[themaclad]

4 Day • 1 August 2020 Blackfinch New Road, Worcester
Day 1 - Lancashire won the toss and elected to bat
Lancashire
265/6 (90)
Leicestershire
Summary

---

[themaclad]

A fifth-wicket partnership of 130 between Dane Vilas and Steven Croft helped Lancashire recover to 265-6 on the opening day of their Bob Willis Trophy match against Leicestershire at Blackfinch New Road.

Captain Vilas led the way for the Red Rose county after they had been reduced to 97-4 shortly after lunch, hitting 14 fours in his 90 before edging a drive off Tom Taylor to slip, where Hassan Azad hung on.

It was redemption of sorts for Azad, who failed to pick up an earlier chance given by Vilas off the same bowler when he was on just 28.

The morning had seen Leicestershire make Lancashire's batsmen work hard for their runs after Vilas had won the toss and chosen to bat.

Both sides fielded debutants, with batsman Ben Slater - signed on a two-week loan from Nottinghamshire - making his first start for the Foxes, while all-rounder George Balderson and bowlers Tom Hartley and Ed Moulton were included for Lancashire.

It was the first time Lancashire had given three players a debut in the same match since 2002.

[themaclad]

Balderson and Hartley both take their first wickets for the county

END OF DAY
Blackfinch New Road, Worcester

Bob Willis Trophy - North - 4 Day

Lancashire
322
Leicestershire
183/2 (70)

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Dieter Klein getting some practice in for the bank holiday coconut shy, I see.

[themaclad]

Yes cost him five runs

---

Bob Willis Trophy, Blackfinch New Road, Worcester (day two):
Lancashire 322: Vilas 90, Croft 63; Klein 3-81
Leicestershire 183-2: Slater 104*, Azad 58
Lancashire (3 pts) lead Leicestershire (3 pts) by 139 runs

An unbeaten century from on-loan opener Ben Slater saw Leicestershire respond well after bowling out Lancashire for 322 on the second day of the Bob Willis Trophy match at Worcester.

Slater, signed on a two-week loan from Nottinghamshire, hit 15 fours in reaching his hundred off 216 deliveries, playing a dominant role in an opening partnership of 153 with the prolific Hassan Azad, helping Leicestershire close on 183-2.

Azad, who averaged 54 in the County Championship last season, played with characteristic patience in scoring 58 off 165 deliveries before popping up a catch off the inside edge to short leg off the bowling of Tom Hartley, giving the Lancashire debutant his first first-class wicket.

Another debutant, seamer George Balderson, then also picked up his first wicket when Harry Dearden mistimed an attempted off-drive and gave Lancashire captain Dane Vilas a simple catch at extra cover.

The Foxes had begun the day by taking Lancashire's four remaining wickets for 57 runs after the Red Rose county had resumed on 265-6.

But the Foxes also incurred a five-run penalty, when left-arm seamer Dieter Klein hit Danny Lamb on the foot with the ball when he threw it at the stumps after the Lancashire batsman had defended his delivery back down the pitch.

[themaclad]

Bob Willis Trophy, Blackfinch New Road, Worcester (day three):
Lancashire 322 & 96-3: Davies 54
Leicestershire 409-8 dec: Slater 172, Ackermann 94, Azad 58; Hartley 3-117
Lancashire (4 pts) lead Leicestershire (6 pts) by 9 runs with 7 wickets left

Ben Slater hit a career-best 172 as Leicestershire put themselves in control against Lancashire, who closed the third day just nine runs ahead with seven wickets remaining in the Bob Willis Trophy match at Blackfinch New Road.

Slater, signed on a two-week loan from Nottinghamshire, shared a 165-run stand with Colin Ackermann - who hit 94 - to break the third-wicket record for Leicestershire against Lancashire, surpassing the 163-run partnership between James Bradshaw and Norman Armstrong in 1929.

However, Lancashire struggled in reply as Keaton Jennings was caught at third slip off Chris Wright for eight and Josh Bohannon was trapped lbw to a full delivery from Ben Mike for three.

Opener Alex Davies was composed as he reached his half-century but fell for 54 to left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson to give the Foxes real hope of forcing victory on the final day.

Earlier, Ackermann was positive from the start when his side resumed on 183-2 against an inexperienced bowling attack including three players making their first-class debuts in seamers Ed Moulton and George Balderson and left-arm spinner Tom Hartley.

Only one chance was created when Ackermann, on 47, drove a delivery from Balderson towards the young bowler but he was unable to hold the catch low to his left.

Having passed 150, Slater lofted Tom Bailey for consecutive sixes over long on but a third attempt landed in the hands of Bohannon at deep mid off.

Leicestershire lost five wickets for 43 runs, but the tail saw them past 400 before Ackermann declared.

Meanwhile, match umpire Alec Swann confirmed Leicestershire seamer Dieter Klein had been handed a three-point penalty and a reprimand after being adjudged to have thrown the ball at Lancashire's Danny Lamb on day two in an inappropriate and dangerous manner.

