SURREY LIONS V GLOUCESTERSHIRE GLADIATORS at the AMP Oval (NCL1), 5 AUGUST 2003 (Day/Night)

The importance of this game to the outcome of Division One at the end of the season cannot be stressed. After this contest Surrey have to face Glamorgan at home and away, while Gloucestershire have got two tough away trips to New Road and Edgbaston. On top of that both the Lions and the Gladiators have got to turn over Yorkshire on their own patch.

Any of Gloucestershire's top six is capable to playing a match-winning innings, but Craig Spearman is really hot at the moment. Since Twenty20 finals day the ex-Kiwi has rattled up scores of 101, 24 and 93 not out in the National League. The last of these came in yesterday's eight-wicket defeat of the Yorkshire Phoenix at Cheltenham, which was achieved with more than 12 overs to spare.

The good news from a Surrey perspective is that the Gladiators' Ian Harvey is currently involved in Australia's one-day series against Bangladesh, while Jonty Rhodes (left hamstring) and Mike Smith (back) are serious injury doubts for tomorrow's day/night encounter.

If Mike Smith does miss the game it will be a massive blow to the visitors, who have come to rely on his parsimonious left-arm seam at the beginning of the innings. James Averis is capable of making early inroads, however. See him off, and the Lions really could be purring with delight.

Batting second under lights will not be easy in what promises to be a sultry evening tomorrow night. Is it too simplistic to suggest that the outcome rests on a toss of a coin?

There are no reported absences from the Surrey team due to injury, but after two successive NCL defeats perhaps one or two line-up changes are in the pipeline. Alistair Brown, for example, has only scored 29 runs in his last four NCL outings.

C Spearman, P Weston, A Gidman, M Windows, T Hancock, Shoaib Malik, M Alleyne (capt), J Russell (wk), M Ball, J Averis and J Lewis.

19 Jul 2003	T20	Won By 5 Runs	Trent Bridge
25 May 2003	NL	No Result	Bristol
22 Sep 2002	NL	Won By 79 Runs	The Oval
19 May 2002	NL	Lost By 1 Wicket	Bristol
16 Sep 2001	NL	Won By 36 Runs	Bristol
12 Aug 2001	NL	Won By 2 Wickets	The Oval
14 Jul 2001	B&H	Won By 47 Runs	Lord's
27 Jun 1999	B&H	Lost By 7 Wickets	Bristol
26 Jul 1998	NL	Lost By 22 Runs	Cheltenham
8 Jul 1998	NWT	Won By 52 Runs	Bristol
30 Apr 1998	B&H	Won By 7 Wickets	The Oval
18 May 1997	NL	Won By 5 Wickets	The Oval
30 Apr 1997	B&H	Won By 3 Wickets	Bristol
26 May 1996	NL	Won By 72 Runs	Gloucester
30 Apr 1996	B&H	Won By 3 Wickets	The Oval
16 Jul 1995	NL	Won By 19 Runs	The Oval
29 May 1994	NL	Won By 10 Runs	Gloucester
18 Jul 1993	NL	Won (Scoring Rate)	Guildford
28 Jun 1992	NL	Won By 17 Runs	Bristol
5 May 1992	B&H	Won By 2 Wickets	The Oval
12 May 1991	NL	Lost By 25 Runs	The Oval
29 Jul 1990	NL	Lost By 5 Wickets	Cheltenham

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