Cricket: Powell's fighting 83 proves in vain

MIDDLESEX WERE last night celebrating a County Championship win inside three days as Glamorgan eventually succumbed to the inevitable at Cardiff - suffering an innings and 113-run defeat.

A seventh-wicket partnership of 72 in 22 overs between Mike Powell (83no) and Keith Newell (28) only held up Middlesex's success as Glamorgan subsided to 214 all out.

Essex secured a comfortable nine-wicket win over Derbyshire after bowling the visitors out for 131 in their second innings. Ricardo Anderson was the hero with a haul of 5 for 37, which left Essex with the meagre target of 136. Paul Grayson (74no) and Nasser Hussain (56no) saw Essex home.

Half-centuries from Jamie Cox, Michael Burns and Robert Turner staved off the threat of an innings defeat for Somerset in their West Country derby with Gloucestershire at Bath.

Somerset started the day 152 runs behind and with just seven second-innings wickets intact, but Cox (58), Burns (53) and an unbeaten 68 from Turner pushed the visitors on to 239 for 7 and a lead of 31.

Lancashire's clash with Warwickshire at Southport was finely balanced courtesy of a resilient 72 not out from captain John Crawley. In a see- saw battle, Lancashire were set 275 for victory and were on their way as they reached 60 for 1, only to lose three wickets for a further 11 runs just before lunch.