SURREY CROWNED AS CHAMPIONS by Marcus Hook
Gloucestershire 385-7 v Surrey.

Mark Butcher's questionable decision to insert Gloucestershire seemed to be the furthest thing from his players' minds as they were presented with the Division Two trophy at the close of play yesterday. At 5.10pm, the Brown Caps collected the second of the two bonus points they required to be confirmed as champions. But afterwards Butcher, always a man to keep his feet firmly on the ground, said: "If you look at it in reality we have only finished tenth. There are plenty of areas we can improve upon and maybe we'll need to strengthen the squad in the off-season so that we're right on top and challenging for the prize we really want to get our hands on."

Should Surrey elect to strengthen their squad this winter, the acquisition of an experienced seamer would appear to be the top priority. With Martin Bicknell now retired for good, plus Mohammad Akram and Jimmy Ormond currently out of action, Jade Dernbach and Neil Saker were handed a rare chance to show what they are made of. Undoubtedly talented, both showed that they are still very green.

Although Saker was unfortunate to have Phil Weston put down off his bowling when the left-hander was 74, he consistently conceded more than five runs an over. Dernbach's first three overs disappeared for 32 runs as Craig Spearman advanced to a quick-fire century.

Spearman became the first batsman to score a hundred before lunch against Surrey on the opening day since Graham Gooch made 139 at Chelmsford in May 1988. Having taken 52 balls over his half-century, the former New Zealand batsman needed just 46 more for his hundred, which contained 19 fours.

It was Spearman's sixth century of the summer, making him the first Gloucestershire batsman to hit more than five in a season since Zaheer Abbas notched up ten in 1981. But, to his very next ball, Spearman was leg before to Nayan Doshi.

Weston, dropped initially at first slip off Stewart Walters, on 29, brought up his fifty from 87 balls in the 28th over. After lunch, the former Worcestershire opener continued to play second fiddle as Hamish Marshall struck 56 at a run a ball, including a six over long-off off Chris Schofield's leg-spin.

In the 48th over, Saker redeemed himself when he got his second delivery back to Marshall a fraction. But, at tea, Weston was 119 as Gloucestershire basked in the glory of being 312 for two, having been invited to bat.

However, the final session saw the hosts lost five wickets for 46 in nineteen overs. Kadeer Ali's protracted innings ended when Azhar Mahmood got one to move off the seam and creep in-between bat and pad.

Weston's 130 off 240 balls ended when the tall left-hander was beaten in the flight by Doshi. Chris Taylor edged Saker on to his stumps and when Steve Adshead, sweeping, handed Doshi his one hundredth first-class wicket for the Brown Caps, all of the Surrey players huddled together in a jig of delight at clinching the top spot.

With Mark Hardinges going to a lofted catch to Mark Ramprakash, at mid-on, off Schofield, the honours might just even up today.

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