History beckons for Sussex

Frizzell County Championship Division One
Table

Sussex v Leicestershire, Hove
Scorecard
Sussex need to take a mere six points from their final match of the season, against Leicestershire at Hove, to be certain of securing the Championship title for the first time in their history. But, when 164 years of hurt are on the verge of being healed, nothing is ever as simple as it ought to be. Leicestershire, who were described as "shambolic" during an industrial tribunal last week, are already relegated and have nothing but pride to play for. But, they somehow beat Kent by an innings in their last match, to record their first victory of the season. Sussex, at the same time, were being thrashed by an innings by their only remaining title rivals, Lancashire. With James Kirtley ruled out with shin splints, much rests on Mushtaq Ahmed. After a rare barren match at Old Trafford, he needs a solitary scalp to become the first bowler to take 100 wickets in a season since Andrew Caddick and Courtney Walsh in 1998. Sussex will hope he passes that mark with room to spare.

Nottinghamshire v Lancashire, Trent Bridge
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Normally Trent Bridge is one of the truest of batting pitches, but it has been much maligned this season - not least during England's third Test victory, where the ball barely ventured above shin height on the final day. For Lancashire, it is an ominous venue at which to attempt to take maximum bonus points, but with Stuart Law and Carl Hooper in sublime form, they will back themselves to put enough runs on the board to put the heebie-jeebies into Sussex on the south coast. Lancashire remain without the centrally contracted pair of James Anderson and Andrew Flintoff, but Glen Chapple has recovered from a foot injury to spearhead the attack.

Surrey v Essex, The Oval
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With nothing to play for after a bitterly disappointing capitulation in the Championship, Surrey are expected to name a weakened side for the visit of Essex, who have already been relegated. Alec Stewart has retired, and Ian Ward has announced his intention to leave the club, so neither is expected to start in a low-key end to the summer.

Kent v Warwickshire, Canterbury
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Muttiah Muralitharan has a groin strain and will miss the final Championship fixture of the season, as Kent attempt to keep Warwickshire at bay and hold on to fourth place in the table. James Tredwell and Robert Ferley will compete for the spinners' role, and the memory of their embarrassment against Leicestershire last week should spur them on. "We were embarrassed to be turned over in two days and that did not sit well with us," said Ian Brayshaw, Kent's director of cricket. "We're looking to play our best cricket from Wednesday through to Sunday."

Frizzell County Championship Division Two
Table

Yorkshire v Gloucestershire, Headingley
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Damien Martyn has recovered from the blow in the face that he received on his Yorkshire debut last week, and is expected to be thrust back into the team for their must-win promotion battle with Gloucestershire at Headingley. Yorkshire need a victory to leapfrog Gloucestershire into the third promotion spot, and with Gloucester's outgoing coach John Bracewell anticipating a "wet, green seamer", it looks like a draw will be out of the question. "They need an outright win," said Bracewell, "and we're likely to get a two-day wicket. But we're not daunted." Yorkshire will base their game around the squadron of fast bowlers, and it seems probable that Darren Gough will return after his much-publicised absence last week. For Gloucestershire, the match represents the final fling of two much-loved overseas stars - Ian Harvey and Jonty Rhodes, who has only been at the club for one season - and they will be desperate to go out on a high.

Northamptonshire v Worcestershire, Wantage Road
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Promotion may be secure for both teams, but the Division Two title is very much at stake as Worcestershire take on Northants at Wantage Road. Worcestershire need only a draw to take the honours, but Kabir Ali, Mark Harrity and Matt Mason are all in line for a recall with their coach Tom Moody aiming for nothing less than victory. "Since we gained promotion a couple of games ago the team became very focused on winning the division," he said. "It means a lot to the team and we are looking forward to coming across a team who are in that type of form as well." The main threat to Worcester comes from Northants' prolific Australian, Mike Hussey. He has scored five hundreds and a fifty in his last six innings, and having announced his intention to take a sabbatical next year, he will be all the more eager to go out with victory.

Derbyshire v Hampshire, Derby
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Hampshire begin their life after Robin Smith with an attempt to salvage some pride against their fellow stragglers Derbyshire. Both teams have endured seasons to forget, but only one will cap it off with the wooden spoon. Graeme Welch is in contention for a Derbyshire recall after being dropped for disciplinary reasons, while Hampshire are without pace bowlers Chris Tremlett, Alan Mullally and Chaminda Vaas.

Durham v Glamorgan, Chester-le-Street
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Glamorgan's hopes of automatic promotion aren't quite dead in the Taff, but it will take an unlikely combination of results to do so. Still, the best they can do is win, and win well, and hope for a washout at Headingley. Ian and Darren Thomas are duly recalled to the side that was narrowly beaten by Northants last week. For Durham, Vince Wells returns after a wrist injury. "We've made progress this year but it's been tinged with disappointment," said Durham's coach Martyn Moxon. "We've been better in the four-day game but we didn't do well in the two games when we were still up for promotion."