Surrey edge home in top championship clash

It was tense right to the end, but Surrey emerged as winners at The Oval to preserve their one hundred per cent record for the championship season and, as a result, ended Lancashire's winning run. Mark Ramprakash might have been discarded by England, but he joined forces with recalled Alec Stewart in what proved to be the decisive partnership.

Surrey began the day requiring another 105 to win with six wickets in hand. All the time Ramprakash and Stewart were together, it appeared to be a formality. However, when Stewart was out for 46 and it was 248 for 5, there was still time for some drama to unfold.

Azhar Mahmood kept Ramprakash company until the total reached 281 when he was out. Alex Tudor celebrated his recall to the Test team by hitting a brace of fours from the first two balls he faced, but was then out to the third with fifteen still required. Martin Bicknell has been around for a while and he used his experience to end Lancashire's hopes, with Ramprakash still there at the end, 119 not out, as Surrey won by 3 wickets.

Warwickshire's batsmen made life difficult for Leicestershire at Grace Road by taking their second innings on to 439, setting a target of 94 to win. Nick Knight and Jim Troughton extended their third wicket partnership to 139 before Troughton fell for 66. Knight was fifth out for 130, and Shaun Pollock also contributed 66.

While the target was not vast, Leicestershire had only 16 overs in which to force the win, and they set off at a rare pace. Iain Sutcliffe was run out in the eighth over, by which time he and Michael Bevan had taken 47 off the target, but Darren Stevens took up the challenge with Bevan before he too was run out. Neil Burns was bowled, but Bevan remained to guide Leicestershire home with seven wickets and nine balls in hand.

In the one remaining Division Two match left unfinished, Worcestershire began the day on 25 without loss requiring 337 to beat Glamorgan. Australian Mike Kasprowicz has been finding wickets hard to come by since joining the Welsh county, but he came good when it mattered by taking five for 77 as Worcestershire were bowled out for 226 to give Glamorgan victory by 110 runs. Ben Smith was top scorer for Worcestershire with 61.