Surrey near county title

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32701, 2 September 1971, Page 24

Surrey near county title

(N .Z.P. A.-Reuter-—<Copyright) , LONDON. Surrey became firm favourite to carry off the English county cricket championship when it beat Yorkshire at the Oval yesterday by an innings and . 12 runs. It is now only six points behind Warwickshire, the present leader, with two games in hand. With nine bonus points, Surrey gained 19 points from the match. Yorkshire, which had firs innings arreas of 263, re sumed yesterday at 108 fo four. Although most of th later batsmen offered stub

born resistance, including an unbeaten 47 by R. Hutton, Yorkshire was all out for 251 and could not escape the innings defeat. It was another severe blow to a county which is having a most unhappy season.

Warwickshire managed to gain only two points from its match at Edgbaston against Gloucestershire, who needed half an hour to claim Warwickshire’s last two wickets. Gloucestershire won by an innings and seven runs, earning 19 points. LANCASHIRE LEADS Lancashire moved to the top ’ of the table with a win by an * innings and 32 runs in a tight . finish at Manchester, although this lead is likely .to be short* j lived. With only three overs remaining, Worcestershire, at 149/7

looked certain to avoid defeat. But a devastating spell of three wickets for no runs by the offspinner J. Simmons gave Lancashire victory and 21 points.

Lancashire led the table last night with 241 points from its completed 24 match programme. Warwickshire (232) and Kent (226) still have a game in hand while the fourth placed team, Surrey, still has three more matches in which to add to its total of 226.

The England left-arm . spinner, D. Underwood kept alive Kent’s hopes of retaining the title when he took five for 35 against Hampshire at Canterbury to give the defending champion a win by 66 runs.

The outstanding individual performance came from the Nottinghamshire opening batsman, M. Harris His unbeaten 131 in the drawn match against Essex made him the second player this season to pass 2000 runs.