[themaclad]

Hampshire 330 for 9 (Middleton 109, Gubbins 75, Dawson 46*) vs Lancashire

Six wickets after the tea interval by Lancashire countered an excellent century by Fletcha Middleton with three wickets apiece for Tom Aspinwall and Luke Wells plus a brace from George Balderson that evened up the day as the visitors finished on 330 for nine after being put in to bat.
Hampshire were well placed on 203 for three at tea, but lost six wickets for 68 runs as the Red Rose bowlers hit back to great effect during the evening session to counter a century partnership between Middleton and Nick Gubbins that had dominated the first two sessions.

The day started well for Lancashire with Aspinwall finding an edge off Toby Albert that was neatly caught by George Bell at first slip after the Hampshire opener had made 6.



But that proved to be a false dawn for the Red Rose attack who bowled straight and to the fields set but had no further joy in the morning session as the Kookaburra ball softened and the wicket steadily flattened out.

Middleton and Gubbins dug in to slowly steer their side into a good position, adding 73 runs in 26 overs by lunch and then progressing to build a good platform with a further 78 in 22.3 overs after the break.

Both reached their fifties in quick succession, Gubbins from 122 balls followed by Middleton off 96 balls with Gubbins going on to hit Hartley for six over the short leg side boundary before edging an attempted cut off Luke Wells behind for 75.



That ended a 151-run partnership from one ball short of 51 overs and brought some much some much needed relief to the Lancashire bowlers who were quickly celebrating a further success.

Hampshire skipper James Vince, having made just 5 off 4 balls, advanced down the wicket to Tom Hartley but miscued his shot high into the air and he was already taking his gloves off before the ball landed safely in the hands of Josh Bohannon at extra cover.

That left the visitors on 165 for three after 54 overs but Middleton and Brown continued to build the innings with a fourth-wicket alliance of 84 across 21 overs.



Brown had a narrow escape on 0, playing no shot to a Wells googly that all but shaved his off stump, but the batsman/wicketkeeper lent excellent support to Middleton who went on to reach his second first-class century from 173 balls with 13 fours midway through the evening session.

It was a nice moment for the opener who thus emulated the achievement of his father Tony who scored a century here the last time Hampshire won at Emirates Old Trafford in 1992.

But on 109 Middleton became Wells’ second wicket when he bottom edged a wide delivery onto his stumps, the first of three wickets to fall for 14 runs as Aspinwall struck twice in the space of seven deliveries with the second new ball.



First, Ben Brown pulled a short delivery straight to Luke Wells at square leg for 40 and then Tom Prest played too early at a slower ball that he could only steer to Venkatesh Iyer at point having made 1.

That left Hampshire on 263 for six but James Fuller and Liam Dawson rallied with a 46-run partnership before a flurry of three wickets for 5 runs stymied the visitors progress further.

Balderson struck twice in the same over having Fuller caught behind for 23 and Kyle Abbott lbw third ball. Wells trapped John Turner lbw for a golden duck with Dawson hitting a defiant six and four in the final over to finish unbeaten on 46 alongside Muhammad Abbas (0 not out).



“I think that’s a pretty decent day for us,” said Luke Wells.

“When they got that partnership together it looked like they might get a match defining score. Potentially it could have got to a point where we couldn’t win the game.

“But we plugged away really well and there were a couple of soft dismissals from their point of view that helped us.

“Credit to our boys, we did everything we could on a pretty good surface and with a Kookaburra ball that did get soft but we tried at all times to do something to try and take a wicket whether it was trying to get the ball to reverse or spinners trying to attack.



“Things didn’t go our way last week very well and after the first wicket it didn’t look like things weren’t going to go well again. We have a young bowling attack, Bails hasn’t played first-class cricket for a while, and I thought we plugged away really well.

“There was not much sideways movement off the pitch but I’m not a big lateral spinner of the ball. I rely more on bounce, changes in pace and try and bowl my googly well.

“I’m not often used to bowl at the top order, I’m more used as a bowler to mop up the tail so I had to do the hard yards today!

“I was pretty happy with how I bowled, and happy with the wickets.”

[themaclad]

Lancashire 193 for 8 (Jennings 56, Dawson 4-46) trail Hampshire 389 (Middleton 109, Dawson 104*, Gubbins 75, Wells 4-94) by 196 runs

Liam Dawson made a superb century and took four wickets as Hampshire built a big advantage after two days of this Vitality County Championship clash at Emirates Old Trafford with Lancashire 193 for eight in their first innings trailing by 196 runs.
The morning session proved to be largely one of frustration for Lancashire as they struggled to take the final Hampshire wicket, the visitors having resumed their first innings on 230 for nine.

Dawson farmed the bowling expertly – Muhammad Abbas only faced 32 balls during their 20 over alliance – and chose his moments to strike the ball cleanly and effectively, adding four more sixes to the one he hit at the end of day one, plus 8 fours.

