Priyanaz Chatterji led the run-scoring spree with 77 as Surrey piled up 344 for 7 en route to crushing Essex by 118 runs at Chelmsford to keep alive their hopes of a place in the end-of-season eliminator.

The Scottish international struck a six and nine fours in a 70-ball innings, sharing a stand of 103 in 69 balls with Phoebe Franklin which took the game away from the hosts. Earlier, former South African skipper Sune Luus hit a run-a-ball 67 while Bryony Smith plundered 59 from 41. Spinner Abtaha Maqsood emerged from the mauling with great credit, returning 2 for 41.

Essex were never in contention in the chase. Essex skipper Grace Scrivens one of two scalps for Chatterji (2 for 21) as the hosts were bowled out for 226, Lissy MacLeod top-scoring with 40 while Sophie Munro was left stranded on 37 not out. Surrey picked up what could be a crucial bonus point for the emphatic win

Esmae MacGregor gave Essex the early initiative, snapping up the wickets of Rachel King and teenager Ivreen Dhaliwal at a cost of only five runs in her opening burst.

Smith and Luus wrestled back the initiative with an exhilarating stand of 87 in 62 balls where anything pitched up was drilled through the covers while short-pitched deliveries were vehemently pulled by Smith in particular. The Surrey T20 skipper raced to 50 in 36 balls before being bowled by a short one from Sophia Smale.

Luus took two sixes off an errant over from Bryony Gillgrass as her own half-century came up in 54 balls, but when the all-rounder was lured down the pitch by Maqsood’s flight and dip to be stumped, Surrey were 176-5.

Chatterji though took charge, sweeping Smale for four before lofting the spinner over the ropes at cow corner. Her 50 came in 52 balls and she surpassed her previous best of 61 before holing out in the final over.

Support came from Alice Monaghan (32), but it was the stand with Franklin (43 from 34), where the Essex bowling wilted, hampered further by a number of fielding errors.

Luus pinned Gillgrass lbw early in the chase and while Scrivens began positively, Chatterji scattered the Essex skipper’s stumps with only the third ball of her spell.

Lissy MacLeod took up the chase, lofting Chatterji gloriously over extra cover before pulling Monaghan to the fence at backward square. The 32 year-old though failed to make the most of being dropped on 38, falling shortly afterwards to the spin of Dani Gregory.

By then, Sidhu had accounted for Smale via an athletic caught and bowled and Chatterji returned to have Ella Claridge caught behind.

With the rate have risen to 11, Molly Adams (28) hit the biggest six of the day off Luus in a stand of 61 with Jo Gardner (34), but both fell in successive overs and Despite Munro’s late blows Essex were well beaten.