Cricket / NatWest trophy: Scotland cause a scare: Round-up

SCOTLAND'S part-timers gave Lancashire a scare before slipping out of the NatWest Trophy at Old Trafford yesterday. Lancashire appeared to be heading for a comfortable victory after restricting Scotland to 178 for 9. But pace man Gavin Hamilton, who has played second-team cricket for Yorkshire, ripped out Nick Speak with 13 on the board.

There were further successes for the hard-working Scots - notably when Aberdeen all-rounder Mike Smith claimed the wicket of the England captain, Mike Atherton. But by then Atherton had hit a superb half-century. Mike Watkinson steered Lancashire home by five wickets with an unbeaten 25 in the 54th over to book a second-round match with Surrey at the Oval.

Elsewhere, Nottinghamshire beat Northumberland at Jesmond thanks to Paul Johnson's 146 and a county record total 344 for 6. Glamorgan came within two runs of setting a county record with 344 for 5 against Lincolnshire at Swansea, Steve James and Adrian Dale hitting centuries in the 160-run win.

An unbroken century partnership between Graham Thorpe (85) and Darren Bicknell (55) steered Surrey to a crushing, nine-wicket victory over Staffordshire at The Oval. Andre Van Troost demolished Oxfordshire at Aston Rowant with 5 for 22 for Somerset, who won by 219 runs.

The man of the match, Roger Twose, added two wickets to his century as Warwickshire, the holders, cruised home by 197 runs against Bedfordshire at Edgbaston.