The Hampshire all-rounder reached his century off 173 balls and his superb innings was a real boost to a Hampshire side who were disappointed by their first day performance with the bat.

It took 78 minutes before Abbas sliced Luke Wells to George Balderson at gully having contributed one run to a damaging last wicket partnership of 72 leaving Dawson unbeaten on 104 with Hampshire 389 all out.



Buoyed by that start the visitors struck with an early wicket when Wells inside edged onto his stumps off Abbott for six just before lunch.

Keaton Jennings and Josh Bohannon countered with an excellent, patient partnership of 90 from 32 overs through the afternoon on a good wicket and with the ball providing little assistance to the bowlers.

Both played with increasing assurance, Jennings reaching his half century from 113 balls and Bohannon passing the milestone of 5,000 runs in first-class cricket when reaching 30.



That forced Hampshire into keeping things tight with Dawson particularly effective from the James Anderson End and that finally paid dividends.

It was the left arm spinner who made the breakthrough just before the tea break, getting the verdict to send back Jennings lbw for 56 and accounting for Rocky Flintoff who top edged an attempted slog/sweep off his tenth delivery that went high to sub fielder Felix Organ at midwicket.

And matters as far as the Red Rose were concerned did not improve after tea as wickets tumbled.

Dawson struck again in the second over with Fletcha Middleton grabbing a bat/pad catch at silly mid-off to dismiss Matty Hurst for 4 before Josh Bohannon drove into the trap at short midwicket off John Turner after making a battling 43.



Turner then picked up a second courtesy of a great diving catch at gully by Toby Albert as Balderson drove at a swinging delivery for 7, meaning five wickets had fallen for 20 runs either side of tea to leave Lancashire struggling on 122 for six.

George Bell and Venkatesh Iyer steadied matters by adding 48 in 18 overs, Iyer whipping Abbott over square leg for six but falling to an outstanding catch on 27 when the left hander drove Abbott to cover where Fuller pulled off a sensational one-handed diving grab.



Appropriately it was Dawson, playing his 200th first-class match, who took the final wicket of the day from a marathon unchanged 28 over spell at the James Anderson End when Tom Hartley slogged to James Vince running back from mid-off for 2, the left arm spinner finishing with four for 46.

Bell is unbeaten on 33 alongside Tom Bailey (6 not out) and Lancashire have got a big battle on to stay in this game tomorrow.



Keaton Jennings pulled no punches at the end of a poor day for the Red Rose.

“It was very frustrating,” he admitted. “You walk off on day one where we’re really happy with that sort of score and then this morning we were fairly poor (with the ball). Then you get to 100 for one when you bat and then are 80 for seven in the last couple of hours.

“It’s hard to put your finger on exactly is wrong, whether it’s decision making – it’s one of those things.

“Guys need to look at themselves, nobody’s making excuses, but fundamentally you have to compete.

“First-class cricket is a tough place. There’s nothing given to you for free.

“You’ve got some fiercely competitive guys playing against us. Some international caps, an international bowling line-up and those are the challenges Division One cricket gives you.

“As a whole we try to make sure we blood young guys into the squad. We’ve had an older squad for a period of time and we’ve now got quite a lot of the young guys coming through at the same time.



“In one respect it is exciting for guys to be playing first team cricket but at the same they are finding out pretty quickly what the standards are required in order to compete against international cricketers.

“It’s tough. We had an average of 23 years last week and it’s not much older this week.

“So it’s for guys to learn quickly. We do have a dressing room that guys all learn quick and adapt. They’ve been honest, and stuck together and I take my hat off to them from that point of view.

“It’s about standing up when times get tough.

“When it all goes well, you crack on and bounce around each other. When things go poorly you need to come up with a plan and do it quickly.”

“You forget how young some of these lads are. They don’t have a heap of first class caps or the experience. What you do have is high quality that is going to learn and grow for the future.

“It’s a tough baptism of fire now, but it’s for those guys to learn quickly and develop even quicker.”

[themaclad]

Hampshire 389 (Middleton 109, Dawson 104*, Gubbins 75, Wells 4-94) beat Lancashire 200 (Jennings 56, Dawson 5-47) and 152 (Wells 51, Dawson 5-52) by an innings and 37 runs

Hampshire wrapped up an innings and 37 run victory on the third day of this Vitality County Championship match after making Lancashire follow-on and then bowling the hosts out for 152 runs in their second innings.
The defeat increases Red Rose relegation worries with Lancashire remaining in ninth place on 106 points with three games to play.

It took Hampshire just nine deliveries to take the two remaining first innings wickets when Lancashire resumed the day on 193 for eight with seven runs added as George Bell (35) and Tom Aspinwall (0) fell to John Turner and Liam Dawson respectively, the latter finishing with a season best 5 for 47 to add to his century on the second day.

