It was small consolation for Ashwell Prince that he was top-scorer in Glamorgan’s laboured offering of 272 in the English County Championship.

The former Protea had so wanted to bow out on a high note, by winning the Second Division, but Surrey have increased their lead with a game to go. At least he secured their promotion.

So he finally confirmed what he had been saying all season, that after the match against Essex next week, he is done with cricket. He did admit, though, he briefly thought about staying on for one more year.

‘I thought there would be nothing better than knocking the Yorkies off their perch next season,’ he told the Manchester Evening News, a reference to beating Division One leaders, and arch rivals Yorkshire.

‘The lads in the dressing room have tried to encourage me to carry on one more year, but the last thing you want as an ageing player is to get the shoulder out of the dressing room,’ he said.

‘Family is the most important thing in my life at the moment. It is tough on a Saturday morning when I have to watch them play football on Skype or on my phone rather than being there and watching them play and grow up.’

Prince, capped 66 time by the Proteas Test team, and 52 times for ODIs has had an outstanding England season, far and away the best batsman in the Division with 1 416 runs.

He picked up 45 in Lancs’ first innings reply to Surrey’s 480, and may well get a few more in the second innings, but it will be desperate stuff, for they are 470 runs behind with a day to play.

Elsewhere, Hampshire’s emergency import Ryan McLaren spent most of the day relaxing as only seven overs were possible due to rain

Rory Kleinveldt, who took 5-83 in Glamorgans’s first innings of 233,is standing by to try to save Northampton as they battled to 128-5 on another rain-hit day.

Compiled by Mark Salter