[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Listened to the end of this one after Worcestershire won. Incredible finish, I guess inexperience in the Lancs bowling attack was the culprit in the end. Some batting, though; I think Colin Ackermann was trying to turn the Premier Inn to rubble.

[themaclad]

Less than full strength attack three lads made debuts but when you get someone reverse sweeping for six whoever bowling would find it tough. Sounds like there were some great finishes Derby won of the last ball chasing 365. Four day cricket dead I don't think so

[themaclad]

Bob Willis Trophy, Blackfinch New Road, Worcester (day four):
Lancashire 322 & 236: Davies 54, Croft 52*; Mike 4-39
Leicestershire 409-8 dec & 150-3: Ackermann 73*
Leicestershire (22 pts) beat Lancashire (4 pts) by seven wickets
Captain Colin Ackermann led the charge as Leicestershire completed a sensational seven-wicket victory with just eight balls remaining in the Bob Willis Trophy match against Lancashire at Blackfinch New Road.

Ackermann finished on 73 not out off just 41 balls as the Foxes chased down their 150 runs off 17 overs target, hitting 10 fours and a six in an extraordinary display of shot-making on a slow pitch.

Young left-hander Harry Dearden played an important role, hitting Lancashire strike bowler Tom Bailey for consecutive sixes over long-on before reverse-sweeping left-arm spinner Tom Hartley high over extra cover for another maximum.

It was hard to take for a Lancashire side badly hit by England call-ups and injuries, and for whom three bowlers were making a debut, and in particular Steven Croft, who earlier in the day led a determined defensive effort, finishing unbeaten on 52 after facing 185 balls before Lancashire were bowled out for 236 in their second innings.

The morning had seen Leicestershire make an encouraging start after Lancashire resumed on their overnight score of 96-3, Chris Wright finding the inside edge of Rob Jones' bat and seeing the ball loop from the batsman's front pad high into leg side, where George Rhodes, running in from short midwicket, took a comfortable catch.


Lancashire captain Dave Vilas was joined by Croft and the two experienced batsmen dug in.

It was beginning to look as though Vilas and Croft could match or exceed their first innings partnership of 130 until shortly before lunch, when the South African tried to steer a wide delivery from left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson through point, only to bottom edge the ball into his stumps.

If that was fortuitous for Parkinson, his next wicket was anything but, George Balderson going back to a delivery which spun sharply back into the left-hander's pads to dismiss him leg before wicket.

Croft remained immoveable, but the loss of Danny Lamb, leg before to a full delivery from Ben Mike, lifted Leicestershire spirits as they went in to tea with 32 overs remaining in the match.

Mike made it two in two balls by immediately producing a beauty to find the edge of Bailey's bat, Harry Swindells taking a brilliant one-handed catch to his right.

Hartley fought hard before being leg before on the back pad to an Ackermann delivery which turned, and Ed Moulton's second duck of the match left the Foxes a target of almost nine runs an over.

Having hit 95 before being run out by his partner in the first innings, Ackermann played superbly to complete a personal return of 168 runs in the match, along with two wickets and some outstanding captaincy in overseeing the taking of 20 wickets on a pitch which offered the bowlers relatively little assistance.

[themaclad]

DURHAM v LANCASHIRE 8/8/20 TO 11/8/20 CHESTER LE STREET

v



Durham County Cricket Club (rebranded as Durham Cricket in February 2019)[2] is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Durham. Founded in 1882, Durham held minor status for over a century and was a prominent member of the Minor Counties Championship, winning the competition seven times. In 1992, the club joined the County Championship and the team was elevated to senior status as an official first-class team. Durham has been classified as an occasional List A team from 1964, then as a full List A team from 1992;[3] and as a senior Twenty20 team since the format's introduction in 2003.[4]

Durham CCC competes in the Specsavers County Championship, the Royal London One-Day Cup and in the North Group of the NatWest t20 Blast. They won the County Championship in 2008 for the first time, retained the trophy in the 2009 season, and then won it for a third time in 2013. In one-day competition, they won the 50-over Friends Provident Trophy in 2007 and the inaugural 50-over Royal London One-Day Cup in 2014. Having been relegated from Division One of the County Championship as part of the conditions for a package of financial support from the ECB, Durham has played in Division Two of the County Championship ever since the 2017 season.[5][6]

The club's limited overs kit colours are yellow and blue in the Royal London One-Day Cup, and also yellow and blue colours in the t20 Blast. Durham is currently sponsored by several companies including Emirates and Port of Tyne, as well as 188Bet as their betting partner.[7] The team was sponsored by Northern Rock prior to the bank's nationalisation in 2008. The club is based at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street, which is one of the newest additions to the English Test match circuit, hosting its first match – the second 2003 England v Zimbabwe Test – from 5 to 7 June.


Livingstone, Gleeson, Wood, Onions and Mahmood may be back from England duties and injuries so a stonger team than against Leicestershire last week