The visitors, leading by 189 runs, enforced the follow-on and made early inroads into the Lancashire second innings with both Keaton Jennings (1) and Josh Bohannon (0) lbw to Muhammad Abbas and Turner respectively.

Luke Wells and Rocky Flintoff prevented any further loss to reach lunch on 34 for two but a determined 53-ball effort Flintoff ended soon after the resumption when he edged a good length ball from Abbas that left him off the pitch to be caught behind for 8. He was soon followed by Matty Hurst who was bowled by nicely flighted delivery from Dawson for 0.



That left Lancashire on 44 for four but a gritty 20-over alliance between Wells and Bell doubled that total and stalled the Hampshire victory push until just before tea when both batters departed in quick succession.

That began a slow but steady fall of wickets that saw the last six fall for 64 runs in 24 overs.

James Fuller snared Bell for 21 (from 70 balls) from an inside edge onto his thigh pad that ballooned up to Fletcha Middleton at short leg while Wells, having just reached his half century from 143 balls in three and a half hours of resolute batting, saw his defensive shot to a Dawson slower ball spin off the pitch and onto his stumps for 51.

Venkatesh Iyer, in his final match, thumped a six and 4 fours in attacking 27-ball cameo of 35 before chopping on to Dawson and Balderson slashed a drive to second slip off Abbas for 10.



Appropriately the excellent Dawson completed a convincing victory by taking the final two wickets of Tom Hartley and Tom Bailey to finish with a second five-wicket haul of 5 for 52 and match figures of 10-99.

Points: Lancashire 3, Hampshire 22.



“It’s very disappointing,” reflected Head Coach Dale Benkenstein.

“The Surrey game you put down to playing the champions and a very good side. But in the first division you are coming up against good sides every week.

“I think there’s a lot of opportunity we are giving our players, and really there’s no excuses over the last three days. I think we had a fantastic pitch and a first day position where we could have got them 300 all out. That last wicket partnership really hurt us, mentally as well.

“Credit to them, their bowling was incredibly disciplined over a long period of time, but I still think that the pitch was good enough for us to be able to combat that. We haven’t been good enough and that’s disappointing.

“We lack a bit of quality and experience, and I think that one or two players does make a difference. You are hoping for people to step up and generally over time they will, but no one is really putting in the performances having been given the opportunity. You are also expecting your senior players to perform and isn’t happening either so it’s a combination of where we are at the minute as a team. There’s a bit of a lack of performance which probably comes with a lack of confidence.”

“There’s a lot of learning going on, and sometimes that hurts a bit but I’m hoping to see improvement over the next few games and that’s all we can really do. Keep trying to move forward. At the moment we are saying all the right things, but we’ve got to go and do it out in the middle and we’re not doing it at moment.

“I think we have got the players to do it, but it’s about us resetting a bit. The T20 quarter-final will be good for us to change the mindset a bit. There will be a lot of positive energy going into that, and that will also give us a bit of time to reset. Come back and play these last three games as well as we can.”

“We are trying to get a fast bowler over the line at the moment which I think would really help us get twenty wickets, and having a bit of pace and experience in the attack would be helpful for these last three matches.

“That has been the plan for these last five games. It hasn’t quite worked out but it looks like we may have an overseas player coming in which will give us a bit of a boost.”

[themaclad]

Lancashire 177 for 6 (Hurst 74*, Bohannon 49, Raine 4-23) vs Durham

Durham’s Ben Raine took four wickets for 23 runs from 18 overs to put Durham in control against Lancashire on the first day of the Vitality County Championship match at the Riverside.
Raine made the most of bowler-friendly conditions to help reduce Keaton Jennings’ side to 177 for six after 78 overs on a day that was shortened by morning rain.

Home supporters might view that as a decent return in a match played with a Kookaburra ball but Lancashire’s plight could have been vastly worse had not Matthew Hurst made a fine 74 not out and Josh Bohannon added 49 during two long sessions when run-scoring was often difficult.



Raine was well supported by Matthew Potts, who took two for 36, while West Indian bowler, Chemar Holder, endured a testing first day as a Durham bowler, finishing with nought for 53 from his eight overs.

Persistent drizzle delayed the start of play until 12.50 and it was no surprise that Durham skipper Scott Borthwick chose to bowl first on winning the toss.

Raine had Luke Wells caught behind by Ollie Robinson off the first ball of the game and then produced a magnificent delivery which nipped away and bowled Jennings for nine in the ninth over.

Josh Bohannon tucked into three wayward overs from Holder before losing his third-wicket partner, Venkatesh Iyer, with the total on 49 when the Indian all-rounder was caught behind off Potts for seven.



Matty Hurst survived for 36 minutes and 26 balls before scoring his first run but Lancashire’s closest shaves came at the other end where Bohannon edged Potts between the wicketkeeper and first slip and survived a confident appeal for caught behind off Raine, before finally falling for 49 when a thin-edged catch to Robinson gave the Durham seamer his third wicket.

