Clarke stitches up Leicestershire

Surrey 64 for 1 (Ramprakash 24*, Batty 29*) trail Leicestershire 251 (Ackerman 58, Henderson 46*) by 187 runs
Scorecard

Rikki Clarke had the Midas touch today and he will be sorely hoping his performance will mean a golden ticket into England's one-day squad tomorrow. With four wickets and four sharp catches he could not have done more to help Surrey squeeze Leicestershire out for 251.

Clarke's tail was up throughout. Even in the last session he was still bouncing in like a golden labrador until, having worried Leicestershire throughout, he finished them off in his 16th over. On a picnic-perfect day, he fittingly grabbed the champagne moment, too, leaping to pluck from thin air John Maunders' crashing thump to gully off Mohammad Akram (63 for 2).

Maunders and Darren Robinson had been progressing quietly until Clarke thundered in to shatter Robinson's stumps, and Maunders then fell on the same score. Bounding in with verve and aggression, Clarke also put paid to Dinesh Mongia, snapping up his checked drive after the batsman had been threatening to spoil Surrey's picnic with Ackerman, adding 54 for the fourth wicket (147 for 4).

But Mongia's fall heralded a collapse: Leicestershire lost five wickets for 24 runs. Ian Salisbury spearheaded this charge from the Vauxhall End, taking three wickets, including the dangerman Ackerman for a clean-hit 58 and Paul Nixon four balls later. Both were trapped sweeping. Ackerman had threatened to cloud matters with a fast and furious fifty, and Claude Henderson was going great guns later until he was stranded on 46 not out, but this was Surrey's day in the sun.

Henderson did share a ninth-wicket stand of 60 with Stuart Broad which added some fizz. There was a bang, wallop moment, too, when Broad succumbed, swishing, to the inevitable Clarke. Showing the same spirit as his father, Chris, Broad bashed his bat down onto the ground in frustration and trudged off. He returned later with fire in his belly, bowling sharply but no wickets to show. Mohammad Asif grabbed the only Surrey wicket to go, a plumb Scott Newman.

Newman is another man with England hopes, but it's an older man, Clarke, who will be keeping a close eye out when the team is announced tomorrow.