Cricket: Surrey underline title credentials

SURREY QUICKLY polished off second-placed Hampshire to underline their County Championship title credentials with their seventh win of the season on Saturday.

The pace-setters sealed a 156-run win by skittling Hampshire out in an hour and a half of play on the final day at Guildford, after the visitors were set a 332-run target for victory.

The main architect of Hampshire's demise was the Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq who took 6 for 74. It was his third five-wicket haul in four innings and helped maintain his side's unbeaten campaign.

The result saw Hampshire slip into third place behind Leicestershire, who moved up the table with a win at Sussex. Matthew Brimson claimed 5 for 51 for a career-best match haul of 9 for 120 as Leicestershire won by an innings and 33 runs.

Chris Schofield and Muttiah Muralitharan spun Lancashire to their second consecutive championship victory at Blackpool. They each took two more wickets as Glamorgan, 235 for six overnight, were all out for 289.

Worcestershire were made to wait for a five-wicket win due to a century stand by the Gloucestershire last-wicket pair of Martyn Ball and Jonathan Lewis at Cheltenham. The home side looked doomed to a crushing innings but Ball (70 not out) and Lewis resisted before Lewis was dismissed for 62.

Sri Lanka A restored some pride with a gallant batting performance before finally succumbing to Northamptonshire by 156 runs at Wantage Road. Facing a daunting victory target of 542, the tourists were dismissed for 385. Tuwan Dilshan hit 115 from 177 balls as the Sri Lankans made the county's attack work hard for victory.