Lancashire got to tea on 96 for four but soon lost George Bell for seven when Lancashire’s No6 pulled Potts straight to Holder at midwicket. Although Hurst reached his fourth Championship fifty off 88 balls with seven fours and a six, the visitors soon lost their sixth wicket when George Balderson edged a drive off Raine to Colin Ackermann at second slip and departed for 10.



Hurst and Tom Hartley then batted with great good sense for over an hour, adding an unbroken 39 in 25 overs to ensure that Lancashire didn’t suffer any further damage before the close, although by that time their side still needed 73 runs to secure their first batting point since July 1.

[themaclad]

Durham 367 for 4 (Bedingham 177*, Ackermann 111*) lead Lancashire 228 (Hurst 90, Bohannon 49, Raine 5-44) by 139 runs

David Bedingham made his third Championship century of the season against Lancashire and also passed a thousand first-class runs for this campaign to help Durham take control of their Vitality County Championship match at Chester-le-Street.
Having restricted Lancashire to 228 all out in their first innings, the home side were 367 for four at the close, a lead of 139, with Bedingham on 177 not out and Colin Ackermann unbeaten on 111. The pair’s unbroken stand of 268 has already set a new fifth-wicket record for Durham in first-class cricket.

The one positive aspect of the day’s play from a Lancastrian perspective was the bowling of the Trinidadian, Anderson Philip, who took two for 86 on his debut, but it now looks as though the visitors will face a battle to avoid a third Championship defeat in succession.



In the morning session, Lancashire’s last four wickets added a further 51 runs to their overnight total. Matty Hurst was run out for 90 after a mix-up with Tom Bailey and Ben Raine took his fifth wicket of the innings when he had Anderson Phillip, the Lancashire debutant, leg before wicket for two.

Raine finished with five for 44, his best return of the season, but crucially for their hopes of staying in Division One, Lancashire failed to earn a batting bonus point for the third successive match.

Replying to the visitors’ 228, Durham’s batters encountered their own problems against the new Kookaburra ball. Ben McKinney gave Phillip his first wicket for his new county when he played on for eight and Scott Borthwick’s indeterminate waft at a ball from Bailey edged a catch to Hurst with the home skipper on nine.

Bedingham and Alex Lees took Durham to lunch on 46 for two and the pair batted serenely for nearly an hour after the resumption, at which point the home side were rocked by two lbw decisions in eight balls.

Lees fell to Phillip for 43 and then Ollie Robinson was trapped on the crease by Tom Aspinwall for four to leave Durham on 99 for four. Bedingham and Ackermann prevented Lancashire making any more breakthroughs and Durham reached tea on 178 for four, only 50 runs in arrears.

Shortly after the resumption, Bedingham reached his thousand first-class runs for the season with a single off Tom Hartley and it was noted that nearly a quarter of them had been taken off the Red Rose’s attack.

But worse was to follow for Keaton Jennings’ bowlers as Bedingham reached his sixth Championship century in just 15 innings this season when he stroked Hartley to long-on for another single. The South African had reached three figures off 143 balls with 11 fours and a six and there had hardly been a moment in his innings when he hadn’t looked in complete control.



The fifth-wicket stand partnership passed 200 when Bedingham pulled a lifter from Aspinwall through midwicket for four.

While almost all other Championship games in the country were interrupted by rain, home supporters sat in the sun and waited to see if Ackermann would reach his century and if the Durham pair would eclipse the county’s record fifth-wicket partnership of 254 set by Ned Eckersley and Bedingham himself against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in 2021.

They were not disappointed. Three overs from the close, Ackermann got to his hundred off 165 balls and a new fifth-wicket record was set when Bedingham stroked Bailey to deep square leg off the next delivery.

[themaclad]

Durham 573 for 9 (Bedingham 279, Ackermann 186, Wells 4-69) beat Lancashire 228 and 282 (Hurst 67, Bohannon 56, Potts 9-68) by an innings and 63 runs

Durham maintained their control of their Vitality County Championship match against Lancashire on a day when David Bedingham became the highest individual scorer in the county’s first-class history.
Bedingham’s 279 surpassed Martin Love’s 273 against Hampshire in 2003 and his innings was the bedrock of his team’s 573 for nine declared. Facing a deficit of 345, Lancashire ended the day on 155 for four with Matthew Potts having taken three of the wickets. Keaton Jennings’ side therefore need another 190 runs to avoid their fourth innings defeat of the season.

And it was a day when other records tumbled at the Riverside. Bedingham and Colin Ackermann’s 424-run fifth-wicket partnership set a new record for any wicket in Durham’s first-class history, easily eclipsing the 334 put on by Stewart Hutton and Michael Roseberry against Oxford University in The Parks in 1996.

It is also the eighth-highest fifth-wicket stand in the history of first-class cricket and the second highest first-class partnership for any wicket against Lancashire.



