SAY what you like about day-night matches - the Lancashire players love 'em.

They beat Yorkshire at Old Trafford last season, Sussex at Hove in April - and last night, in another thrilling finish, Gary Yates snatched a four wicket win over Surrey with three balls to spare to take them top of the AXA League.

Yates and Ian Austin kept their cool brilliantly in an unbroken seventh wicket stand of 50, roared on by a 5,200 crowd.

And when Yates hit the winning boundary, it set off a huge firework display from the top of the Washbrook-Statham Stand.

"I really enjoyed myself," enthused Yates afterwards. "The lights, the atmosphere and the tightness of the game." He came in with Lancashire 85-6 chasing a rain-reduced target of 132 from 22 overs, promoted to number eight because Warren Hegg had suffered a thumb injury.

The weather too a few thousand off the gate, but Lancashire were still happy with a turnout of 5,200 which allowed them to cover the £30,000 cost of the temporary lights.

Warren Hegg and Ian Austin joined Neil Fairbrother and Glen Chapple on the injury list, with all four facing fitness tests before today's late-starting Championship match.

And Ben Hollioake was also set to play as a batsman after suffering a groin injury last week. The noon start was delayed because of waterlogging. The start returns to the normal 11am time for the next three days.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.