CRICKET: A blistering assault from Surrey’s opening pair Steven Davies and Rory Hamilton-Brown went a long way to condemning Lancashire to a thrilling two-wicket defeat in their Clydesdale Bank 40 opener at Whitgift School yesterday.

Lightning opener Stephen Moore had earlier recorded an equally entertaining maiden century for the county as he helped post a daunting 290-6.

But Hamilton-Brown and Davies were making the target look a paltry one as they peppered the small boundaries with regularity on the way to a stand of 133 inside 15 overs.

Bad light was a major factor as Lancashire dragged things back spectacularly and one over was lost for rain.

But the hosts, who slipped from 209-2 in the 27th over to 269-7 in the penultimate one, reached their target with a ball to spare. Ex-Worcestershire man Moore had given Lancashire plenty of hope as he became only the third man to score a hundred on one-day debut for the Red Rose. His 118, including 14 fours and three sixes, was also a career best. It came off 96 balls.

Moore was given able assistance by Ashwell Prince’s 48, Steven Croft’s 44 and a late 32 off 13 balls from stand-in captain Mark Chilton.

Lancashire’s innings included eleven sixes, and four of those went to Chilton as he took 24 off Stuart Meaker in the penultimate over of the innings.

Moore, batting at number three, shared 63 for the second wicket with Tom Smith, 89 for the third with Prince and 87 for the fourth with Croft.

He was finally caught at long-off by Matthew Spriegel off the bowling of Pakistani Rao Iftikhar Anjum in the 37th over.

Davies made 59 off 43 balls, but 22 year-old Hamilton-Brown hit five sixes in a career-best 64-ball 92.

Sajid Mahmood, Kyle Hogg and Smith all claimed two wickets apiece, but unfortunately they could not defend 14 off the last two overs and five off the last.

Lancashire host Kent in the County Championship at Old Trafford tomorrow.