Cricket: Fraser puts Middlesex in control

THE Championship leaders Middlesex exhibited the classic way to play four-day cricket yesterday, writes Richard Wetherell. First rack up the runs - they ended up with 551 for 5 before Mike Gatting took pity and declared - then exploit the tiredness of the fielding side.

The runs were piled up by Mark Ramprakash (83) and John Carr (74 not out) after Mike Roseberry added just 10 to his overnight 175.

Part two was accomplished just as well. Angus Fraser gave the Leicestershire board an inebriated look with a career-best 7 for 40 that reduced them to 114 all out. Hiking back to respectability a mere 437 behind, they lost Tim Boon with just two on the board.

Alan Wells put his Sussex side in command, enjoying all eight of the Worcestershire bowers at Hove as much as the people on holiday down the road on the slot-machines. His fruitful effort was 128 not out in 417 for 6. Bill Athey, David Smith and Martin Smith added half-centuries.

It was slow going for Yorkshire on the day they announced Richie Richardson would be staying with them next season. Richardson scored 38 before he became a victim of Kevin Evans in his career-best 6 for 67.

In the third and final Test between Sri Lanka and India at Colombo there have been charges of sledging and deliberate pitch damage. The Sri Lankans have complained that 'chattering' by the Indian wicketkeeper Kiran More upset their concentration during batting while India accused the Sri Lankan tailender Jayananda Warnaweera of deliberately running on the pitch.