THE roar which greeted Ian Austin's selection as Gold Award winner said it all.

One of Lancashire's most popular cricketers had earned national recognition at last - and the army of fans who had followed the Red Rose to Lord's were delighted.

In the hour that followed Austin was to learn what national recognition meant, as he answered a barrage of questions from TV, radio and press journalists all trying to find out more about a man who had just played his sixth Lord's final.

"Why are you called Oscar?" they asked. "Where are you from? What do you do in the winter? Have you ever been on a diet? Is it your first Gold Award?"

The answers, for the record, were: "Have been since I was a kid at Haslingden. Haslingden. All sorts - coaching last winter, before that I've worked in a slaughterhouse unloading beef from wagons. Yes, but I felt so weak it affected my bowling - I'm now 15 stone, my fighting weight. No, I've won one before against the Minor Counties at Leek."

His opening spell on Saturday was the best of the day and undoubtedly swung the game Lancashire's way. Their total of 245 was good, but not unbeatable - especially if David Capel, outstanding as Northants' pinch hitter in the B&H since switching to opener, could give his side a flyer.

The new 15-over rules have forced Lancashire to change their strategy in this year's competition. Austin, their best one-day bowler, is now used at the start of the innings as well as the end.

On Saturday it worked like a dream. Capel announced his intentions with a wild slog at Austin's first ball, but missed and Lancashire opened with a maiden. Peter Martin followed suit from the other end, tying down Alan Fordham, and although in the third over Austin conceded the first run - a wide - he also put Capel under enough pressure for the former England all-rounder to edge a catch to Warren Hegg.

Four overs later and Northants had added only nine more runs, just one of them off Austin, who then nipped a ball back into Fordham to find the bottom edge and his off stump.

That was 10-2 and when Austin went off after three more probing overs he had figures of 7-2-7-2 - and Northants were 27-2 with just two of the first 15 remaining.

"I just tried to bowl tight, line and length," said Austin afterwards. "I haven't been getting it quite right recently, but it was better today."

The welcome for Austin when he trotted down to the third man boundary grew louder after each over. When he switched to fine leg at the end of his spell, the roar was the loudest yet. Austin had quite a personal fan-club in the crowd, his mates from Haslingden and a number of his family, but every Lancashire fan was cheering his contribution.

Lancashire were still to have a number of nervous moments as Northants skipper Rob Bailey and young Richard Montgomerie batted sensibly in a third wicket stand of 87.

But Gary Yates bowled a mean spell from the Pavilion End, just as he had in last year's final, which included the wicket of Montgomerie, as Northants slipped further and further behind the run rate.

Kevin Curran kept Northants' hopes flickering in a sixth wicket stand of 52 with Tim Walton until ice cool John Crawley took his second catch on the Grandstand boundary. He had earlier clutched a steepler to dismiss Russell Warren one delivery after toppling over the rope to concede a six.

Now the stage was set for Austin to return and apply the coup de grace. Despite Neil Fairbrother's battling 63, the Gold Award was already in his pocket for that opening spell. But he removed any doubts by bowling John Emburey and Tony Penberthy to complete figures of 4-21 and clinch a 31-run win.

Austin negotiated a couple of souvenir stumps from umpire George Sharp, but gave one of them to Jason Gallian as he tried to beat the onrushing Lancashire masses.

But it wasn't all joy for Lancashire captain Mike Watkinson. He was still feeling wretched after telling South African Steve Elworthy that he wasn't in the side. Elworthy's parents had flown over especially to see their son play at Lord's for the first time, so he was devastated to be given the news. Even in victory, Watkinson described it as "the worst day of my career".

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