Lancashire in hot pursuit of Surrey

Lancashire's victory by six wickets over Durham at Manchester has taken them to within 13 points of frontrunners Surrey with a game in hand in Division One of the championship.

They moved quickly to their 132 runs target thanks mainly to Mike Atherton (64 n.o.) to gather 20 points in their fifty win in ten games. Starting the day at 123-6, a lead of 48, Durham's seventh-wicket partnership was not broken until 18 minutes before lunch.

Then John Wood, who made 44 bin the 68 runs partnership with Nick Speak, swept Gary Keedy to Neil Fairbrother on the boundary. Speak, the captain, was undefeated with 38 against his previous county, and Keedy took two further wickets to finish with a career best 6-56. The left-arm spinner's previous best was 6-79 at The Oval three years ago, and here he returned his best match analysis of 10-55.

He was very much the most successful of the six bowlers used in the match and bowled 96 of the 286.4 overs they contributed overall. Durham came out of lunch at 188-7 but from the seventh over afterwards lost Nick Phillips and Neil Killeen. When Simon Brown was caught from bat and pad Durham were all out for 206. Speak's stay lasted some 240 minutes.

John Crawley was dropped off Wood before a run had been scored but his 46 runs stand with Atherton set Lancashire on their way. Jon Lewis was hit by a sweep from Fairbrother while fielding at short-leg and had to retire with a hand injury.

Fairbrother and Saurav Ganguly were out in an unnecessary chase for the runs, but Atherton was in control with a half-century in 74 balls. Graham Lloyd made 32 from 40 deliveries but was caught and bowled by Phillips with just two runs needed to win.