Day 2: Repair work by McKeown
By Stephen Thorpe at Old Trafford
Second day of four: Lancs (111-6) trail Surrey (146) by 35 runs
PADDY McKeown's sterling 42 kept Lancashire barely afloat when Surrey, as befitting championship leaders, came back strongly after being dismissed inside 54 overs. Lancashire were in disarray after Nathan Wood and John Crawley threw away their wickets, and Alex Tudor (four for 28) ripped out Andy Flintoff, Graham Lloyd and Mark Harvey, the latter pair to yorkers, before removing McKeown off a thin edge.
Peter Marron, the groundsman, who was looking forward to a possible visit from what he terms ``the flying squad'', the ECB's pitch inspectorate, has no cause for concern. Lancashire were in buoyant mood after two dramatic victories and Wasim Akram, the captain, is relaxed and confident of further progress in the championship.
However, while Neil Fairbrother must rest a groin strain, and Michael Atherton is on duty at Lord's, the recent floodlit match has also exacted a toll with Warren Hegg, the wicketkeeper in prime batting form, sidelined by a thumb injury and Ian Austin succumbing to a knee problem. The second-team keeper, Jamie Haynes, is resting a damaged thumb but the understudy, Crawley, performed capably enough.
Crawley first kept wicket in the championship three years ago against Surrey, and stood in briefly during the second Ashes Test at Lord's last year when Alec Stewart was indisposed.
After the first day wash-out, overnight rain affected the square's surrounds requiring a noon start and the loss of 16 overs. Surrey, similarly ravaged by injury and Test calls, were inserted on a heavily rolled, dampish track where Wasim (four for 42) helped Lancashire to a dream start. Peter Martin (three for 35) then dispatched Jason Ratcliffe, caught shoulder high by Mike Watkinson at third slip.
Wasim cleaned up Ian Ward and Nadeem Shahid at once, as Martin claimed Alistair Brown at slip and accepted the prize wicket of Adam Hollioake.
Surrey were grateful for Martin Bicknell's late-order 41.
Day 3: Jury out on title hopefuls
By Rob Steen at Old Trafford
ANY jury saddled with the task off judging the championship prospects of Lancashire and Surrey on the basis of the first three days at sunshine-free Old Trafford would be fully entitled to bemoan the lack of anything resembling persuasive evidence. Beneath the surface, though, lies a contrasting philosophy that highlights why leaders Surrey remain the more plausible candidates.
With a total of nine regulars missing from the two camps, it will be tempting to regard this as little more than a Second XI fixture. Indeed, the frivolous nature of the strokes that saw 16 wickets fall on a largely blameless pitch on Friday appeared to confirm as much.
In the only significant action yesterday, Mike Watkinson, having just steered Lancashire past Surrey's dismal 146, departed in a manner all to symptomatic of this Kamikaze tendency, stretching as far as humanly possible to slap Alex Tudor's wide long hop straight to backward point. As he looked on aghast from the bowlers' end, Jackie Hampshire must have been sorely tempted to discard his white jacket and show them how it is done.
The principal beneficiary of all this frippery has been Tudor, whose fifth wicket of the innings was due reward for a young man beginning to recover his bearings after last season's premature and disconcerting hype. To his undoubted pace he has now added control, though questions still persist over his capacity to produce as strongly in his second spell. That Surrey are prepared to be patient with such raw talent is laudable, which is rather more than can be said for Lancashire's handling of their brightest bowling starlet.
Prior to last summer's Ashes Test here, Chris Schofield could be seen operating in the adjacent net to Shane Warne, and not losing all that much by comparison. Given Lancashire's less than bountiful spin resources, an early promotion for this precocious leg-spinner seemed inevitable.
Instead, he has been forced to pay his dues with the second team, the benefits of which are not immediately apparent. There are plans to blood him once the pitches get drier, but then mistrust of youth is a peculiarly English disease. But there must be times when Schofield wishes he had been born in Rawalpindi rather than Rochdale.
Day 4: Big hitters are in form to secure unlikely victory for Lancashire
By Stephen Thorpe
Lancs (151-7 dec & 250-4) bt Surrey (146 & 254-1 dec) by 6 wkts
LANCASHIRE pulled off yet another dramatic victory over Surrey, the championship leaders, and furthered their own title ambitions immeasurably after an awesome display of hitting from Andy Flintoff.
In the process Flintoff established a new world record for the most runs scored from one over of serious bowling, 38 - with 34 off the bat - in a sequence that Alex Tudor, the hapless bowler will never forget - 6 off a no-ball, 4, 4, 4, 4 off a no-ball, 6, 6, 0.
Only Gary Sobers and Ravi Shastri have taken more off an over with the bat, 36, and the effort equalled that of Nottinghamshire's E B Alletson whose 34 off Sussex's E H Killick in 1911 (which also included two no balls), and Frank Hayes's 34 off Malcolm Nash in 1977.
The 20-year-old powerhouse came in at 151 for two in the 34th over with Lancashire still needing 99 to win in 16 overs. A short while later Surrey were floored, the match was effectively over, and Flintoff had flayed the fastest fifty of the season off 20 balls with seven fours and four sixes.
Tudor, like Martin Bicknell, had bowled well up to then without luck, but Flintoff took the game into a different dimension, flogging Rupesh Amin for towering straight sixes before launching Tudor for a couple more and then Hocking another over backward square leg.
He eventually left to a standing ovation, caught at long-on for 61. His cameo overshadowed all that had gone before but John Crawley (78) and Nathan Wood (80 not out) will not be too despondent.
Crawley proved again what an excellent technician he is after Adam Hollioake, the Surrey captain, had set Lancashire a charitable 250 in 53 overs, and Wood later blossomed in tandem with the inspirational Flintoff.
Lancashire had scraped a five-run first-innings lead on Saturday but in 11 days of championship cricket here, Lancashire have lost the equivalent of 581 overs, around half of available play, and yesterday's immediate declaration was entirely predictable.
Conditions were in stark contrast to the earlier fare - blissful, breezy weather and a marked lack of movement through the air and off the pitch - and Wasim Akram did not tarry long with the ball preferring Richard Green to bear the brunt.
Graham Lloyd's introduction confirmed it was time for Lancashire to assist in target setting and then, when Wood and Mark Harvey tossed up a cart-load of forgettable fodder, Nadeem Shahid (a century in an hour off 74 balls) and Ian Ward (81 not out) duly made hay to set up an astonishing climax.