CHRIS LAKEY Norfolk spin king Chris Brown is promising to turn the heat up on old rival Ajaz Akhtar tomorrow as the county look to make it two out of two at the annual Festival at Manor Park.

CHRIS LAKEY

Norfolk spin king Chris Brown is promising to turn the heat up on old rival Ajaz Akhtar tomorrow as the county look to make it two out of two at the annual Festival at Manor Park.

Brown played a major part in securing Norfolk's first win of the season last week against Staffordshire, despite succumbing to the effects of heat exhaustion on day two, but will be fully prepared when Akhtar brings his Cambridgeshire side to the county.

"I have got some sachets to put in my drinks which should counter the effects," said Brown, who was ill on Monday against Staffs.

"With all the overs I have to bowl, and the batting, in this heat I have to perhaps take on more fuel.

"The only temperatures I have ever witnessed like these are when I was in Sri Lanka, but I've never played in anything like this in England before.

"In Sri Lanka, when they bring the drinks out they have all sorts of other stuff, like salt and mineral tablets to help you."

Brown's cricketing diary is as full as any in Minor Counties cricket, which he believes played a major factor in his suffering.

"I had been playing in the second XI trophy competition and last week I'd played on the Tuesday against Northants and the Friday against Essex, then on Saturday I played for Horsford at Bury and then Sunday we started the game against Staffs," said Brown.

"Over the past month I have played a lot of games and on the second day against Staffs I felt a bit crook. I was as right as rain the next day and delighted to have taken three wickets and help set up the win."

Brown took six wickets in the match, and chipped in with a first innings half century, as Norfolk won by six wickets and picked up a handy 23 points.

Cambs skipper Akhtar will have done his homework, as usual, and Brown admits there is always an edge when the two county neighbours meet up.

"I know Ajaz quite well, he's a decent mate of mine and I've played in the ECB team with him," said Brown. "He has been a decent cricketer and there is always a little edge to our games against each other."

Norfolk are unchanged for their first meeting with Cambs at Manor Park since 2003, and Brown is delighted to see fellow spinner George Walker in the team again.

"It's quite nice to bowl in tandem and the conditions have been conducive to spin," he said.

"It was nice to win, especially after the poor form in the one-dayers and also bowling so poorly against Lincolnshire at Cleethorpes.

"It was a good effort, a fantastic team effort all round - in the first innings, the top four batsmen all failed and we still got 356 runs so we will be quietly confident against Cambs."

Cambridgeshire are looking to bounce back after losing by nine-wickets to Suffolk on Tuesday.

Norfolk: C Amos, CJ Rogers (captain), JM Spelman, TRWard, CR Borrett, MO Wilkinson, C Brown, LTS Newton (wicket-keeper), GW Walker, IR Slegg, MP Eccles.

Cambridgeshire: GD Freear, C Jones, IN Flanagan, DK Law, NG Ferraby, TFC Harvey, A Akhtar (captain), PA Swannell, RGS Anderson, MD Summers (wicket-keeper), AJ Syddall.