The mammoth stand was eventually broken by the leg-spinner, Luke Wells, who had Ackermann leg before wicket for 186 in the fourth over after lunch. Wells then enjoyed more success when he had Ben Raine caught at backward point by George Bell for 17 and Bas de Leede stumped by Matty Hurst for four.

Tom Hartley took his only wicket of the innings when he had Potts leg before wicket for four and the declaration was applied when Bedingham was caught at long-on by Anderson Phillip off Wells. He had batted 489 minutes, faced 359 balls and hit 27 fours and a six.

Wells finished with respectable figures of four for 69 but was soon out in the middle again when he opened Lancashire’s second innings with Jennings. However, their alliance lasted only nine balls before the Lancashire skipper was caught at second slip by Ackermann off Potts for nought.

Josh Bohannon joined Wells and guided Lancashire to 49 for one at tea but the visitors lost two wickets in five balls immediately after the resumption. Wells was bowled by Callum Parkinson when attempting to reverse sweep the slow left-armer and George Bell was caught behind by Ollie Robinson off Potts for a two-ball nought.



Bohannon and Hurst then added 73 for the fourth wicket in increasingly untroubled fashion before Bohannon groped at a ball from Potts without moving his feet and was caught at first slip by Scott Borthwick. Hurst ended the day on 43 not out and he and George Balderson ensured no more wickets fell before close of play.

However, Lancashire have so far earned just one point from this match and their relegation fears will not have been eased by this third day’s play. By contrast, Durham have eight points with plenty of power to add more tomorrow.

Durham’s Matthew Potts took a career-best nine for 68 to help his side complete their innings and 63-run win over Lancashire in the Vitality County Championship match at The Riverside.
Resuming on 155 for four and needing another 190 runs to avoid defeat, Lancashire were bowled out for 282. The only shred of comfort for the visitors was offered by 20-year-old Matty Hurst, who made 67, his second fifty of the match and fifth half-century of the season.

At one stage of his devastating spell from the Lumley End, Potts was on a hat-trick but he had to settle for three wickets in four balls when Tom Bailey nicked his second delivery to first slip Scott Borthwick. The Durham spearhead finished his first spell on this final morning with figures of 10-1-30-5 and ended the game when he had Anderson Phillip leg before wicket to complete a match return of 12 for 126.

Durham take 24 points from the game, effectively ending any lingering fears of relegation, whereas Lancashire take one point, a return which keeps them in ninth place in Division One.



Lancashire’s collapse began with the ninth ball of the morning when George Balderson was leg before wicket to Potts for 16 but it really moved into top gear about half an hour later when Venkatesh Iyer played on to the Durham fast bowler and Tom Hartley immediately lost his off stump when not attempting a stroke.

Bailey prevented the hat-trick but nicked his second ball from Potts to Borthwick to leave yet another Lancashire innings in tatters on 195 for eight.

Hurst and Anderson Philip delayed Durham for a few overs but Borthwick’s bowlers were not to be denied. Having made a fine 67 off 125 balls, Hurst hooked Potts to long leg where Callum Parkinson took an excellent tumbling catch a few inches from the boundary rope.



After an entertaining last-wicket stand of 61 in 12 overs between Anderson Philip and Tom Aspinwall, the game ended when Potts was recalled and dismissed Phillip for 41. Aspinwall finished unbeaten on 26.

[themaclad]

Lancashire 140 (Jennings 56, Overton 4-32, Gregory 4-50) and 16 for 1 lead Somerset 146 (Bailey 4-36, Balderson 4-50) by 10 runs

Lancashire and Somerset slugged it out on a remarkable first day in this Vitality County Championship match at Emirates Old Trafford where 21 wickets fell with Lancashire reaching the close 10 runs ahead with 9 second innings wickets remaining.
Keaton Jennings hit an excellent half century but Lancashire were shot out for 140 after being put in to bat before hitting back strongly to bowl the visitors out for 146 with four wickets apiece for George Balderson and Tom Bailey.



The day ended with the game evenly balanced and Lancashire 16 for one in their second innings. Given the excellent weather forecast for the next few days, this game is going to produce a result for one of these teams as Somerset chase the title and Lancashire bid to avoid the drop into division two.

It was probably a sign of things to come when the day very nearly started with a wicket from the first ball after Jennings was put down at second slip with Kasey Aldridge moving low to his right but failing to hold on to the chance.



That was to be about the only piece of good fortune for the hosts during the first half of the day who lost their first wicket when debutant Harry Singh edged Craig Overton to third slip for 7 swiftly followed by Josh Bohannon who edged a seaming Overton delivery behind for 4.

Rocky Flintoff produced a determined, patient 40-minute innings in tricky seaming conditions but fell for 7 when he inside edged Aldridge onto his stumps for 7 thirty minutes before lunch.

The bulk of the run-scoring thus far had been produced by Jennings, who struck the ball with authority in hitting 9 fours – including four in one over from Lewis Gregory – and going to his half century from 65 balls.



