Cricket Round-up: Lenham makes Yorkshire toil

NEIL LENHAM and Jamie Hall, the Sussex openers, broke a 41-year-old record as the south coast county put the pressure on Yorkshire at Hove yesterday.

Lenham, finishing the season in fine form, hit 135 to follow the 136 he made last week against Lancashire. Hall compiled a solid 90 as the pair put on 224 - within eight runs of Yorkshire's first-innings total and Sussex's highest first-wicket partnership against the Tykes. When the rain curtailed affairs, Sussex were 282 for 2, 50 runs ahead, with Alan Wells on 25 and Keith Greenfield on 13.

Paul Jarvis, the Yorkshire bowler who has been recalled to England colours for the tour to India, was accurate but lacked penetration - in contrast to Ian Salisbury, who was not selected for India. The Sussex leg-spinner's career-best 7 for 54 on Saturday gave him him 82 wickets this season - 22 of them in the last four innings.

Graham Gooch had a busy day in the field at Bristol, even though Paul Prichard was once again taking care of Essex captaincy duties. Gooch conceded just 27 runs from his 20 overs as Gloucestershire, with a score of 326, gained a first- innings lead of 198. Their top scorer was Matthew Windows, a 19-year-old student, who stayed over three hours for his 71.

Centuries from Richard Harden and Chris Tavare, who shared in a third-wicket stand of 265 in 71 overs, put Somerset in a strong position against Nottinghamshire at Taunton. At the close Somerset were 342 for 3 from 99 overs, a lead of 77, with Harden still there on 150. Tavare, with 125, led his county out of trouble - Kevin Evans having removed both openers for 44.

Only 36 overs were possible at Southampton - but Malcolm Marshall found the right line to take three Worcestershire wickets in 10 balls. The visitors advanced to 112 for 4, in reply to Hampshire's 231. At Gateshead Fell, Ian Smith, the Durham all-rounder, was another three-wicket man, as Lancashire struggled to 224 for 6, still 88 runs adrift of the hosts, who were all out for 312 thanks to some sturdy tail-order batting. Michael Atherton, with an unbeaten 85, played the anchor role for Lancashire.