Sutcliffe is Player of the Month

Iain Sutcliffe, who goes to the Oval for the final Championship match against Surrey this week needing just eight more runs to reach 1,000 for the season, has been named as Leicestershire's Bland Bankart "Player of the Month" for August.

The left-handed opening batsman scored a total of 363 Championship runs during the month at an impressive average of 90.75. He hit an unbeaten 125 against Kent plus 75 in the match with Sussex and 48 and 64 against Surrey at Grace Road.

He was not short of runs in the Norwich Union League either, with 98 against Warwickshire his best. But he has already improved on that in September,scoring his first National League century in the last match against the Somerset Sabres. In the Championship this season he has scored two centuries and four half centuries, and he is now looking to finish off in style by going past 1,000 first class runs for the second successive year.

Sutcliffe has also revelled in the responsibility of the being vice-captain. He led the side to victory in less than five sessions in the last Championship game against Somerset at Grace Road in the absence of the injured Vince Wells.

The Leicestershire captain looks likely to miss out again at Surrey because of a fractured finger. Trevor Ward is also a serious doubt with a knee injury, and Rob Cunliffe stands by to replace him.