Surrey crown title triumph with touch of farce

Surrey crowned their title triumph with a touch of farce at Old Trafford today.

With the third day lost to rain, little chance of a positive result and nothing at stake, captain Adam Hollioake opted for some pantomime entertainment for the championship finale, using nine bowlers - but not Saqlain Mushtaq or Ian Salisbury.

Mark Butcher claimed his first-ever five wickets haul with his litttle seen off-spin while Ally Brown and Jonathan Batty - who had handed the gloves to Alex Tudor after tea - celebrated maiden first-class wickets.

Hollioake himself produced a unique brand of leg-spin, welcomed warmly by Neil Fairbrother and Mike Smethurst who piled on 113 for the eighth wicket.

The day had started seriously enough, Smethurst ripping out Saqlain Mushtaq's leg stump to end a last wicket stand of 116 with Martin Bicknell who finished unbeaten on 79, his highest of the season.

And, before Lancashire could wipe out the first innings deficit of 35, they lost both openers, Mark Chilton edging Bicknell behind the stumps and Mike Atherton losing his off stump to Tudor.

Surprisingly, after a third wicker recovery, Butcher then sent Lancashire stumbling to 161-7 and, at that stage, there still seemed time for Surrey to go all out for their 10th win. But Smethurst, with a previous top score of 18, was allowed to score almost unchallenged, marching to his maiden 50 with a six and nine fours off 59 balls.

Fairbrother, the 37 years-old veteran, cemented his place at the top of the Red Rose averages by playing every ball on its merits, and was 90 when he fell lbw to Brown.

Smethurst departed for 66 in the next over, having added a second six, but Lancashire's acting captain Warren Hegg, who had not fielded because of a foot injury, came out as last man to steer Lancashire to 304-9 dec and bad light prevented further play.