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Somerset beat Yorkshire in close encounter
Somerset's close two-wicket win over Yorkshire at Scarborough took them closer to Worcestershire at the top of the First Division of the National League
Staff and agencies
23-Jul-2000
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Ian Blackwell - took Somerset to victory from brink of defeat Photo © Stu Forster, AllSport |
Somerset's close two-wicket win over Yorkshire at Scarborough took them closer to Worcestershire at the top of the First Division of the National League. Some five thousand spectators saw Somerset, set to score just 142 for victory on a pitch which did not favour batting, collapse to 74-7 in the 27th over.
From that point, however, Ian Blackwell struck back strongly by hitting 50 n.o. from 41 deliveries. His partner Michael Burns (26) was out at 107, but Blackwell pressed the attack by hitting slow left-armer Darren Lehmann for six. With Graham Rose he chiselled away at the margin and ended the match by striking Paul Hutchison which raised his fifty and won the match.
Giles' marathon spell in vain at Cheltenham
No one could accuse Ashley Giles of not trying his utmost to eke a result out of a disappointing final day at Cheltenham
Richard Latham
22-Jul-2000
No one could accuse Ashley Giles of not trying his utmost to eke a result out of a disappointing final day at Cheltenham.
Warwickshire's willing left-arm spinner toiled away for 45 overs unchanged as Gloucestershire made little attempt to chase a victory target of 323. After being introduced for the 19th over of the innings, with the total 44-0, the only breaks Giles was allowed were the lunch and tea intervals.
At times when bowling over the wicket he made the ball bite and lift out of the rough. But there was too little support and figures of 4-74 were not enough to take Warwickshire even close to victory.
Full postGlamorgan play soundly to beat Northants
Glamorgan beat Northamptonshire by 5 wickets in Cardiff on the strength of Matthew Elliott's third championship hundred of the season and an undefeated 68 runs stand between Keith Newell and Adrian Shaw
Staff and agencies
22-Jul-2000
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Matthew Elliott - backbone of Glamorgan's victory Photo © AllSport UK |
Glamorgan beat Northamptonshire by 5 wickets in Cardiff on the strength of
Matthew Elliott's third championship hundred of the season and an undefeated
68 runs stand between Keith Newell and Adrian Shaw.
The Australian left-hander's 117 with 13 boundaries from 247 deliveries took 213 minutes as the spine of the county innings in chasing a target of over 300 to win for the second consecutive match. The 28 year-old Elliott had scored the hundred which had brought victory over Middlesex a week ago and he has now garnered 877 first-class runs this season at 48.72.
Kent beat Hampshire easily enough in the end
Rahul Dravid steered Kent safely home by six wickets in their championship win over Hampshire at Portsmouth (the last championship match to be played on the ground)
Staff and agencies
22-Jul-2000
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Rahul Dravid - batting hero for Kent Photo © AllSport |
Rahul Dravid steered Kent safely home by six wickets in their championship
win over Hampshire at Portsmouth (the last championship match to be played on
the ground). After making 137 in the first innings the Indian star scored 73
n.o. as Kent won in the last over before lunch.
The visitors were already in sight of victory when the day began and they proceeded to 182-1 with no alarms in spite of another long spell by Shane Warne who bowled 32 overs without success. Shaun Udal took all four wickets which fell today. With only 23 runs needed to win Kent appeared to have an attack of nerves after Robert Key and Dravid had added 115 runs for the second wicket. He had batted some 300 minutes for his valuable 50 and was out when Warne running
backwards held a top edge.
Lancashire in hot pursuit of Surrey
Lancashire's victory by six wickets over Durham at Manchester has taken them to within 13 points of frontrunners Surrey with a game in hand in Division One of the championship
Staff and agencies
22-Jul-2000
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Gary Keedy - career rest match analysis boosts Lancashire Photo © John Dawson |
Lancashire's victory by six wickets over Durham at Manchester has taken them
to within 13 points of frontrunners Surrey with a game in hand in Division
One of the championship.
They moved quickly to their 132 runs target thanks mainly to Mike Atherton (64 n.o.) to gather 20 points in their fifty win in ten games. Starting the day at 123-6, a lead of 48, Durham's seventh-wicket partnership was not broken until 18 minutes before lunch.
Full postHonours even at Hove
Nottinghamshire drew their high-scoring Division Two county championship match against Sussex at Hove on the strength of fine centuries by Jason Gallian and John Morris
Staff and agencies
22-Jul-2000
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Jason Gallian and John Morris centuries bring Notts close to victory Photos © Paul McGregor, CricInfo | |
Nottinghamshire drew their high-scoring Division Two county championship
match against Sussex at Hove on the strength of fine centuries by Jason
Gallian and John Morris. They had been set to score 407 runs to win and
batted throughout the day for 379-8 and ended their chase only when Usman
Afzaal (54) was dismissed - leaving Paul Reiffel and Andrew Harris to play
out the last 5.4 overs.
