Date-stamped : 21 Jul97 - 10:26 Brown hits new heights with 203 By Nigel Fuller at Guildford Surrey (344-5) bt Hampshire (276) by 68 runs ALISTAIR BROWN recorded the highest individual Sunday League score during a breathtaking exhibition of ferocity that de- stroyed Hampshire yesterday. His 203 was the first double century in the competition`s 28-year history and 27 better than the previous best set by Graham Gooch against Glamorgan at Southend in 1983. Brown`s savage assault took him to the brink of two other records. When he was out in the final over of the innings, he was only two sixes away from Ian Botham`s League record of 13 and four short of eclipsing the previous highest limited- overs score in this country - 206 by Alvin Kallicharran for Warwickshire against Oxfordshire in the NatWest Trophy 13 years ago. Statistics confirm Brown`s domination. He needed just 20 de- liveries to reach his fifty and had moved to 68 before Alec Stewart, his opening partner, moved into double figures. His century was achieved from 56 balls and his double hundred from 118. By that time he had also helped himself to 19 fours, but from the next delivery he received he was well caught at cov- er by John Stephenson when seeking the boundary which would have carried him beyond Kallicharran`s record. Spectators in the direction of square leg were in more need of protective head gear than was Brown, so often did he pepper that area while treating the Hampshire bowlers with contempt. He also drove with immense power as the visiting bowlers were left claiming a moral victory if they even succeeded in send- ing down a "dot" ball. With Brown in such sensational form, the rest of his col- leagues were content to give him as much of the strike as possi- ble, leaving one feeling a little bit of sympathy for Stephenson. It was his decision to insert Surrey and having done so he was powerless to plug the gaps - that is when Brown was not choos- ing the route over the top. Hampshire, however, hardly helped their cause with some way- ward bowling. Cardigan Connor and James Bovill were the two to suf- fer most, their combined total of 15 overs yielding 154 runs. Brown said afterwards: "I sat down during the winter to look at the records so I was fully aware of what I had to beat. Indeed, I said to our coach Dave Gilbert at the start of the season that it was possible to score 200 in the Sunday League given the right conditions. "They were certainly to my liking today. The occasional ball did keep low but generally the pitch was true and the ball came on to the bat with pace. That is bound to help anyone with a positive ap- proach and fortunately for me things came off to- day." Confronted with such a massive target, Hampshire were in des- perate need of a truly substantial assault from one of their leading lights to pose anything remotely resembling a threat. It was not to be. Matthew Hayden was caught behind in Chris Lewis`s first over, while Robin Smith found the hands of Ian Salisbury at deepish back- ward square leg while attacking Joey Benjamin. It needed a thoroughly entertaining contribution from Shaun Udal to provide Hampshire supporters with something to enthuse over. At least he carried the fight to Surrey as he gath- ered 78 from 56 balls, the bulk of them during a stand of 99 in 12 overs with William Kendall. That effort included four six- es among his eight boundaries. Udal carried his side beyond 200 before he fell leg before trying to whip Ben Hollioake away on the leg side in the 31st over, leaving Stephenson and Renshaw to impart a few more brief but defiant blows before Surrey were able to celebrate a victory which keeps alive their hopes of retaining the title. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)