MIKE WATKINSON today pinpointed Courtney Walsh and Andrew Symonds as the men to watch after Lancashire were drawn against Gloucestershire in the Benson and Hedges Cup quarter finals.

Lancashire were guaranteed a home tie after their thrilling win against Warwickshire yesterday while Gloucestershire snatched second place in their group by beating Hampshire at Bristol by 21 runs.

"Gloucester are a tidy little side anyway," said Watkinson, "but they have also got Walsh and Symonds who are always dangerous."

But Lancashire have a superb record against the West Country side in Cup-ties at Old Trafford - they piled up 372 for five in 60 overs when the sides last met in a NatWest Trophy tie in 1990, still their record score in the competition, and beat Gloucestershire in one of the most famous games of all time in the 1971 Gillette Cup when David Hughes hit 24 in an over in the dark. Graham Lloyd was the Lancashire hero yesterday, hitting 63 not out from just 40 balls to snatch an unlikely one wicket victory with one ball to spare.

It was their fourth consecutive victory over Warwickshire in all competitions, ending a 14-match unbeaten run for the Midlanders stretching back to last August, and Lloyd said: "It didn't look like we were going to make it with all the wickets going down, but I managed to get a lot of the strike and fortunately Peter Martin hung around with me at the end."

Lancashire only needed three off the last over after Lloyd took 14 off the 49th bowled by Shaun Pollock.

But Lloyd, described by his dad David, the England coach, as a "box office batsman," was today facing up to the prospect of being dropped for Lancashire's Championship game against Notts at Trent Bridge tomorrow, when Nick Speak is expected to be recalled.

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