Phil Jaques and Andy Bichel led the way for the Australian contingent in county cricket this week as rain again played havoc with the fixture list.

Jaques came to the fore in Worcestershire's second innings as, following on 152 runs down on Surrey, they batted out for a respectable draw in Division One of the LV County Championship.

By the time the opener edged Harbhajan Singh to wicketkeeper Jonathan Batty
he had contributed 103, his second century of the championship season, sharing stands of 94 with Stephen Moore and 112 with Ben Smith to make the game safe.

Fellow countryman Matt Nicholson had earlier taken 3-43 in the first innings, including the scalp of Jaques for five.

Jaques, who is leaving to join up with the Australia A squad in late August along with county colleague Doug Bollinger, followed up with 22 in setting up a successful
NatWest Pro40 run-chase against Sussex on Sunday.

Bichel recorded marvellous figures of 5-55 - the 35th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket - and also pouched two catches as Essex ripped out Gloucestershire for 184 at Bristol in Division Two.

The 36-year-old was then required to prove his mettle with the bat after his side were reduced to 7-89 in reply, making 22 not out in unbroken stand of 40 with Alex Tudor as the game petered into a draw.

That proved just a warm-up for Sunday's one-dayer against Hampshire, in which Bichel smashed 24 off just 13 balls as his side fell just three runs short of its 225-run target in a game reduced by rain to 25 overs.

Rival captains Justin Langer and Simon Katich were forced into some creative declarations to force a result in Derbyshire's home championship clash with
Somerset - but the former will have been happier with the outcome.

After Somerset had racked up 340 all out before the rain came, Katich called
a halt to his side's first innings at 2-94, leaving himself 29 not out.

Langer responded in kind by allocating his side 20 overs for their second knock before declaring at 3-84, but Derbyshire was skittled for just 52 as Katich fell for one.

Langer followed up with a brisk 36 in the one-dayer against Yorkshire, while
compatriot Cameron White made a duck.

Derbyshire mounted a valiant chase against Kent in their Pro40 game, Travis Birt making 34 and Katich 10 as they came up 10 runs short of Kent's impressive 3-282.

Chris Rogers hit a dogged unbeaten 58 as Northamptonshire recovered from 3-18 to draw with Nottinghamshire in the championship, the Western Australian sharing an unbroken stand of 134 with Rob White.

David Hussey earlier made a run-a-ball 37 for Notts. SPORTAL