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No play Day 1

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Some news on Simon Kerrigan, presently professional for Fulwood and Broughton who are based in Preston. Sadly he's struggling to bowl as he has the yips for those unaware of what that is he's is unable to release the ball when bowling.

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Uncontested toss Lancs to bat

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23-3

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Lancashire 352 for 8 (Clark 78, Chanderpaul 65, Croft 62) v Surrey

Hunger is so often the best sauce. Having lost the first day of this game to seven hours' rain, spectators at Emirates Old Trafford gave themselves to Saturday's cricket with fresh intensity. The fewer balls, the greater share of scrutiny perhaps, and few batsmen devote themselves to their craft more assiduously than Shivnarine Chanderpaul, whose ability to bat long has been valued by every county he has represented.

By the tall-shadowed end of a long day, Chanderpaul's painstaking 216-minute 65 might have faded from the memory and been replaced by the more obviously spectacular fifties struck by both Steven Croft and Jordan Clark. For their part, Surrey supporters could with justice pointed to the early breakthroughs made by Jade Dernbach or to the three wickets taken by Amar Virdi on a pitch which eased as the sun elbowed the early clouds aside.

Yet it was still Chanderpaul who did the groundwork for a home recovery which was completed in evening sunshine and in an atmosphere of unfamiliar affluence by Clark. Whatever folk may say about the appearance of a 43- year-old in the modern game, Lancashire have particular need of Chanderpaul at a time when their top four batsmen, all of them hopeful of Test selection, have made one half-century in 20 individual attempts this infant season. Thus, the Guyanan will hardly have been too surprised to find himself walking out to bat inside the first hour of play with the scoreboard reading a sickly 23 for 3.

By the time Chanderpaul departed, over four hours later and with those 65 runs against his name, Lancashire's fortunes had been restored to the extent suggested by 206 for 6. He had added 88 for the fourth wicket with Liam Livingstone and a further 78 for the sixth with Croft. Surrey's bowlers had failed to press home their early advantage and the final session was Lancashire's.

Indeed it could have been even better for Livingstone's team had not Ben Foakes anticipated Croft's sweep and taken a superb leg-side catch; and better still had not Ollie Pope dived at square leg - when still wearing his fielding helmet, if you please - to dismiss Clark for a 101-ball 78. Both those wickets were taken by Virdi, who had earlier persuaded Chanderpaul to forget the watchwords of his career and frolic down the wicket only to sky a catch to Scott Borthwick at mid-off.


Shivnarine Chanderpaul helped dig Lancashire out of a hole Getty Images
Those three dismissals may have taken a little glister off the Lancastrian day but they could not diminish its fundamental worth. Having collected their first batting point of the season just before Chanderpaul's dismissal, the home side had added three more by the close. Most of those runs were scored by Croft, who reached his fifty with a six off a Virdi full toss, and Clark, who punished Sam Curran when Surrey took the new ball.


The temper of the day had certainly been transformed from the morning session when Surrey carried themselves as though they expected to take wickets. And before long the bearing of the cricketers was translated into achievement as Lancashire lost three wickets for eight runs in the space of 15 balls. Haseeb Hameed was first to go when he pushed forward defensively to Dernbach but only edged a catch to Dean Elgar at slip. The departure of the England opener for 4 was followed exactly two overs later by that of Alex Davies, Lancashire's No. 3 driving Dernbach to shortish mid-on where Matt Dunn dived to his left to take a fine catch.

Two balls later Keaton Jennings was leg before to Curran to leave the home side in a familiar cart but that marked the lowest point in Lancashire's fortunes. By mid-afternoon Surrey bowlers were fighting hard to restrict the batsmen, efforts that were assisted when second slip Borthwick dived full length to his right and grabbed a one-handed catch off the bowling of Curran to remove Dane Vilas.

The fielder then milked the moment and posed motionless with arm and ball aloft, looking rather like the Statue of Liberty. But a couple of hours later it was the huddled masses in the Old Trafford pavilion who were celebrating unaccustomed prosperity. They probably thought it their Manifest Destiny.

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Bailed out at tea, once my eyes started freezing over, probably going to be a draw as we have just dropped Foakes. 178-4

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What do I know Surrey collapsing faster than Italian Governments used to do, one wicket nleft 51 from saving the follow on. Game on lads

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Surrey all out 235 following on grinding it out 35-0, below news on Simon Kerrigan

Update: Simon Kerrigan
Lancashire Cricket Club can confirm that left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan is going to focus on a wider involvement in the game during the coming season with a focus on coaching of various age groups and levels across the county.

Kerrigan, who played a key role in Lancashire’s County Championship triumph in 2011 and was subsequently awarded his county cap in 2013, will assist the Club’s coaching staff across all levels from First Team to representative age-group cricket for the immediate future.

