England v West Indies

England First Innings: 255 for 8 at lunch

Three quick strikes by the West Indies bowlers left England on 255-8 at lunch at The Oval today.

Three quick strikes by the West Indies bowlers left England on 255-8 at lunch at The Oval today.

The wickets, which all fell in the last half hour before lunch, left the fifth Test finely poised, with weather increasingly expected to be a factor.

If the forecast rain does hold off, England will continue their quest for their first series win since 1969 against the West Indies.

Scorecard

Overnight: England 221-5 (M A Atherton 83, M E Trescothick 78).

West Indies Won Toss

G P Thorpe lbw b Walsh 40 G A Hick lbw b Ambrose 17 C White not out 1 D G Cork lbw b McLean 0 A R Caddick not out 0 Extras b4 lb12 w1 nb9 26 Total 8 wkts (115 overs) 255

Fall: 1-159 2-159 3-184 4-184 5-214 6-254 7-254 8-255

To Bat: D Gough.

Ambrose 31 8 38 2 Walsh 31 15 55 1 McLean 25 6 70 3 Nagamootoo 24 7 63 2 Adams 4 0 13 0

Umpires: D J Harper and D R Shepherd