Date-stamped : 03 Nov93 - 05:11 Lancashire wins NatWest Trophy finals 1 Sep 90 Lancashire became the first English county to win both the season's major knockout competitions at Lord's on Saturday when they thrashed Northamptonshire by seven wickets in the NatWest Trophy final. Having bowled Northants out for 171 in their 60 overs, with paceman Phillip DeFreitas taking five for 26, they knocked off the required runs in 45.4 overs thanks mainly to 81 from Neil Fairbrother. Earlier this season Lancashire won the Benson and Hedges Cup. England reject Neil Fairbrother gave the selectors a hefty nudge at Lord's here on Saturday by steering Lancashire to a historic seven-wicket victory over Northamp- tonshire in the NatWest Trophy final. Dropped after failing against New Zealand, the little left-hander continued his brilli- ant county form with a dashing 81 to ensure Lancashire became the first side to win both major knockout competitions in an English season. David Hughes' side can now set their sights on an incred- ible treble when they take on Middlesex in the Refuge Assurance Cup semi-final at Old Trafford on Wednesday. But on Saturday night they were content to wallow in the glory of their fifth triumph in the 60-over competition and the 24,000-pound first prize. While Fairbrother clinched the comfortable success, which was achieved with more than 14 overs to spare, it was paceman Phillip DeFreitas who was rightly named man of the match. He surely booked his place on England's winter tour of Australia with an astonishing eight-over opening burst, which reduced Northants to an unbelievable 39 for five. He single-handedly demolished the powerful Northamptonshire batting line-up, remov- ing Test players Wayne Larkins, Allan Lamb and Rob Bailey plus openers Nigel Felton and Alan Fordham. Mike Watkinson then took the wickets of Richard Williams and David Ripley as Northants limped to 87 for seven before David Capel (36) and West Indies quick bowler Curtly Ambrose (48) at last showed the character re- quired. However, both were cruelly run out from deflected drives as they backed up at the non-striker's end, incidents which made it clear this was just not Northants' day.Northants' ill fortune did not let up when Lancashire batted, Ambrose somehow contriving to drop a sitter offered by Fairbrother when the batsman had made just six. That miss at mid-on effectively ended the contest, Fair- brother accelerating the total away from what would have been 37 for three with a stream of sparkling shots, openers Graeme Fowler and Sri Lankan born Gehan Mendis having fallen cheaply. Fair- brother seems to specialise for Lancashire in scintillating in- nings full of superbly-timed cover drives and outrageous risks. Dropped again on 70, Fairbrother had hit two sixes and nine fours from just 68 balls when he skied Williams to Ambrose, the West Indies' fast bowler pouching the catch to ironic cheers 105 runs too late. Fairbrother had dominated a stand of 114 in 25 overs with England opener Mike Atherton, who in contrast offered the bowlers nothing. He remained 38 not out, having played a perfect anchor role in the latest triumph of his magnificent season of personal achievement, when Watkinson drove Nick Cook for six to seal Lancashire's success. Thanks to shash (sshah@merle.acns.nwu.edu); Vasanthan Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)