Hosts tighten grip on Ashes

Trott came in at 39/3 in the evening session Friday and went on to put England on the verge of regaining the Ashes,batting for five hours,33 minutes and hitting 12 fours. Graeme Swann cracked a career-best 63 from 55 balls. Trott faced 193 deliveries in an innings that was more calm and measured than spectacular.

England need to win to regain the Ashes after Australia levelled the series at 1-1 with an innings win in the fourth Test.

Australias prospects of holding out for a draw seem unlikely with the pitch encouraging sharp spin but offspinner Swann was wicket-less Saturday in his five overs.

The highest fourth-innings total to win a test at The Oval is 263-9 by England against Australia 107 years ago and the world-record chase anywhere is 418. Australias most threatening bowler was part-time offspinner Marcus North,who finished with a Test-best 4/98.

The day began with instant drama when Trott survived a confident appeal on the first ball,from Peter Siddle. A clear noise was heard as the ball passed the bat but umpire Asad Rauf correctly adjudged the ball flicked his back leg,not the bat.

Trott,the first England player to hit a century on debut since team mate Matt Prior managed it at Lords in 2007,was hit on the helmet by a Peter Siddle bouncer when on 57 but it did not shake his composure. His only other tense moment was on 96 when a ricochet off bat and pad rolled past his stumps.

Trott raised his 100 with a four past square leg,before kissing the three lions on his helmet. He then loosened up with two straight fours off Stuart Clark and was the last man out when cutting Clark to North at backward point. He had earlier added 118 with skipper Andrew Strauss for the fourth wicket,before Strauss was caught at slip off North five minutes before lunch for 75.

Freddie fails in last act

After Katich ran out Prior for 4,Flintoff came to the crease. Despite a swept boundary to mid-wicket on his second ball,Flintoff failed to keep the spectators entertained and was caught at long-on off North for 22. He has managed 200 runs at an average of 33 from seven innings in the series.

The noisy greeting that next man in Stuart Broad received seemed like a changing of the guard as Englands leading all-rounder. Broad had turned the match with his bowling Friday by taking 5/37.He employed the same explosive tactics as Flintoff,crashing three boundaries off North in the 71st over,the last one registering the 400-run lead.

Scoreboard:

England 1st Innings 332

England 2nd Innings (overnight: 58-3)

A Strauss c Clarke b North 75,A Cook c Clarke b North 9,I Bell c Katich b Johnson 4,P Collingwood c Katich b Johnson 1,J Trott c North b Clark 119,M Prior run out 4,A Flintoff c Siddle b North 22,S Broad c Ponting b North 29,G Swann c Haddin b Hilfenhaus 63,J Anderson not out 15.

Extras (b1,lb15,w7,nb9) 32.

Total (9 wkts decl,95 overs,412 mins) 373

FoW: 1-27,2-34,3-39,4-157,5-168,6-200,7-243,8-333,9-545.

Bowling: Hilfenhaus 11-1-58-1,Siddle 17-3-69-0,North 30-4-98-4,Johnson 17-1-60-2,Katich 5-2-9-0,Clark 12-2-43-1; Clarke 3-0-20-0.

Australia 2nd Innings

S Watson not out 31,S Katich not out 42.

Extras (b4,lb1,nb2) 7.

Total (20 overs) 80.

Bowling: Anderson 4-1-13-0,Flintoff 3-0-14-0,Harmison 5-1-24-0,Swann 5-0-19-0,Broad 3-1-5-0