Surrey are on course to win the County Championships for the first time since 1971 following a crushing victory over an indifferent Sussex team.

This innings victory was always on the cards when the Sussex visitors contrived to lose ten wickets during the afternoon session on the first day.

Destroyer in chief was Pakistani test star Saqlain Mushtaq who took a career best 7-30 with four wickets in seven balls.

Few Sussex players were able to read Saqlain's spinners and he finished with match figures of 11 to 104.

However, Surrey are still too inconsistent in the one day competition. This time they succumbed to Derbyshire in the quarter finals of the NatWest Trophy, losing by five wickets after making a poor start.

Perhaps the most consistent player in the club this season Martin Bicknell scored an undefeated 48 and picked up three wickets.

p The Surrey Board XI lost in the MCC Trophy semi-finals at Bovey Tracey last Thursday, going down by a disappointing 95 runs.

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