Rookie duo defy Surrey

County Championship D1, Leicester, day four: Surrey 501 & 117-2 drew with Leicestershire 166 & 636-4 dec
Surrey 12 pts, Leicestershire 6

Match scorecard

John Maunders and John Sadler helped themselves to maiden first-class centuries as struggling Leicestershire threw a spanner in Surrey's title works.

The very least we deserved after the effort that had been put in was to draw the game Leics coach Phil Whitticase

Having forced the home side to follow-on 335 runs in arrears, Surrey toiled away for 158 overs on an increasingly bland surface, using nine different bowlers in the process.

Maunders and Sadler both arrived at Grace Road this summer in search of first-team opportunities after beginning their careers with Middlesex and Yorkshire respectively.

And they demonstrated their potential by extending their third wicket stand to 135 before Maunders was caught behind off Ian Salisbury for 171, having added 45 to his overnight score.

Partner Sadler continued on to reach 145, with 20 fours and a six, but became as rare victim for Graham Thorpe before the declaration came just before tea.

"Sadler felt his innings had been devalued because of the declaration bowling but I told him that his hard work had been put in well before then and that he fully deserved a magnificent century," said home coach Phil Whitticase.

A target of 302 was way out of Surrey's reach in the time remaining despite Thorpe's unbeaten 52, and the draw meant they have given the advantage to rivals Sussex in the title race.

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Leicestershire: J K Maunders, D L Maddy, B J Hodge, J L Sadler, P A Nixon, D G Brandy, J N Snape, P A J DeFreitas (capt), V C Drakes, D D Masters, C E Dagnall.

Surrey: I J Ward, J N Batty, M R Ramprakash, G P Thorpe, R Clarke, A J Hollioake (capt), Azhar Mahmood, I D K Salisbury, Saqlain Mushtaq, J Ormond, T J Murtagh.

Umpires: D J Constant, N G Cowley.