The Lancashire skipper also posted 1,000 first-class runs for the season when reaching 55 but fell one run later when he bottom-edged Aldridge onto his stumps just before lunch with the Red Rose side 107 for four at the break.

Somerset made the most of that decisive breakthrough with Overton and Gregory to the fore as five wickets fell for seven runs in a disastrous 39-ball spell for Lancashire at the start of the afternoon.

Gregory trapped Matty Hurst lbw for 11, Luke Wells – batting down the order at number six – fell the same way to the excellent Overton (4 for 32) for 14 who then cleaned up George Bell for a duck. Gregory found an edge off Balderson that was snapped up by Overton at third slip and he next trapped Anderson Phillip lbw, both for 1.

Bailey thumped a couple of fours before he was last out for 12 caught at mid-on to give Gregory figures of 4 for 50 with Lancashire 140 all out.



After the shock of losing the recalled Andy Umeed to the first ball of their reply when Bailey had the opener caught at second slip, a 58-run partnership between Archie Vaughan and Tom Lammonby looked to be steering the visitors into a strong position.

But Vaughan rather swished at a Balderson delivery when on 21 with the resultant edge giving Hurst the first of five catches and Lancashire seized the opportunity with aplomb.

Will Williams nipped one away to have Lammonby caught by Bell at first slip for 36 and Balderson trapped Tom Kohler-Cadmore lbw for 3 in the last over before tea.



Balderson struck twice again straight after the break angling in a delivery that seamed away from James Rew (4) with Hurst pouching the edge and then bowling Aldridge for 1 to leave Somerset 83 for six.

Tom Abell and Gregory steadied matters for a time adding 34 runs until Bailey returned to take three wickets in quick succession, having Abell caught behind for 22 and both Overton (2) and Randell lbw in the same over, the former to a beautifully disguised slower ball.

Gregory (30 not out) and last man Jack Leach hit out briefly to take Somerset six runs ahead before Phillip had Leach caught behind for 13.



That left Lancashire 12 overs to face but Jennings fell for 4 in the sixth of them, edging Gregory to first slip, with Singh (4 not out) and nightwatch Williams (6 not out) steering Lancashire through to the close.

“It was an interesting day that I don’t think any of us really expected," said George Balderson.

“There was a bit more grass on the pitch, we wanted that. We know we want to get a result this week.

“It’s pretty slow but it’s not an impossible challenge to score runs.

“So when you lose the toss you have to front up as a batting unit and try and get a score and we didn’t quite do that.

“I thought they bowled very nicely and made it hard work for us.

“To show the fight when we went back out with the ball and bowl them out was fantastic.



“We didn’t think we’d necessarily bowl them out for parity, but we knew we had the ability and if we held to our areas and bowled well we could keep them to maybe 160-170 it would give us a chance in the third innings.

“The ball started doing a bit (when they were 58-1). The roller had a bit of an impact. It deadened it for the first 15 overs and as it started to wear off it felt like the ball started nipping around again.

“And I think we bowled better as well.

“I found a bit of rhythm and got a bit of a partnership going with Will Williams. And the lads came in and backed it up.

“We’re in a position where we can still win the game and that’s the important thing.

“We need to come out tomorrow and bat well.”

[themaclad]

Lancashire 140 and 298 for 7 (Wells 78*, Bohannon 60) lead Somerset 146 (Bailey 4-36, Balderson 4-50) by 292 runs

Luke Wells and Josh Bohannon both made vital half centuries as Lancashire fought their way ahead of Somerset on the second day of this enthralling Vitality County Championship match at Emirates Old Trafford.
Lancashire reached 298 for seven in their second innings by the close and have built a substantial lead of 292 runs at the halfway point of the game.

The day started well for Lancashire, who resumed their second innings on 16 for one leading by 10 runs, after Harry Singh and Bohannon batted through most of the session to give the Red Rose side an early advantage.

The pair shrugged off the early loss of nightwatchman Will Williams for 7 to post an excellent 85-run partnership across 23 overs that was in complete contrast to the mayhem of the first day when 21 wickets fell.



Singh batted solidly and carefully and gave great support to Bohannon who moved steadily to reach a 67-ball half century that included a straight six off Jack Leach.

But Bohannon fell for 60 five minutes before lunch when his attempted pull off Kasey Aldridge hit the toe-end of his bat and lobbed to Tom Abell at gully.

Although the wicket flattened out a bit today there was still some movement for the bowlers with Singh's fine 142-ball effort at the top of the order ending on 31 when he nicked a seaming delivery from Brett Randell to wicketkeeper James Rew standing up leaving Lancashire 133 for four.



Rocky Flintoff and Matty Hurst added 31 runs to that score before Somerset struck back as both fell in quick succession, Hurst edging a drive off Randell to Jamie Overton at second slip for 19 and Flintoff bowled by Jack Leach for a patient 27 off 79 balls leaving Lancashire six wickets down and only ahead by 160 runs.

