JOHN Crawley had a double reason to celebrate today.

Crawley's reappointment as Lancashire captain for a second season was confirmed during yesterday's CGU National League game against Gloucestershire at Old Trafford.

And he marked the news by hitting a typically classy 80 to steer Lightning to another valuable victory.

Crawley linked up with Neil Fairbrother in a match-winning fourth wicket stand of 113 in 24 overs after they had slipped to 6-2 and 45-3.

Mike Atherton was lbw to the first ball of the innings from Mike Smith, and Andy Flintoff wasted a let-off on two from Jeremy Snape at backward point by giving Snape the chance to make amends two runs later.

But after Crawley had taken Lightning to the brink of their target of 179, Fairbrother and Graham Lloyd knocked off the remaining 21 runs with four balls to spare.

Fairbrother ended unbeaten on 66 from 76 balls, his highest CGU innings of the season.

Gloucester captain Mark Alleyne thought the game turned on an unusual incident in the 39th over. Fairbrother pulled former Ramsbottom pro Ian Harvey to Matt Windows at mid wicket but the umpire Neil Mallender ruled that it was a beamer, and called no-ball. Crawley had wandered down the pitch and Windows ran to the stumps and appealed for a run out, but again Mallender turned Gloucester down because Lancashire were not attempting a run.

Crawley and Alleyne exchanged words, but the Lancashire skipper regained his composure to hit two fours in the remainder of Harvey's over.

The win takes Lightning within two points of First Division leader Worcestershire Royals, who they play in the last game of the season in Worcester in September. But before that they have the floodlit double header against Yorkshire, at Headingley tomorrow and Old Trafford next Tuesday.

And Muttiah Muralitharan showed yesterday what a boost his availability for those two games will be.

Compared to his amazing Championship form, Murali has been relatively quiet in one-day cricket with only four wickets from his previous four CGU appearances.

Muralitharan had a brilliant spell of 9-4-12-3 as Gloucester slipped to 128-6 off 37, and they did well to recover to 178-8 in the remaining eight overs thanks mainly to 37 from 36 balls from Aussie Harvey.

Lancashire will release Darren Shadford, the 24-year-old seamer from Oldham who has made 23 first team appearances since 1994, at the end of the season.

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