Cricket: Reeve holds his nerve

WARWICKSHIRE overcame Brian Lara's lowest score of the season to register their fourth Britannic Assurance County Championship victory. They reached the target of 228 in 38 overs set by Northamptonshire at the County Ground with just three balls to spare.

Lara, unable to bat until five wickets had fallen after spending the equivalent of two days off the field, came on with 20 runs required but the West Indian, famed for his record-breaking batting exploits, was caught by Allan Lamb off the left-arm spinner Nick Cook for just two.

In a nail-biting last over, Warwickshire's skipper, Dermot Reeve, - batting with a runner because of a groin strain - hit the boundary that brought Warwickshire victory.

Steve Rhodes batted for 140 minutes to steer Worcestershire to a nerve-wracking first Championship win of the season. The England wicketkeeper's unbeaten 37 in 35 overs took his side from 170 for 5 to their target of 236 with one wicket standing against Sussex at New Road.

Rhodes had survived a frenzied appeal for a return catch by Franklyn Stephenson with six runs needed and, with just two required, Richard Illingworth edged Ian Salisbury to silly mid-off.

Worcestershire's last man, Neal Radford, blocked the England leg- spinner's first ball and drove his next through cover for the winning boundary.

Glamorgan remain firmly at the foot of the Championship table after failing miserably in a 386-run chase against Lancashire at Colwyn Bay. They got off to a promising start, but after their captain, Hugh Morris, was run out, the last eight Glamorgan wickets tumbled for 51 runs in 15 overs and they were dismissed for 165.