That brought Wells and Bell together and the pair forged a vital seventh wicket partnership to frustrate the Somerset attack either side of the tea.

Once the initial task, to rebuild and establish themselves, had been achieved they pushed on after the interval with Wells in particular attacking whenever possible and reaching his half century from 98 balls when hitting Randell for four to deep extra cover three times in one over.



Bell played a great supporting role making 22 from 77 balls in a partnership of 83 in 26 overs that included a five-run penalty awarded against Somerset for fake fielding, much to the visitor’s evident displeasure.

Any frustration felt was soon eased when Bell bottom edged a pull off Gregory onto his stumps midway through the evening session.

But Wells continued to push Lancashire towards a lead of 300 with Balderson taking over the supporting role and surviving a run out appeal just before the close.

Wells finished unbeaten on 78 with Balderson 5 not out and a big day looms for both sides tomorrow.



“That was a brilliant day. It’s what we’ve been after all season,” said Josh Bohannon.

“The fight we showed yesterday - that momentum has carried into today’s performance.

“The bowlers got us back into the game, and the fight we’ve shown as a batting group can ultimately help us get into a position to win this game,” he added.

“It will do the individuals in our group a world of good that they’ve done it against a really good attack on a pitch that still offered something for the bowlers today.

“They bowled really well and at times we’ve learned over the summer to absorb and put pressure back on. I feel today was a good example of that.

“Wellsy at the back end of today had to absorb at first and then we saw the free-flowing batting come out from him tonight.

“The position we’re in is nothing to take lightly.

“We’ve had a good day today but tomorrow we’ve got to come again with the same mindset and get as many as we can and give ourselves something to bowl at.”

[themaclad]

Somerset 146 and 204 for 6 (Vaughan 68, Wells 2-23) need 189 runs to beat Lancashire 140 and 398 (Wells 130, Bohannon 60, Leach 3-57)

Lancashire have put themselves on course for a vital win in the Vitality County Championship match against Somerset following a century from Luke Wells backed up by an excellent effort with the ball that has left the visitors to Emirates Old Trafford needing 189 runs to win with four wickets remaining.
Wells’ hundred in a century partnership with George Balderson allowed Lancashire to set a victory target of 393 runs in five sessions, but a disciplined Red Rose bowling performance has reduced Somerset to 204 for six with Wells and Balderson each picking up a brace.



Lancashire were bowled out for 398 on the stroke of lunch but there was a strange start to the Somerset second innings with Andy Umeed giving Tom Bailey the charge to both his first and second deliveries, the first being hammered for four through cover but the second seeing Umeed comprehensively bowled when Bailey dragged his length back a touch.



After that bizarre beginning, Archie Vaughan and Tom Lammonby settled in to take Somerset steadily along through the afternoon although Vaughan had a let off in the slips on 16 while Lammonby offered a harder chance on 24.

But the pair had sailed on calmly thereafter to build an excellent platform for the visitors by compiling a century partnership from 160 balls before Lancashire hit back with two wickets just before tea.

Lammonby played over a Wells delivery on 49 that crashed into his stumps followed by Tom Abell who was plumb lbw for 5 during a pacey spell from Anderson Phillip.



That left Somerset on 120 for three and 26 runs later the visitors lost opener Vaughan who, having reached his maiden first-class fifty, went half forward to Balderson and edged to George Bell at first slip for 68.

A buoyed Balderson then produced a snorter to find an edge off Tom Kohler-Cadmore, on 23, that was snapped up again by Bell this time around his ankles.



With 19 overs left in the day James Rew (24 not out) and Kasey Aldridge dug in, largely intent on survival, and despite a few close calls against Phillip and Wells the pair looked to have weathered the storm until Aldridge on 19 played loosely at a Wells delivery in the final over to give wicketkeeper Matty Hurst a crucial catch.

With Surrey beating Durham today, only a win will keep Somerset’s Championship hopes alive while a win is also the only way Lancashire can maintain their division one survival hopes.

Wells and Balderson started the day somewhat cagily after resuming the Red Rose second innings on 298 for seven with a lead of 292.

Balderson drove the sixth ball of the day from Craig Overton for four to post the 50 partnership off 131 balls, and once settled the pair built the lead steadily over the course of the morning in relative comfort.



Wells went to his eighth Lancashire century off 196 balls after the first hour of play having pulled Lewis Gregory for six over backward square leg and reaching three figures when cutting Aldridge for four.

Balderson continued his great supporting role contributing just 22 to the century partnership with Wells that came from 254 balls and the pair went on to set a new 8th wicket partnership record of 135 runs for Lancashire v Somerset beating the 132 between David Lloyd & Barry Wood at Weston-super-Mare in 1976.



