LANCASHIRE may have to answer questions over a charge of match-fixing which first surfaced six years ago.

The allegations were made by former Essex player Don Topley and involved an Old Trafford Sunday League match and the last day of a championship game 24 hours later in August 1991.

It was only in 1994, just after he had been sacked by Essex, that Topley accused the teams of collusion and his claims were angrily dismissed by both clubs. But, with the Cricket world engulfed by scandal, Topley has been invited to repeat the allegations to the England Cricket Board.

"I'll reiterate what I said in 1994," he said. "Whether any action will be taken now I don't know, but a lot of people who rubbished me then have changed their attitude because of all the revelations coming out around the world."

However, Lancashire's chief executive Jim Cumbes said: "Don Topley made his allegations in 1994, three years after the matches in question. We had nothing to hide then, and nothing to hide now. But we will co-operate with the Board if they ask us to, there is no need to sweep anything under the carpet."

Topley claimed that no money changed hands, but that Essex agreed to lose the Sunday match if Lancashire left them a generous target the next day to boost their chances of lifting the championship.

In the event, Lancashire won on the Sunday, and Essex won on the Monday after being asked to score 270 in 67 overs by Red Rose skipper Neil Fairbrother who vehemently denied the allegations at the time and is refusing to make further comment.

Topley is likely to see top ECB official Simon Pack who will decide whether to take further action.

Lancashire's opening National League game at Canberbury yesterday was washed out.