After openers Guy Welton and Darren Bicknell were out with 59 runs scored, Gallian and Morris enjoyed a magnificent 222 runs third-wicket partnership in 52 overs before the latter was caught off James Kirtley for 115: his century included a six and sixteen fours.
Full postBy defeating Bangladesh Sri Lanka jumps into the finals
The semi final played at the National Stadium was more exciting than expected
Col (Retd) Rafi Nasim
22-Jul-2000
The semi final played at the National Stadium was more exciting than expected.
Hopeful of a victory they succumbed to Sri Lanka's pressure and lost by 43 runs.
Invited by Bangladesh to bat first Sri Lanka got a terrific start losing the 1st wicket at 71. Harish Ratnayke (32) and Ehsan Mutalip (36) provided the team a solid foundation hoisting 50 of the innings in 15 overs. To continue with the run spree Ehsan Abeysinghe (25) in partnership with other batsmen, raised the score to 100 for 3 in 29 overs. The batsmen who followed kept the score board moving. In 40 overs Sri Lanka was thus able to pile up 173 runs for the loss of 5 wickets.
With only 5 overs remaining, slogging was need of the hour. In the process 2 more wicket were lost. Jeevan Mendis was out after playing a valiant innings of 30 while Ranawaka played an equally valuable innings of 28. The batsmen having been out on the consecutive balls, Shariful Islam was on hat-trick but the next ball that he bowled was wide off the mark. Sri Lanka was now 185 for 7.
The batsmen at the crease Niroshan (18) and Wijesiriwarkdena (6) raised Sri Lanka to 214 for 7 in the full quota of 45 overs. It was however, delightful to see Niroshan closing the innings with a mighty six.
Facing a challenging target of 215 runs Bangladesh started poorly losing 2 wickets for only 20 runs on the board. Naseer ud Din Farukh and Ashraful holding the crease, however, raised the score to 73 in 20 overs. Ashraful who was the back bone of the innings was out after playing a splendid innings of 49. His partner Farrukh was out for an invaluable 30.
Full postStewart dominates Zimbabwe bowling
Alec Stewart - Man of the Match Man of the Series Man of the Summer
Andy Jalil
22-Jul-2000
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Alec Stewart - Man of the Match Man of the Series Man of the Summer? Photo © AllSport |
England's confidence grows
England/Zimbabwe at Lord's
England/Zimbabwe at Lord's
Alec Stewart's phenominal appetite for run scoring continued unabated at
Lord's today as he dominated the Zimbabwe bowling and played the major role
in England's victory by the comfortable margin of six wickets in the final
of the NatWest Series.
Zimbabwe resistance flowers at Lord's
After 15 overs of the NatWest Series final at Lord's the match appeared to be decided
John Ward
22-Jul-2000
Lord's, 30 overs: Zimbabwe 77 for four (A Flower 34, G Flower 11)
After 15 overs of the NatWest Series final at Lord's the match appeared to be decided. England's superb pace attack, aided by the winning of the toss under overcast skies, had reduced Zimbabwe to 31 for four wickets and the tourists appeared to be on the verge of another Lord's walkover.
But then the Flower brothers dug in to give Zimbabwe a glimmer of hope. After playing themselves in with care, Andy in particular began to play his strokes with more fluency, and after 30 overs they had improved the situation to the extent of 77 runs for four wickets.
Gough, magnificent, has Zimbabwe in early trouble Caddick bowled the first ball of the match just outside the off stump and Johnson, with the sweetest of timing, eased it between backward point and cover to the boundary. Whittall was less fortunate, or skilful, with his first ball, from Gough, which he guided straight into the hands of Hick at a wide second slip.
Full postZimbabwe struggle to set England a challenging target
Lord's, lunchtime: Zimbabwe 169 for seven; England to bat
John Ward
22-Jul-2000
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Darren Gough - Most successful of respected pace attack Photo © CricInfo |
Home bowlers contain the scoring rate
Lord's, lunchtime: Zimbabwe 169 for seven; England to bat.
The first hour of play may well have decided the match as Zimbabwe, put in to bat in conditions favouring swing bowling, stumbled to 31 for four. A fine recovery by Andy (48) and Grant Flower (53 not out) eventually took them to 169 for seven, but this should hardly be a target to test England.
Full post