A BATTLING stand of 156 between Alec Stewart and man-of-the-match Adam Hollioake, the pair having come together when Surrey were 20 for four, changed the course of this match and saw Surrey comfortably through to the quarter-finals.

Surrey, who chose to bat, ran into trouble against the left-arm swing of Mike Smith who, after Dominic Hewson's brilliant throw had run out Ian Ward, took the next three wickets in 13 balls at a cost of eight runs.

Jason Ratcliffe and Alistair Brown were both lbw to in-dippers, while Nadeem Shahid edged one angled across him. Stewart, shrugging off any reaction to his long rearguard action at the Old Trafford Test, and Hollioake reacted positively, exploiting a firm pitch and a fast outfield.

Hollioake, the more aggressive of the two, scored 88 off 105 balls, hitting eight boundaries. Stewart, who understandably took longer, needing 159 balls for his 89, was last out hitting at Courtney Walsh. Apart from these two no other Surrey batsman reached double figures.

Gloucestershire must have fancied their chances of making 216 but soon hit problems against quality new-ball bowling. Martin Bicknell, who had beaten Tim Hancock several times, had him caught behind and the reliable Joey Benjamin moved one away to bowl Hewson.

Adam Hollioake's diving catch at second slip accounted for Tony Wright. When Ben Hollioake dismissed Matt Windows and Bobby Dawson inside three balls much depended on Mark Alleyne and Jack Russell, but neither could break the grip of Surrey's bowlers.

They battled on, though, and had added 50 when Bicknell returned to have Alleyne lbw on the front foot. Russell finished unbeaten on 49, a last-wicket stand of 42 only delaying the visitors' victory.