Kevin Pietersen's Surrey debut attracted a crowd of almost 8,000 to The Oval but his comeback to domestic cricket ended in a heavy 90-run Clydesdale Bank40 defeat at the hands of Worcestershire.

Pietersen, looking to find form after being dropped for England's forthcoming ODI and Twenty20 games against Pakistan, scored 38 and conceded a couple of sixes in his only over of the night as Surrey crashed to their fourth defeat in 11 Group A starts.

Chasing 377 at an asking rate of 9.43 an over to pull off the third biggest run-chase in competition history, Surrey mustered only 286 despite an immediate let-off for their top-scoring skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown .

Working a Jack Shantry leg-cutter toward square-leg, Hamilton-Brown skied to cover where Chris Russell ran back to spill a regulation chance.

Fellow opener Steve Davies, re-called to the England limited overs squad on Tuesday, came into the game with a competition average of 62, but went for 12 when driving outside a full delivery from left-armer Shantry.

Second-wicket partners Hamilton-Brown and Pietersen raised Surrey's hundred in the ninth over - Hamilton-Brown having scorched to a 23-ball 50.

Pietersen, who got off the mark with a miscued single to mid-on from a leading edge, appeared to be getting into his stride with a paddled four to fine leg against Shaaiq Choudry.

But, with his score on 25, Pietersen swept hard at Moeen Ali only for wicketkeeper Ben Cox to spill a tricky leg-side chance that brushed off the batsman's glove.

Hamilton-Brown's luck ran out with his score on 80 when he chipped a length ball from Choudry to long-on to end a stand with Pietersen worth 79 in 50 balls.

Pietersen followed two overs later for 38 from 33 balls. Advancing down the pitch and aiming to on-drive he clipped a firm, shoulder high return chance that Choudry gleefully accepted on his way to figures of four for 54.

Having been twice dropped on his way to five, Stewart Walters went lbw working across the line to Ali and, when Mark Ramprakash (12) went run out attempting a second to James Cameron at deep square-leg, Surrey's victory hopes followed him.

The home innings unravelled thereafter ensuring that Surrey will miss out on the semi-finals.

Positioned at long-on and long-off for much of the Worcestershire innings, Pietersen could only watch in awe as Vikram Solanki and Gareth Andrew blasted centuries in a competition-record total for the Royals of 376 for six.

Having featured in an opening stand worth 61 with Moeen (41), the wristy Solanki then hogged centre stage to post his 12th domestic one-day hundred from 68 balls with 78 coming in boundaries.

He and Andrew, who used his long-handled Mongoose bat to great effect, went on to add 185 for the fourth wicket inside 18.2 overs as the Surrey attack were put to the sword.

Solanki eventually went for 129, dragging on a yorker onto off stump against Jade Dernbach, the pick of a beleaguered home attack with three for 64.

Left-handed Andrew, who clubbed the first of his six sixes off the bowling of Pietersen - his sole over of the night cost 17 runs - went on to reach a maiden List A hundred from 58 deliveries only to hole out to deep mid-wicket two balls later.