Date-stamped : 24 Jun96 - 02:18 24 June 1996 AXA round-up: Blistering Benjamin breaks run of success WINSTON BENJAMIN and Cardigan Connor made a handsome pair at Basingstoke, donning their Sunday best for Hampshire, who redressed the balance in the League by ending Northamptonshire`s one-day run of success. Northamptonshire`s deep distrust of the wicket, which began with an innings defeat in the championship on Friday, continued when they were put in and bowled out for 169. Connor did the damage with five for 25. While the opposing captain was unhappy with the state of the wicket, Curtly Ambrose and all then suffered a blistering 104 not out from Benjamin. With his second fifty coming from 20 balls, the West Indian`s fourth six finished off Northamptonshire with seven overs and seven wickets to spare and defeat ended a 13-match unbeaten run in all limited-overs competitions stretching back to last September`s NatWest final. A late change of pitch at Hove, made necessary because of its short distance from the boundary on the scoreboard side, proved disastrous for Sussex, who, bowled out for 59, their lowest score in the competition, lost to Glamorgan by 124 runs. The substitute pitch, used for a championship match a fort- night ago, resulted in lateral movement and low bounce but to emphasise its shortcomings would be to detract from the superb bowling of Owen Parkin, who took five for 28. Gloucestershire claimed their first Sunday League victory of the season by 119 runs when they bundled out Nottinghamshire for 101 in 27 overs at Trent Bridge. Challenged to score 221, Nottinghamshire were dismantled by Courtney Walsh, Mike Smith, Mark Alleyne, Jonathan Lewis and Tim Hancock, each of whom took two wickets. A century partnership in 14 overs between Andrew Symonds (76) and Robert Dawson (61) provided the main thrust of Gloucester`s innings and by the time both were dismissed in successive overs from Kevin Evans (8-1-23-2) the visitors had achieved what proved to be a winning total. Mark Ramprakash`s 122 off 113 balls, including a six and 11 fours, enabled Middlesex to score 115 off their last 10 overs and set a target of 279, which proved just beyond Derbyshire`s scope. Ramprakash shared a brisk opening stand of 136 with Paul Weekes and a blazing one of 63 in four overs with Mike Gatting, whose 41 came off only 17 balls and included a six and seven fours. Warwickshire`s great ability to win in 50-50 finishes was per- fectly illustrated by their eight-run victory against Kent, who needed 21 off the last three overs with four wickets in hand. Kent were thwarted by Shaun Pollock, who took the crucial wicket of Mark Ealham while conceding just 10 runs in his last two overs. Worcestershire, having put in Somerset on an uneven Bath pitch and restricting them to 150, recorded their third Sunday win of the season, captain Tom Moody leading the way home with 50. Despite a hostile but unlucky opening spell from Graham Rose, Moody and Tim Curtis put on 59 together for the first wicket. Later, positive batting from Ruben Spiring, 31 not out, and Philip Weston, 23, took them to their target with six overs to spare. Surrey`s David Ward, reduced to adorning his benefit year with Sunday League specials, hit eight sixes in 14 balls yesterday to reach a 55-ball century in a 59-run win against Durham at Stockton. Ward reached fifty with the first of four successive sixes off Phil Bainbridge, and scored his second fifty off 13 balls as his second Sunday century of the season carried Surrey to 268 for eight. A career-best three for 17 by Richard Stemp earned Yorkshire a 36-run victory over Leicestershire on a difficult pitch at Bradford. Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http.//www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by Shash (shs2@*.cwru.edu)