SUSSEX held their nerve at the end of a thrilling contest to keep their hopes of progress in the Friends Provident Trophy alive after this nail-biting win.

The Sharks were in the box seat when Murray Goodwin powered 144 off 118 balls in a total of 313-7.

But on a superb pitch Surrey openers Scott Newman and Michael Brown gave the reply a fantastic start with a stand of 154.

Newman eventually fell for 130 trying to clear long on but with 84 needed off 14 overs, wickets in hand and a powerplay up their sleeves Surrey were favourites at that stage.

None of the Sussex bowlers had escaped punishment but when skipper Mike Yardy turned again to his most experienced pair they did not let him down as three wickets in ten balls tipped it in favour of the Sharks.

James Kirtley deceived Usman Afzaal with a slower ball which the Surrey captain drove to extra cover and in the same over Stewart Walters, who had kept his side in contention with 49 off 55 balls, was run out by substitute fielder Carl Hopkinson trying to sneak a second run to long off.

When Yasir Arafat, in his first appearance of the season, yorked Matthew Spriegel with the first ball of the 47th over Sussex appeared to have the situation under control but New Zealand international Grant Elliott, who played second-team cricket for Sussex last season, took 19 off Kirtley’s wayward penultimate over which contained three wides.

Surrey needed 15 off the last over and after taking two singles Elliott clipped the third ball over mid-wicket for four.

Two runs came off the fourth and fifth deliveries leaving Elliott needing to find the boundary to secure a tie.

But Kirtley came up with a yorker which Elliott could only dig out to long on and Sussex were home by two runs.

By then Goodwin was nursing a hip problem in the pavilion and must have been relieved as everyone else in a 3,000 crowd that his magnificent efforts had not been in vain.

He came in with Sussex 21-2 after Ed Joyce and Luke Wright had fallen to the new ball but was soon into his stride, adding 63 in nine overs with Gatting before Gatting chipped a return catch to Chris Schofield in the leg spinner’s second over.

Goodwin offered one chance on 39 when wicketkeeper Gary Wilson fumbled a thin edge off Schofield but that was the only blemish as he cracked 16 fours and two huge leg-side sixes off Schofield and Afzaal.

His ninth one-day hundred for Sussex came off 99 balls but then he accelerated to add another 44 from just 18 deliveries before he holed out on the mid-wicket boundary.

Yardy gave him excellent support in a fourth wicket stand of 135 in 24 overs of which the skipper contributed 59 from 79 balls then Rory Hamilton-Brown bludgeoned 43 off 30 balls – his highest one-day score – against his former county to take the total past 300.

Newman and Brown were soon into their stride, however, and despite employing seven bowlers Yardy must have wondered if he was ever going to get a wicket as the Surrey openers lodged a new county one-day record against Sussex for any wicket.

Brown was eventually bowled when Luke Wright returned for a second spell in the 29th over but Newman powered on to make a one-day best 130, his second limited overs century.

He had one let-off on 111 when Gatting seemed to pick up the flight of the ball late at long on and spilled a difficult chance as he dived forward.

The powerfully built left-hander struck ten fours and three sixes and was trying to clear the rope again when Gatting held on, allbeit after a juggle, to give Sussex renewed hope.

Scores – Friends Provident Trophy, Group A Eglinton: Match abandoned, no result, 1pt each. Trent Bridge: Worcestershire 209-8 (Mitchell 59, Ali 58) lost to Nottinghamshire 211-6 (Wagh 52) by 4 wkts. Group B, Canterbury Warwickshire 218 (Troughton 62, Trott 53) lost to Kent 219-6 by 4 wkts. Group C Bristol; Gloucestershire 301-8 (Taylor 71, Porterfield 68, Marshall 56) beat Durham 153 by 148 runs. Group D, Chelmsford: Lancashire 157 lost to Essex 160-4 (V Chopra 72) by 6 wkts. Northampton: Derbyshire 286-9 (Law 95, Hinds 57, Daggett 4-51) beat Northamptonshire 265 (Nelson 74) by 21 runs.