"NEVER mind the flu - what a great knock."

Neil Fairbrother's post-match tribute to John Crawley after Lancashire's second Championship victory of the season over Sussex at Hove yesterday said it all.

Crawley hit a magnificent unbeaten 112, his third century in consecutive first class matches, to steer Lancashire through a few nervous moments to a five wicket win.

But it was an even greater achievement because of the fever which forced him to take regular drinks, and left him totally drained as he slumped into Steve Elworthy's car for the long drive home.

"It was tough for the first hour," said Crawley, who had been suffering since linking up with Lancashire in Brighton on Wednesday following his maiden Test century at The Oval, and had spent most of the weekend in bed at the Grand Hotel. "But after that I had sweated most of it out."

Fairbrother gave Crawley superb support in a third wicket stand of 150 in 29 overs, slamming 79 from 88 balls and never allowing England leg-spinner Ian Salisbury to settle. After he was out, caught on the boundary going for another bit hit, Salisbury got on top with the wickets of Nick Speak and Mike Watkinson in a spell of 3-0 in 19 balls.

But Crawley is a master of leg-spin bowling, as he has shown with centuries against Shane Warne, Anil Kumble and most recently Mushtaq Ahmed, and steered Lancashire home in a sixth wicket stand of 37 with Warren Hegg.

But Crawley has bounced back well and started today's Championship game against Middlesex at Old Trafford.

Steve Elworthy, Lancashire's overseas player, removed Jason Pooley lbw for 12 to get his side off to a promising start. Middlesex, with the help of incoming batsman Mark Ramprakash, improved slowly onto 47 for one.

Crawley will hopefully be fully recovered for the clash with his native county Essex in Saturday's NatWest Trophy final.

Lancashire still have 500 of their allocation of 4,500 tickets available for the final, after selling out of a large allocation for the Benson and Hedges Cup final in July in no time.

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