Surrey overpowered Kent by 95 runs at the Kia Oval, totalling 286 before bowling out their visitors for 191 to take a big step closer to qualification for the Metro Bank One-Day Cup knockout stages.

A crowd of almost 7000 saw Ryan Patel‘s superb 70-ball 73 launch Surrey’s innings in style, after they had been put in. Dom Sibley made 53 in an opening stand of 116 in 20 overs with Patel, who hit a six and 13 fours, while Rory Burns’ 33 from 18 balls also caught the eye.

Kent, in reply, were never in the hunt as Dan Worrall and Tom Lawes, both released from their Hundred franchises, bowled beautifully and Patel – with his medium-pacers – came on to have Daniel Bell-Drummond caught at mid-off for 27.

A defiant sixth-wicket stand of 86 between Jaydn Denly (51) and Ekansh Singh (38) kept Surrey waiting but the win, their fourth from six Group A matches, also makes it all but impossible for Kent to qualify for the quarter-finals now they have three defeats from six games.

After cleaning up the Kent tail, Lawes claimed 4 for 40 while Tommy Ealham also impressed with 3 for 37.

Surrey’s total could, and perhaps should, have been bigger. At 191 for 2 in the 34th over, they were well-placed to push on beyond 300 but Kent’s bowlers – led by the outstanding Matt Milnes – fought back spiritedly. The last eight wickets could only amass another 93 runs with fast bowler Milnes, who removed Lawes, Ralphie Albert and Josh Blake late on, finishing with 3 for 32 from 10 overs.

Ekansh also picked up the important wicket of Ollie Sykes after he had struck Matt Parkinson’s legspin for successive sixes in a quickfire 28.

Bell-Drummond leapt high at mid-on to cling on one-handed to dismiss Albert and Blake’s 27-ball 32 was the only lower order contribution of note as the innings rather fizzled out.

In the end, though, Surrey’s score proved more than enough as Kent’s top order fell away to 88 for 5 in the 24th over. And, after Denly had edged an attempted ramp behind and Ekansh dragged Ealham to midwicket, the end came quickly.

Worrall earlier set the tone for what was to come by conceding just 10 runs in an outstanding six-over new ball spell, in which he bowled three maidens. Lawes, on at first change, had Ben Dawkins edging behind for a scratchy 9 from his fifth ball – Burns diving to his right to take a brilliant catch – but it was Ealham and Adam Thomas who had Kent crumbling from an initially steady 80 for 2.

Sam Northeast was stumped for 24 from Ealham’s third ball, an offbreak that turned to beat his attempted flick to midwicket, and Thomas then struck in both his third and fourth overs of medium pace – Chris Benjamin skying to square cover and Harry Finch cutting to Lawes at point.