Date-stamped : 16 Jun97 - 10:20
Lancashire (172-3) bt Kent (155) by 17 runs

MIKE  Atherton  warmed up for the Lord`s Test with an unbeaten 90
at Old Trafford to keep Lancashire on course  for  the  AXA  Life
League title.

The  17  run-win  over Kent, their rivals in the top three in tha
table, owed much to the England captain`s 102-ball  innings,  the
high-  light  of  which   was   a six over extra cover off Martin
McCague. He also claimed eight fours as  Lancashire  reached  172
for three off 35  overs.

In   his   previous   four Sunday appearances Atherton had scored
12, 7, 13 and 17 and with the Lord`s Test approaching there was a
case  for  resting   him.  However, he cruised to his fifty in 74
balls and hit his next 40 runs off only 28 deliveries.

Another Test captain made the inroads into  Kent`s  reply,  Wasim
Akram  taking   two   wickets  in  an over. Mark Ealham played on
while Matthew Fleming was hit on the arm and staggered forward in
pain  as the ball bounced on to his stumps.

It  was Wasim`s first game in three weeks after recovering from a
shoulder strain and he marked his return,  not  only  with   fig-
ures of two for  18  from seven overs, but also by making it five
wins out of five as Lancashire`s acting captain this season.

Lancashire handed Kent  18  wides,  and   a   half-century   from
Trevor  Ward  threatened a tight finish until six wickets tumbled
for 40.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/)

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