Sporting Digest: Cricket

MALCOLM MARSHALL, the former West Indian fast bowler, will retire from county cricket at the end of the season after 15 years with Hampshire.

THE Australian Cricket Board have paid Sri Lanka more than pounds 24,000 compensation for postponing the scheduled tour of Australia later this year by the Sri Lankan Test side. The Australians invited South Africa instead.

MARK ROBINSON, the Yorkshire pace bowler, and Essex's batsman, John Stephenson, have been added to the England squad to play the Netherlands in two one-day matches on 9 and 10 July. They replace Paul Jarvis and Matthew Fleming, who have made themselves unavailable for the trip to Amsterdam.

RAPID CRICKETLINE CHAMPIONSHIP (First day of three): Derby: Somerset 300 for 8 dec (K J Parsons 72, G Bennett 51, A C Cottam 46no); Derbyshire 49 for 0. Hove: Sussex 323 (B T P Donelan 78, M T E Peirce 72, C C Remy 51; M R Bainbridge 5-72); Surrey 31-0. Sheffield (Abbeydale Park): Warwickshire 428 for 8 dec (M Burns 172, Wasim Khan 54, P A Booth 50no; C Silverwood 4- 74); Yorkshire 31 for 0. Chester-le-Street: Leicestershire 124 (P J Berry 6-10); Durham 131 for 3 (N Pratt 54). Luton: Northamptonshire 379 for 7 dec (W M Noon 133, J Snape 74, S Fleming 74; M M Patel 4-105) v Kent. Uxbridge: Hampshire 203 (W S Kendall 55); Middlesex 68 for 0. Old Trafford: Lancashire 282 (I D Austin 63); Glamorgan 59 for 1.

MINOR COUNTIES CHAMPIONSHIP (First day of two): Ipswich (Ransomes): Cambridgeshire 199 for 8 dec (B Roberts 87, D P Norman 58; R R Gregg 6-60); Suffolk 196 for 7 (I D Graham 91no, P J Caley 43).