Katich's Hampshire flood slows

After the storm of two centuries, Simon Katich's runs came at a drip over the past week, but Hampshire rolled to the top of the County Championship's Division One for the first time since 1992. Katich collected 26 and 28 to follow his three figures in the previous match against Kent as they toppled Glamorgan by nine wickets. But he narrowly lost a small runs battle with Matthew Elliott, who began with 51 and added 15 as his side followed on.

Shane Warne, the captain of the United Nations bunch also including the South Africa-born Nic Pothas and Kevin Pietersen alongside Zimbabwe's Sean Ervine, had a quiet match with a wicket in each innings, but his side carries a 16-point lead. Katich backed up from his century against Middlesex in the last round of the National League with a duck in the C&G Trophy against Glamorgan. Warne didn't help much either after promoting himself to No. 4, the number of runs he made after taking one wicket. Neither failure worried Hampshire as Pietersen and Pothas overcame Glamorgan's 214, which included 20 from Elliott.

There were also batting difficulties in the north of England for Phil Jaques and Ian Harvey as they suffered double failures for Yorkshire against Durham, who lead the Championship's Division Two. Jaques posted 12 and 1 while Harvey, who had more success with three wickets, picked up 1 and 0. On the opposing side was Mike Hussey, who added further to his usual northern summer crop with 26 and 61 before he joins the Australia one-day side next month. Anthony McGrath, the former England allrounder, was the match's hero with an unbeaten 133 to push Yorkshire in front, and they held on for the tightest draw.

Harvey opened with a duck against Worcestershire, but returned with some crucial and tight late bowling to seal a 14-run win in the C&G match. Harvey took 3 for 41 and Jaques chipped in with 40 from 49 balls as Yorkshire sealed a berth in the quarter-finals of the 50-over knockout competition against Northamptonshire.

Brad Hodge is enjoying life in the Championship's second grade but rain was the dominant force in Lancashire's match against Somerset at Taunton. The first three days were disrupted before Hodge breathed some excitement into the contest with 110 not out off 112 balls. He belted 11 fours and three sixes while Iain Sutcliffe smashed 150 from 139 deliveries as they hurtled towards a draw. It was a strange game for Stuart Law, who didn't bat and took a catch.

Hodge also led Lancashire to a comfortable C&G victory with 82 from 102 deliveries as they accounted for Essex's 195 with six overs to spare. Hitting six fours and a six, Hodge arrived after Andrew Flintoff had knocked over four batsmen and Law added 21.

In the other C&G games Damien Wright picked up four late wickets with a full line, including the dangerman Paul Weekes for 105, to give Northamptonshire a 19-run victory over Middlesex at Lord's. Wright couldn't match his performance with the bat, making 9, while Martin Love also struggled and was lbw for 2.

Michael Di Venuto and Jon Moss met at the top of the order in a bid to push Derbyshire past Kent's 257, but both were gone with the score at 13. Di Venuto was out for 3 and Moss went for 7 as the side was dismissed for a miserable 130. Moss had earlier taken the wicket of Robert Key in ten overs going for 46.

David Hussey had a week of 20s with a pair of them in the Championship loss to Kent and another one in Nottinghamshire's four-wicket C&G Trophy defeat by Sussex. Hussey will not be part of the Ashes campaign, but he had an influence on the tour schedule as the result meant Australia would play their first-Test warm-up at Leicestershire instead of Sussex, who face Lancashire instead that week at Old Trafford.