BAD weather was threatening Lancashire on two fronts today.

First, the poor forecast was a cloud over their hopes of attracting the five thousand crowd they need to break even on tonight's floodlit AXA League fixture against Surrey at Old Trafford.

And second, it also threatened to scupper their chances of going top of the table.

Sunday's crushing victory over Somerset took Lancashire within two points of joint leaders Essex and Middlesex, with a game in hand.

In contrast Surrey are rock bottom of the table with only two points from six games, for a previous washout.

That's a disastrous record for a team packed with internationals. Mark Butcher, Alec Stewart and Graham Thorpe were all missing for today's game, away with Lancashire's Mike Atherton on Test duty at Lord's, while Ian Salisbury is out for a month and Ben Hollioake and Alistair Brown were facing fitness tests on groin and finger injuries.

But even with that long list of absentees, Surrey could still field a team captained by Adam Hollioake, with Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq and former England seamer Martin Bicknell.

Lancashire also had fitness doubts over Neil Fairbrother (groin) and Glen Chapple (back), with Gary Yates certain to return to the one day team after missing the Championship victory over Somerset.

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