THE efforts of the former Surrey players association were not enough to complete a Derbyshire victory in the Pro40 League yesterday at Chesterfield.

It should have been, however. The Phantoms had it well within their grasp to see off the current Surrey side and blew their chance.

But after the bowling of Nayan Doshi had helped restrict the Brown Caps to a 231-9 total that will certainly not have daunted the home side, the Derbyshire charge fell away alarmingly after Rikki Clarke's innings with the bat had been cut short.

Clarke and Doshi, who both opted to leave The Oval last season, will have felt the pain of defeat a little more sharply but this was one that should trouble the whole of the Derbyshire dressing room.

The run-chase was well in hand when Clarke and Chris Rogers were crafting a third-wicket partnership of 95 in 18 overs for their side.

They were in absolute control. Rogers found the boundary only four times but hardly wasted a chance to keep the scoreboard ticking, while Clarke was providing the extra aggression, stroking one of his two sixes into the kiddies' play area beyond long off.

Thankfully, it was closed for the day.

Together, they carried the score to 136-2 in the 26th over and if either of them – never mind both – had made it to the close, Derbyshire would surely have won with plenty to spare.

But, in successive overs, both were gone.

First Clarke, who had made 44 off 49 balls with three fours as well as the two sixes, danced down the wicket to Usman Afzaal and was stumped by the Chesterfield-born wicketkeeper Jon Batty.

Rogers had gone on to 53 off 77 balls when he too was stumped, off Matthew Spriegel. It was not quite a repeat show but the Australian's back foot was dragged just far enough out for Batty to complete the job.

Derbyshire were suddenly in rebuild mode, though Greg Smith decided it was a situation best dealt with positively and, briefly, it brought him success.

He made 26 off 20 balls with three fours and a six but top-edged a sweep at Afzaal and was caught behind to make it 183-5.

The odds were still slightly with Derbyshire at that stage and still too when 32 more runs were needed off the final five overs, though the light was closing in by then and the late forced withdrawal of Jon Clare left the tail a little longer than usual.

But they fell away badly, with career-best one day figures for Afzaal of 4-49 and for Jade Dernbach of 5-31 wrapping up a sorry ending at 218 all out with 10 balls to spare.

Afzaal's occasional slow left-armers were the surprise package, though the slow bowlers had earlier been the key for Derbyshire.

Surrey, put in to bat first, made a rapid start against the seamers through their opening pair Scott Newman (51) and James Benning (35).

Mark Ramprakash, applauded to the middle after completing his century of first-class hundreds the day before, came in at three to carry on the momentum but Doshi and Smith applied the brakes.

Ramprakash played some delightful strokes in his 57, off 51 balls with four fours and three sixes. One of the sixes came off Doshi (pictured below) but the left-armer still managed excellent figures of 1-22 in his eight overs.

Charl Langeveldt returned to remove Ramprakash in the 38th over and finished with 3-38. Derbyshire should have been fairly happy to be set 232 to win but they could not complete the task.