SURREY put a dampener on Worcestershire's NatWest Pro40 Division two promotion hopes with a thrilling 13-run win against at New Road.

The Brown Caps would have gone up with Gloucestershire if they had avoided defeat by Somerset today. But their slip-up at Taunton means Worcestershire have claimed a Division One spot.

Surrey have also missed out on a play-off with the third-bottom county in Division One as Hampshire have a better run-rate.

Batsmen on both sides lit up a dark, dank afternoon at New Road. Mark Butcher made a solid 79 and Rikki Clarke played a pivotal innings with an unbeaten 33 from 16 balls as Surrey set a competitive total of 220-6.

Vikram Solanki and Ben Smith then responded for the Royals with their first fifties in the competition this season before Chris Schofield sparked a collapse.

The former England leg-spinner, attempting to rebuild his career, took three wickets in two overs and claimed 3-34 as the hosts closed on 207-9.

Butcher put aside his own man-of-the-match award and praised Schofield and fellow spinner Nayan Doshi for their match-changing performance.

He said: "It's a massive compliment to Doshi and Schofield. They bowled fantastically right the way up to the last three or four overs and that's what won us the game."

Mohammad Akram had given Surrey a good start by dismissing Worcestershire's openers in his first four overs.

From 24-2, Solanki brilliantly counter-attacked with 10 fours in a 39-ball sprint to 50 and the industrious Smith gradually ga-thered momentum in a partnership of 89 in 14 overs.

Keen not to be tied down by the spinners, Solanki launched one big shot too many and left a gap between bat and pad as Doshi fired the ball through to knock back the home captain's leg- stump.

Smith's hectic running between the wickets was the feature of his 50 from 63 balls and Graeme Hick brought a cool head to a partnership of 66, but the match turned on its head when they were dismissed in successive balls from Schofield.

Hick (28) failed to clear Ali Brown at long-off and with the batsmen having crossed, Smith (76) picked out Azhar Mahmood at deep square leg.

Doshi then bowled Gareth Bat-ty, Schofield had Steven Davies caught at short cover and the slump continued until six wickets had fallen for 15 runs in five overs.

Surrey had made a poor start to their innings, losing their openers in the space of five balls from Zaheer Khan, and there was more trouble when Mark Ramprakash (20) shouldered arms to a ball from Kabir Ali which trimmed the off-stump.

Butcher steadied the ship with only four boundaries in a responsible half-century from 73 balls and received increasingly positive support from Jonathan Batty (32) and Mahmood (27).

Butcher was finally caught at mid-wicket off Kabir but Clarke gave Surrey something to bowl at by smashing four fours and a six in his late assault.