Bell's class shows again

Ian Bell scored a magnificent century as leaders Warwickshire piled on the runs against pre-season favourites Surrey.

Bell was finally dismissed for 155 after the Bears were put into bat by a Surrey side lacking 5 key bowlers.

At first, the back-ups did their job, Phil Sampson removing Mark Wagh for a duck on his way to a deserved 3-wicket haul, but when the recalled former captain Michael Powell joined Bell at 112-3, the leaders took charge.

The pair both made centuries, Bell's being his third of the season, and Powell's his second in only 3 innings this year, as they shared in a 214 runs stand that took the game away from their hosts.

Although both men fell before the end, Dougie Brown remains unbeaten on 39, and with the in-form Brad Hogg still to bat, Warwickshire will be targeting yet another 500+ score as they closed just 10 points shy of claiming another full set of batting points.


Warwickshire 390-5
(Bell 155, Powell 110, Sampson 3-79)

Meanwhile at Cheltenham it was a tail of 2 overseas players, as Dinesh Mongia dominated the majority of the day before New Zealand left-armer James Franklin struck back in style after tea.

Mongia scored a fine century and, assisted by Mal Loye and Mark Chilton, guided the Red Rose to 333-4 at one point after stand-in Captain Carl Hooper elected to bat.

Franklin then hit back with an awesome display of left-arm seam bowling to pick up 4 wickets for 8 runs in just over 20 minutes, the last 3 of his victims being Glenn Chapple, Dominic Cork and Sajid Mahmood all clean bowled for ducks.

That took Franklin's haul on his first class debut for the county to 5-58, and left the match very evenly poised after Day 1.


Lancashire 362-8
(Mongia 111*, Loye 90, Chilton 69, Franklin 5-58)



Posted by Marc