NCL Div 1 - 8 June

Surrey v Essex, AMP Oval

Azhar Mahmood blew Essex away today, picking up 6 wickets for 39. At one stage, with Darren Robinson who made 78 going well, Essex were 193 for 4 and looking set to press on to a healthy total. Enter Mahmood, and the visitors disappeared without trace as the Pakistani seamer grabbed five of the last six wickets to fall as Essex finished on 220.

The fact that Surrey were able to reach the target was thanks largely to Graham Thorpe who once more stamped his class on affairs. His undefeated 79 held the innings together as a succession of batsmen got in only to throw their wickets away. At 177-4, victory seemed a formality but Paul Grayson tied an end up and disposed of Hollioaks and Batty to leave the hosts on a nervy 197-7.

It was left to Saqlain Mushtaq to stay with Thorpe as the pair ground out the final 24 runs for victory which maintained Surrey's lead at the head of the table.

Surrey 221-7 (Thorpe 79*, Grayson 2-13) beat Essex 220 (Robinson 78, Azhar Mahmood 6-39) by 3 wickets


Glamorgan v Worcestershire, Swansea

A century partnership between David Hemp and Adrian Dale was largely responsible for giving Worcestershire too much to do as the Welsh side maintained their hundred percent record and stayed hard on the heels of Surrey at the top of the table.

The pair added 112 for the fifth wicket as Glamorgan eventually closed on 215-9 in a game restricted to 39 overs a side. Kabir Ali was the pick of the Worcestershire attack, grabbing four wickets for 38 runs.

Worcestershire never really came to terms with the target, losing wickets at regular intervals throutghout the innings. Alex Wharf and Robert Croft did most of the damage, picking up seven wickets between them as the visitors eventually capitulated for just 184.

Glamorgan 215-9 (Dale 60, Hemp 59, Ali 4-38) beat Worcestershire 184 (Singh 37, Wharf 4-24, Croft 3-33) by 31 runs


Gloucestershire v Warwickshire, Gloucester

An opening partnership of 171 between Craig Spearman and Phil Weston went a long way towards ensuring victory for the home side today. Weston was the first to depart, his 61 coming off 83 balls. His partner completely dominated the Warwickshire attack, slamming 153 in just 123 balls, an innings which included 16 boundaries and 5 sixesas Gloucestershire eventually finished on 307-8.

Despite half-centuries by Knight, Bell and Troughton, the visitors were never able to build sufficient decent partnerships in order to seriously threaten the target, although at 127-2 and with Knight and Bell rattling along at better than a run a ball, there seemed to be an outside chance.

Crucial wickets lost in the run chase were their undoing, with Alex Gidman chief architect of Warwickshire's demise as he returned figures of 3-26 from 8 overs. Eventually, the Warwickshire innings passed quietly away, ending on 229 in the 41st over as they remain rock bottom.

Gloucestershire 307-8 (Spearman 153, Weston 61, Waqar Younis 2-43) beat Warwickshire 229 (Knight 70, Troughton 53, Bell 50, Gidman 3-26, Harvey 2-30) by 78 runs


Kent v Yorkshire, Tunbridge Wells

Kent struck back decisively as Yorkshire threatened to win this tight affair at Tunbridge Wells today. Greg Blewitt toughed it out to top score for the home side with just 46 in the face of the Yorkshire seam attack led ably by Darren Gough who grabbed 2-26. Ryan Sidebottom was more successful still, picking up 3-39 as the home side mustered 208-7.

A fine 77 by Michael Lumb gave Yorkshire a great chance of edging further away from the foot of the table, and when he added 99 for the fifth wicket with Richard Blakey it seemed they might pull it off. With the asking rate climbing, though, five wickets went down for just 23 runs as the northern side went into self-destruct mode leaving Kent victorious. Earlier, Ben Trott picked up three wickets for just 19 runs from his 9 overs.

Kent 206-7 (Blewett 46, Sidebottom 3-39, Gough 2-26) beat Yorkshire 186-9 (Lumb 77, Blakey 41, Trott 3-19, Symonds 2-33) by 22 runs.


Posted by Eddie