da lvbet： Kent v Leicestershire, Canterbury Scorecard Paul Nixon added another half-century to his first-innings 113 not out, asKent were reminded of exactly what they will be missing this season
da apostebet： Andrew Miller26-Apr-2003Division OneKent v Leicestershire, Canterbury
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Paul Nixon added another half-century to his first-innings 113 not out, asKent were reminded of exactly what they will be missing this season.Leicestershire had been set an unlikely target of 387, and were in somestrife at 27 for 3, when Nixon bounced to the middle. But he added 75 forthe fourth wicket with Darren Stevens, before Damien Brandy chipped in witha half-century of his own. Martin Saggers, Alamgir Sheriyar and Amjad Khanall picked up two wickets, but Phil DeFreitas and Jeremy Snape batted out tothe close.Lancashire v Nottinghamshire, Old Trafford
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Chris Read, widely touted as Alec Stewart’s successor in England’s one-dayteam, did his chances no harm at all by guiding Nottinghamshire to a draw onthe final day at Old Trafford. Notts were still more than 200 runs adriftwhen Peter Martin (5 for 54) embarked on an inspired spell of seam bowling.But Read dug in for a 91-ball 57, and by the time he was eighth man out,Lancashire’s prospects of an unlikely win had evaporated.Middlesex v Sussex, Lord’s
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Middlesex produced the highest score of the match to record a tensethree-wicket win at Lord’s. It was a performance far removed from theirinept first-innings display, and Middlesex’s captain, Andy Strauss, led theway with 83. Ed Joyce and Paul Weekes both made vital contributions as well,but all three fell to Sussex’s James Kirtley, who was the pick of thebowlers with 4 for 87, all lbw. Kirtley took the new ball and dismissedJoyce and Weekes in the same over to set up a tense finish, but Ben Huttonand Simon Cook batted sensibly to inch Middlesex to their first victory inthe top division of the championship.Warwickshire v Essex, Edgbaston
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Ashley Giles and Ronnie Irani produced a brace of stunning performances- as captains and players – to transform a soggy mess of a match into athrilling tie. They agreed to forfeit one innings each, after the best partof two days had been lost to rain, which left Essex needing 381 to win.Irani led the way with a rollicking 87, adding 132 for the fifth wicket withAndy Flower, but Giles (5 for 115) matched him every step of the way. Essexstill needed 81 to win when Irani was sixth man out, but sensiblecontributions all down the order ensured the tightest finish imaginable.Division TwoHampshire v Glamorgan, Cardiff
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Matthew Maynard continued his majestic start to the season, by convertinghis overnight 63 into his 53rd first-class century. But that was the solehighlight of another drab rain-hit day in Cardiff. After Glamorgan hadreplied well to Hampshire’s impressive 531 for 7 dec, there was no prospectof a result, and play was called off at tea. Wasim Akram grabbed his seventhwicket of the season, but the pick of Hampshire’s attack was Chris Tremlett,who returned figures of 3 for 101.Northamptonshire v Gloucestershire, Wantage Road
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Jonty Rhodes cracked a delightful 128 from 131 balls century to giveNorthamptonshire one or two jitters at Wantage Road, but in the end theweather had the final say as the match descended into a battle for bonuspoints. Rhodes cracked 55 runs in just five overs before lunch, before JackRussell and Mark Alleyne secured Gloucestershire secured their full quota ofbatting points with a 72-run stand for the sixth wicket. By the time MartynBall had added two more wickets to his five in the first innings,Gloucestershire had won the day, but not the match.Somerset v Durham, Taunton
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Somerset bounced back from the disappointment of last week’s eight-rundefeat against Gloucestershire, cruising to a six-wicket win over Durham.Needing another 119 runs for victory with eight wickets in hand, PeterBowler’s unbeaten 67 ensured there would be no mishap after Steve Harmisonhad removed Jamie Cox in the first over of the day. Bowler added 89 for thethird wicket with James Bryant (51), before Richard Johnson, his confidencesky-high after a maiden first-class century last week, biffed three sixesand a four in seven balls to seal the win.
