THE Hampshire Hawks will have to beat south coast rivals Sussex Sharks on Friday to keep their Twenty 20 hopes alive.

After suffering their EIGHTH successive Twenty20 defeat, a 31-run mauling at the hands of the Surrey Lions on Saturday night, the Hawks now have to win their last three group matches to be in with a chance of qualifying for the quarter finals.

Manager Paul Terry said: "We obviously have to win three games, but someone might win four and take it out of our hands - we've just got to hope that results go our way."

Twenty20 champions Surrey smashed Hampshire's shell shocked attack for 12 sixes at the Oval, 24 hours after equalling the competition's highest team total - 221 - against Sussex at Hove.

Only James Bruce, who took the wickets of Scott Newman, Alistair Brown and Greg Blewett in his first three overs, emerged with any credit as the Lions made a colossal 198 for 5 on another belting Oval track.

Bruce also took a sensational catch at long on to remove Mark Butcher for a 38-ball 53.

But no-one had an answer to Mark Ramprakash and Adam Hollioake, who hit 11 sixes between them.

The sell out 8,000 crowd had to wait until the ninth over for the first maximum of the match, when former England man Ramprakash swept Billy Taylor over the rope.

And no fewer than eight of Surrey's dozen sixes came in the last five overs of the innings.

Poor Michael Clarke was struck for three of them in his second over, two from Hollioake and one from Ramprakash, as the former England pair put on 90 runs in just six overs.

Man of the match Hollioake, who had won the toss, needed only 19 balls for his unbeaten 44 and hit his third and fourth sixes in the penultimate over from Taylor, before Ramprakash cleared the extra cover boundary - and rows A-Y - in the final over from Tremlett.

Ramprakash's unbeaten 76 came from just 42 balls and included SEVEN sixes and three fours.

Once again Hampshire made an encouraging start, before suffering a top order collapse once Clarke holed out to mid off in the third over.

Clarke struck Tim Murtagh, the nephew of former Hampshire player Andy, for a six over extra cover but when he, Michael Brown, Shane Watson and John Crawley all departed in quick succession, hopes of a shock win were dashed.

Watson suffered his second Twenty20 golden duck in less than 24 hours and, when Crawley was caught at mid on, Hampshire were without their three top batsmen and were reeling on 36 for 4.

At least Dimi Mascarenhas showed some fight.

If he does not perform with the ball there is every chance that he will with the bat and his 36-ball 47, together with Shaun Udal's 26-ball 37, kept Hampshire in the hunt.

He and captain Udal put on 76 in nine overs for the fifth wicket as Hampshire matched Surrey's progress up until the last five overs.

But Hollioake was the difference in the last quarter of both innings.

The Surrey captain pinned Udal with his first delivery and continued to turn the screw with the ball to finish with 5 for 34 after taking two wickets in both his second and third overs.

Some lusty blows from Nic Pothas and Billy Taylor, including a six apiece for the last pair, narrowed the margin of defeat - Hampshire's fourth in five days following their double loss to the Southern Premier League's amateurs.

After Friday's match, Hampshire's last two group games are both at The Rose Bowl - against Middlesex on Tuesday July 13 and against Kent two days later.