September 24, 2007	Monday	Ramazan 11, 1428

LONDON, Sept 23: Sussex retained the English county championship on Saturday when they claimed an emphatic victory over Worcestershire at Hove while rivals Lancashire were beaten by Surrey.

It was Sussex’s third title triumph in five years.

Pakistan leg-spin bowler Mushtaq Ahmed was the Sussex hero, taking 13 wickets for 225 runs in the match as the defending champions claimed their victory by an innings and 14 runs.

Having emerged triumphant in their own game at lunchtime, Sussex had to wait for more than four hours before they could celebrate as Lancashire attempted to score 489 and claim victory in their final game.

In the end, Lancashire fell short by 25 runs and missed out in their attempt to win the title outright for the first time since 1934.

The Sussex team manager Mark Robinson told reporters afterwards that it had been “the most exciting championship ever.”—Reuters