Old school class from Ward

Northamptonshire 277-5 Surrey 162 Northamptonshire win by 102 runs (revised target D/L 265 off 29 overs)

The stars may have remained in Leeds for today's semi-final but not according to the festival crowd at Whitgift School that gave 41-year-old David Ward a standing ovation after he had smashed 78 runs in 52 balls and given Surrey a glimmer of hope of chasing a Duckworth/Lewis decided 265 in 29 overs.

Registered on Friday after frantic negotiations had rescheduled the thrice- thwarted Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy semi-final, Ward had celebrated by continuing to organise this match in his new career as cricket master at the school with "a few large gin and tonics in the evening". How he will rejoice in his 14 fours and one six picked up over square leg. It seemed farcical that a rather portly gentleman of advanced years who last represented the county in 1996 should open the batting in a helter-skelter pyjama match in an era when fitness and physique are paramount. Well, it could be argued that Ward's physique is paramount, but so was his clean hitting and power.

Lest anyone think he was lucky, he scored a half-century for MCC against the Austral-ians last year and was the highest run-scorer throughout the Minor Counties. The hapless Steelbacks bowlers fed his scoring arcs with long half-volleys and half-trackers.

His opening stand with the talented Scott Newman was worth 50 in six overs and the dominance of his innings was such that when he holed out to long-off, Surrey's once improbable and then reasonable challenge became impossible.

Surrey gambled by fielding an almost sacrificial side here. The decision to favour the semi-final ahead of the Norwich Union League would have been difficult, especially as both these sides are contenders for promotion, but it was forced on them and they decided that a 400-mile round trip was too much with a showpiece final at stake.

They were damned whatever they did, but victory today would at least provide some justification for a team including three debutants and numerous others with fewer than 10 games' experience.

The crowd did not mind, and earlier enjoyed some excellent strokeplay from Mal Loye, David Sales and Matt Cassar. Loye, one of the most talented county players never to have quite forced himself upon the selectors, batted throughout the innings and demonstrated a range of shots to please the purist and the innovator. Two straight sixes off the left-arm spin of Rupesh Amin combined power and timing, and a delicate reverse sweep off the medium pace of Gary Butcher brought up a deserved hundred.

But the batsman of the day was Ward. Drives, cuts and pulls whipped the crowd into a frenzy and ensured the children under his tutelage will listen intently. In fact he could do more batting and bashing next year when the 20-over circus starts. Coaches keen to protect the techniques of their young players could utilise players like him. Boxers enjoy comebacks; why not cricketers? Heavyweight, of course.