Date-stamped : 11 Jul97 - 14:22
Astle has the answer

By Geoffrey Dean at the Oval

Notts (176) bt Surrey (154) by 22 runs

ALTHOUGH   this  shock  defeat was hardly the ideal start to Sur-
rey`s build-up to their Benson and Hedges Cup final against  Kent
at Lord`s on Saturday, not too much should be read into it.

After  bowling  so  well,  though, Surrey`s batting was racked by
complacency and carelessness. "It`s my  most  disappointing  loss
here, but it won`t affect morale," Adam Hollioake said later.

All  credit  to  Nottinghamshire, however,  for  their  excellent
bowling performance  on  an untypical Oval pitch - an uneven one.
Bat- ting was also made difficult by the fact that the ball swung
throughout the day. But conditions still did not warrant two such
low scores.

Surrey  chose  a  used  pitch as they hoped to take  advantage of
their superior  spinners.  As it happened, Nottinghamshire strug-
gled  more against some fine pace bowling, particularly from Mar-
tin Bick- nell. Ian Salisbury  got  considerable  turn,  removing
Nathan Astle with a brute.

Astle,  whose  112-ball  56 and  return  of  10-5-12-1  with  his
dead-eyed medium pace gained him the man-of-the-match award,  was
dropped  when  nought  at  second slip off Bicknell, a regulation
chance  that in hindsight cost Surrey the match. Astle and  Chris
Tolley  dug Nottinghamshire out of the mire of 41 for four with a
watchful stand of 68 in 19 overs.

Surrey seemed to be cruising at 72 for one in   the   21st   over
before  Tolley nipped one back into Mark Butcher. Poor shots from
Gra- ham Thorpe, caught at  backward  point,  and  Alec  Stewart,
pulling  to  mid-off,   gave  Nottinghamshire  a  sniff, and when
Ally Brown  edged  a  widish  delivery  and  Adam  Hollioake  cut
straight  to point, Sur- rey were in real trouble at 113 for six.

Chris  Lewis,  Ben Hollioake and Ian Salisbury were  all  out  to
good  balls,  but  12  overs  still remained when Saqlain Mushtaq
joined Bicknell with 45 needed.  However,  Kevin  Evans  cut  one
through Bicknell`s defences to gain a famous victory.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/)

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