Simon Kerrigan said, “My form hasn’t been at the level that it needs to be for a while now and after discussions with Head Coach Glen Chapple and the cricket management team at the Club, we have all agreed that I will remain part of the playing squad and assist with coaching across all areas of Lancashire Cricket for the time being.”

Lancashire’s Director of Cricket, Paul Allott added, “We respect Simon’s situation and the Club are committed and eager to support him in the coaching opportunities that will present themselves across the county this coming summer, and to help him return to what he feels is an acceptable level of form.”

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183-6

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Draw 199-6

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Lancashire welcome one of the early season form teams to Emirates Old Trafford tomorrow in Somerset, who have won their first two games against Worcestershire and Yorkshire at Taunton.

This is their first away game of the campaign, with confidence high of a far better showing than last year’s flirt with relegation.

The players and coaches aren’t getting too carried away, but those outside the West Country dressing room are starting to dream of a first ever Division One title for Tom Abell’s side.

The Red Rose, however, will be buoyed by their encouraging display against Surrey, which finished in a home draw on Monday.

Lancashire made all the running in the fixture and forced Surrey to follow-on before being denied victory on the final day.

That ended a two-game losing streak at the start of the season.

The two sides shared victories in last year’s encounters, with Lancashire winning at Old Trafford in April and Somerset at Taunton in September.

TEAM NEWS:

Jimmy Anderson returns for Lancashire in preparation for England’s summer Test series against Asian rivals Pakistan and India.

The first of those is a two-Test series against Pakistan later this month.

Anderson will play two Championship matches for the Red Rose, with the second of those coming against current leaders Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge next weekend.

Alex Davies and Shiv Chanderpaul have both been named in the squad following injury concerns last week against Surrey.

Leg-spinner Matt Parkinson comes into contention again having been a last-minute omission last week.

OPPONENTS:

Somerset are riding the crest of a wave.

After escaping relegation by the skin of their teeth last year, they have made changes on and off the field this winter.

Boltonian Jason Kerr is their new coach, while Andy Hurry has returned as director of cricket. Australian opener Matthew Renshaw is their overseas.

Middlesbrough-born Renshaw, who has family living in Manchester, has been at the forefront of their winning start with two centuries inhis first two games.

His belligerent 112 against Yorkshire was a fabulous innings, and he achieved the rare feat of getting off the mark with a six, reaching fifty with a six and doing likewise to get to his century.

They are hoping Jack Leach will recover from the illness that forced him to miss the Yorkshire game. Having said that, his replacement spinner Dom Bess only bowled a handful of overs in the match as seam dominated.

Somerset sit second in the table and five points behind early pacesetters Notts.

LAST TIME OUT:

Lancashire won the early season clash between the two at Emirates Old Trafford, despite being bowled out for 109 in the first innings.

Liam Livingstone, who captained that game as a stand-in for injured Steven Croft, and Davies both scored second-innings centuries before the visitors fell short in a chase of 295.



At Taunton in September, Somerset prevailed on a turning track, with now England left-arm spinner Leach taking nine wickets in a fixture which saw the Red Rose follow-on in reply to 335.

They set Somerset a victory target of just 68, which they achieved and won by seven wickets.

The result ended Lancashire’s slim chances of overhauling Essex at the top of the table with two games still to play.

WHAT THEY SAID:

In-form Tom Bailey has hailed Lancashire’s seam bowling attack, something which will only be strengthened by the return of Jimmy Anderson.

Bailey has taken 16 wickets from three Championship matches so far this summer, including eight against Surrey last time out.

He also hit an excellent 66 down the order with the bat.

Bailey has been backed up by former internationals Joe Mennie and Graham Onions, who have taken 12 and 11 four-day wickets respectively, and Jordan Clark with four.

“It doesn’t feel like we are relying on one person with this bowling attack,” said Bailey.

“We have four steady bowlers that carry the workload well as a unit.

“The competition for places is good for the squad, even more when Jimmy is here, and the club as well.

“We want to win the Championship, and the best way to do that is to have a strong squad.

“The only thing for me as a player is to try and do as well as I can, and I’m sure that’s the same for everyone else playing out there as well.”


Onions, a three-time Championship winner with Durham, echoed Bailey’s comments.

“I think this bowling unit is right up there (with the best I’ve played with),” he said.

“We’ve got every area covered.

“Obviously when we don’t play a spinner, Livvy comes on and does a job. When Jordan Clark hits his straps, he’s got a lot of pace and the ability to take wickets.

“Bails and Joe Mennie have done a fantastic job as well.

“Overall, the unit is in a pretty good position at the moment.”