da dobrowin： Lancastrian Andrew McGlashan previews the final round of matches in the 2007 County Championship
da betobet： Cricinfo staff18-Sep-2007
Lancashire captain Mark Chilton: quietly gone about rebuilding the season © Getty Images
Lancashire can end a 73-year wait for the Championship title with victory over Surrey at The Oval this week. After timing their charge to perfection they top the table by six points going into the finalround of games.Despite all the one-day success achieved by Lancashire during the1990s, it is the Championship crown the club has craved. They sharedit with Surrey in 1950, but not since 1934 has the pennant flown outright over Old Trafford. There hasn’t been any silverware (excluding the second division National League title in 2003) coming their way since the NatWest Trophy/National League double in 1998.To be in this position has required a real show of character from Lancashire after they were dumped out of Twenty20 finals day in a one-sided semi-final against Gloucestershire. Supporters began venting their frustrations at coach Mike Watkinson and captain Mark Chilton, but the pair have quietly gone about rebuilding the season.To secure the title Lancashire will have to buck their recent trend of slipping up when a prize is within their grasp. Since 1998 they have lost eight semi-finals and two finals, so probably want to have the points situation as far away from their minds as possible.It was thought for Lancashire to maintain a serious title challenge that Muttiah Muralitharan would have to play a leading role. But he picked up an injury against Kent at the end of August and was due to leave in any case for the World Twenty20 in South Africa. Instead, the runs of VVS Laxman have played a key role, his century against Warwickshire building a match-winning lead at Old Trafford last week.Glen Chapple and Dominic Cork have also found a new lease of life inthe closing weeks of the summer. They are the team with momentum, butin the tightest Championship race for many seasons any slip-ups willopen the door for the chasing pack.Durham, who beat defending champions Sussex in the last round, aresecond and still hunting for their first Championship crown in aseason that has already brought them the Friends Provident Trophy andPro40 Division Two title. Dale Benkenstein’s team travel to Kent, buthowever their season finishes it has been a triumph for the club.Sussex shouldn’t be discounted, especially as they are playing long-since relegated Worcestershire who have struggled in the four-day game when they have managed to get onto the field. But Chris Adams’ side will have taken a severe psychological blow in their crushing defeat to Durham and are also without Rana Naved-ul-Hasan (dislocated shoulder) and Murray Goodwin (family bereavement) for the final round. Adams never gives up, but this time it is out of his hands.Mathematically, Yorkshire and Hampshire – who face each other atHeadingley – are not out of the race but it would need an extraordinary turn of events for either side steal the title. After leading for such a large portion of the season, Yorkshire fell away at the vital time. It also appears that Shane Warne’s wait to get his hands on a county prize will have to wait and he has just one yearleft on his contract.In a season where the weather has had such an impact, it would be dangerous not to expect it to play a part even though late-summer sun has appeared. If matches are truncated it will mean captains having to take some bold decisions in the pursuit of victory. But any risks will be worth the gamble for the reward on offer.
Lancashire 15 5 1 0 81 186 Sussex 15 63 0 5 1 180Durham 15 6 5 0 40 177.5 Yorkshire 15 44 0 7 0 170Hampshire 15 5 3 0 70 169 Surrey 15 44 0 6 1 156Kent 15 3 4 0 71 149 Warwickshire 16 25 0 9 0 139Worcestershire 15 1 7 0 52 91
