It is hard to believe that when the Twenty20 Cup was launched back in 2003, it wasn't until Surrey came up against Leicestershire in the 2004 final that they suffered their first loss.

But, since beating Kent at Beckenham in 2007, Surrey's record in the competition has been a woeful played 23, lost 19 and won four.

By Chris Adams's own admission, last weekend's defeats at the hands of Middlesex and Kent were almost inevitable after he decided to give the youngsters the chance to get a couple of games under their belts.

But the Brown Caps' manager must surely know that the absence of a top quality overseas signing was a significant handicap.

New Zealand's Grant Elliott was signed in the knowledge that he was unlikely to be dragged away to play in the ICC World Twenty20, but his Twenty20 record for Surrey explained just why. Though able to boast scoring a one-day international hundred against Australia, Elliott made 83 runs in nine Twenty20 Cup appearances.

But he was not the only batsman to struggle, with just six half-centuries being struck by a Brown Cap.

Other than his unbeaten 81 against Essex at Chelmsford, Scott Newman was ineffective. Coupled with his form in four-day cricket, the 29-year-old has been dropped from the Championship side and put up for loan by the club.

But perhaps the biggest disappointment was James Benning, who batted as if the Twenty20 Cup was his last chance to convince Adams that he merits being offered a new contract at the end of the season.

With the ball, Surrey did not possess a "go to" bowler, although it has to be said the Brown Caps' attack was not always backed up in the field.

On occasions, Andre Nel spent more time fuming at his colleagues' fielding lapses than he did in the faces of the opposition batsmen. That said, he was Surrey's most economical bowler.

Elliott and the under-used Matthew Spriegel did a creditable job, but as the competition progressed Chris Schofield came in for a hammering while injury meant that Jade Dernbach was in and out of the side.

With speculation as to who will keep wicket for the Brown Caps next summer, Gary Wilson did little to advance his claims. The Irishman claimed just five dismissals in nine Twenty20 Cup appearances and, crucially, missed stumping Martin van Jaarsveld in last week's one-run defeat to Kent at the Brit Oval.

In contrast, Jonathan Batty, who, prior to this season, had missed only two games in the competition's history, has taken 49 dismissals in 51 appearances in addition to averaging 20.44 with the bat compared with Wilson's batting average of 8.16.

On a positive note, Stewart Walters, who is regarded as a possible successor to Mark Butcher, led Surrey in their last Twenty20 Cup game, against Kent at Beckenham, and got the best out of a second-string Brown Caps attack that included debutant Simon King.

When Surrey batted Chris Jordan, Chris Murtagh, Walters and Spriegel all made starts, suggesting that in a year from now the rebuilding process under Adams could be well on its way to bearing fruit.