Matthew Spriegel dismissed Matt Prior and Murray Goodwin cheaply.

A partnership of 59 between Joyce and Nash kept them in the contest but Wayne Parnell (20) was the only other Sussex batsman to make it into double figures, leggie Chris Schofield finishing with 4-22.

It was a great day not only for Hamilton-Brown against his old county but for Surrey's senior coaching staff, Chris Adams and Ian Salisbury, their two other former Hove alumni.

And to add to the old boys' network, Surrey's meeting with Somerset will now mean a reunion for chief executive Richard Gould with the county he left to move to The Oval in March.

The two sides have met once before in a Lord's final - back in Somerset's great days in 1981 when Surrey lost in the Benson & Hedges Cup final by seven wickets, despite a half century by Roger Knight, who went on to become chief executive of the MCC.

Surrey are without a trophy since their Pro 40/Twenty20 double-winning year of 2003.

POST-MATCH REACTION

Surrey skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown:

"I could not be prouder of the boys. A lot of players go through their career without playing in a Lord's final, so just to have the chance is amazing.

"From where we were as a club two or three years ago, what Chris Adams and Ian Salisbury have done with the players is incredible.

"To still be in the mix in two of the three competitions at this time of the year is great. And now we have one of the most exciting days anyone will ever have coming up."