The three wickets Somerset desperately needed arrived in a hurry just before lunch with Wells' fine effort ending when he was lbw for 130 reverse sweeping at Jack Leach who then had Bailey trapped in front for 1.

Balderson was last out aiming a bit hit at Brett Randell and bowled for 47 with Lancashire 398 all out and setting Somerset a winning target of 393.

“It was great to get a wicket on the last ball," said Luke Wells.

“I’m counting on that beating the right handers outside edge which doesn’t happen too often to me. It was a great catch by Hursty behind the stumps because it bounced a lot.

“All in all that was a very good day and we are in the box seat to win this tomorrow.

“We can’t control what’s already happened this season, we can only put our best foot forward.



“It’s been quite a funny game," he added.

"It was a slightly damper pitch than the ones we normally play on here on day one and it produced the seaming conditions that helped produce all those wickets."

“It did flatten out and I’m very pleased to be able to get us into a pretty commanding lead."

Wells admitted his new role down the order had felt very different to what he is used to.

“It feels great (to have got a century) but pretty strange to be batting at seven because of the nightwatchman. I’ve never done that before. I’d batted at six in my career once before this game.

“It felt odd. I was quite excited and a bit relieved because it hasn’t gone well up top, but also a little bit guilty because I haven’t been able to do my main bread and butter job as well as I’d like this year, especially in the four-day game.



“I’ve been happy I’ve been able to contribute in other facets of the game. I’ve bowled particularly well this year and played well in white ball cricket but my bread and butter role that I’ve done for so many years I’ve not been able to score as many as I’d like.

“So to come in at seven and get a score, well it’s definitely easier down there! Bowlers are a little more tired, you don’t have to worry about a brand new ball and worry about getting through it.

“So it was pleasing and odd at the same time."

With one day left and four wickets needed, Wells is cautioning against any complacency tomorrow.

“They’ve got a lot of very good all-round cricketers as well so it’s by no means finished," he said.

"We are going to have to keep going until the very last wicket has been taken.”

[themaclad]

Lancashire 140 (Jennings 56, Overton 4-32, Gregory 4-50) and 398 (Wells 130, Bohannon 60, Leach 3-57) beat Somerset 146 (Bailey 4-36, Balderson 4-50) and 224 (Vaughan 68, Wells 4-36) by 168 runs

Lancashire clinched a vital 168-run win against Somerset to keep their hopes of survival alive in the Vitality County Championship.
It took just 32 minutes and 7.1 overs for the Red Rose attack to take the four wickets required and continue Somerset's poor record at Emirates Old Trafford where they have won just seven times in 59 matches on this ground.

This was also the first game in the history of the County Championship where play had continued into the fourth day after 21 wickets fell on the first day.

The first wicket of this fourth day came from the first ball when Luke Wells bowled visiting skipper Lewis Gregory with a googly.

Wells (four for 36) also accounted for Brett Randell who, having twice pulled the bowler to midwicket for four, tried the shot again and was bowled for 9.

By then Anderson Phillip had trapped Craig Overton lbw for 4 and the West Indies quick ended the game by bowling James Rew for 31 with Somerset 224 all out.

Lancashire take 19 points from the match and Somerset 3, while the result means Surrey are Champions for the third year in a row.

Lancashire trail Nottinghamshire by 15 points going into the final match of the season next week against Worcestershire.



“It’s been a really good game of cricket," said skipper Keaton Jennings.

“A good surface, two teams competing over the course of four days. It’s been good fun.

“I’m really chuffed the lads have put in what I think is our best team performance over the course of this campaign," he added. "It’s really pleasing."

“It’s down to guys putting their hands up. Wellsy got 130 and put in a performance that the team required to try and get us into a winning position and then he took poles this morning.



“Guys chipped in with the new ball; Anderson, Bails, Will, Baldy. The bowlers had to take 20 wickets to win the game and they’ve done that.

“It’s been an entertaining three and a bit days, so it just shows you cricket at Old Trafford has been really good.

“It’s awesome what the guys have produced over the last three days.

“I thought both sides were under par first innings, it wasn’t a 140 surface. I also didn’t think it was a 400 surface either which we got.

“All in all, both sides competed and made errors to let each other back into the game.

“We could have disintegrated, but didn’t. We continued to fight like we have over the whole campaign. The guys have tried really hard, they just haven’t quite got it right like we did this game."



"I think there's maybe a perception at times that guys actually don't care. I can tell you the guys love playing for Lancashire. Guys love putting on a Red Rose jersey and going out and performing.

"I've never got the sense this year that guys haven't wanted to show up and put in a performance. We've just missed the mark from an execution point of view several times which happens.

"It's no excuse. This game we've got it right. Hopefully it's a stepping point.



"You never know what happens next week. Maybe there's rain around and it gets taken out of our hands.

"All we can do is focus on what we can do. Go to Worcester and prepare well over the next few days.

"Get down there and play four days of good cricket and hopefully that gives us a chance."