SURREY BROWN CAPS V HAMPSHIRE HAWKS at Whitgift School (C&G Trophy), 4 JUNE 2006

With Surrey entertaining Shane Warne's Hampshire at Whitgift School tomorrow, it will be a case of second in the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy South Conference table meeting sixth. Despite the Sussex Sharks having won five from five so far, the current holders will be looking to stay on Sussex's tails just as keenly as Surrey will be to continue their climb up the league.

But the Brown Caps will have their work cut out against a side that goes into the contest fresh from a convincing victory over Gloucestershire, who never recovered from being reduced to 56 for six at the Rose Bowl last Monday. The Hampshire batting line-up is likely to contain two faces familiar to Surrey fans - left-handed opener Michael Carberry, who has developed an aggressive streak with the bat since leaving the Oval at the end of 2002, and Aussie Dominic Thornely, who played a handful of games for the Brown Caps last summer, when he was drafted in to cover for the injured Azhar Mahmood. With two former Test players, John Crawley and Sean Ervine, completing the Hawks' top four, there is a premium on opposition bowlers making early inroads.

Even so, next in is rising star Greg Lamb, who gets the nod whenever Kevin Pietersen is on Test duty, and wicketkeeper-batsman Nic Pothas. There is little doubt, however, that the Hawks' main strength lies in their bowling department. The deceptively quick James Bruce and miserly Billy Taylor are usually entrusted the new ball in one-day cricket, leaving Dimi Mascarenhas, Ervine and Shane Warne to tighten the noose still further when the fielding restrictions are lifted after fifteen overs. Finally, waiting to feed off the scraps, should there be any, is Shaun Udal, with his off-twirlers.

Hampshire's Michael Carberry goes into this contest with 979 List A career runs to his name, while Sean Ervine has 98 List A wickets. For Surrey, Alistair Brown has 9.994 career one-day runs. 

Four players who will almost certainly be starting Surrey's forthcoming championship fixture against Leicestershire are rested for Hampshire's C&G visit to Whitgift - Scott Newman, Mark Ramprakash, Ian Salisbury and Jimmy Ormond. So, there will be only one change to the eleven that beat Glamorgan on Bank Holiday Monday - Doshi coming in for Salisbury, who has a sore knee.   

Even though Hampshire have a long journey ahead of them tonight, to get from Headingley to Whitgift, the Hawks are a complete one-day side and it would be highly optimistic of me to expect anything but a win for Shane Warne's men.  

M Carberry, J Crawley, S Ervine, D Thornely, G Lamb, S Warne (capt), A Mascarenhas, N Pothas (wk), S Udal, J Bruce and B Taylor.

Graham Burgess and John Holder.

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