Sport & Fitness

An exciting South division went to the final round of matches with Middlesex setting aside recent travails to top the group. Stand-in skipper Ed Joyce steered his side to a record of eight wins from ten starts with a satisfying seven-wicket victory over Surrey that was built around another miserly bowling performance. With Owais Shah available, they should have the greater depth of batting to push Lancashire in a game that's being staged at the Oval due to regulations preventing Middlesex playing at Lord's in the days preceding a Test. Essex finished as runners-up and earned a home tie on superior run-rate. Graham Napier, a workaday cricketer in most respects, is the centre of attention after his record-breaking 152 not out from 58 balls against Sussex, though it could be Danish Kaneria's crafty twirling that proves vital against a Northants side boasting ever-dangerous Lance Klusener. Andrew Shields