Bicknell and Butcher lead Surrey fightback

Gary Butcher and Martin Bicknell led a Surrey fightback as the sun twice stopped play in a farcical evening session at Old Trafford.

Butcher hit a season's best 66 and Bicknell ended the second day unbeaten on 46 as Surrey recovered from 111 to five to 297 for nine in reply to Lancashire's first innings total of 324.

But both Surrey and Lancashire, who clinched second place in the Championship for the third consecutive year by taking maximum bowling points, were frustrated as the glare of the sun off the roof of the new media centre stopped play for a total of 25 minutes.

Adam Hollioake, fresh from lifting the Championship trophy for the second year running, gave Surrey a flying start with 49 from 39 balls.

But Lancashire then hit back with three wickets from Glen Chapple and four for Chris Schofield, who is hoping to be selected in the England A squad next Monday.

Butcher, who was dropped at slip in single figures, justified his selection ahead of Ben Hollioake by grafting to a 109-ball half century and hit a total of 10 boundaries.

He shared two stands of exactly 50, for the sixth wicket with Jonathan Batty and the ninth with Bicknell, before hooking Chapple to Mike Smethurst at deep square leg.

But Saqlain then joined Bicknell to add an unbroken 54 for the last wicket, with the Pakistani off-spinner lofting Chapple for an unorthodox straight six and then belting the last two balls of the day from Smethurst for four.