[Lord Snooty]

Unlucky. Another ten runs and you could've won that.

[themaclad]

Here's ESPN's take on it

It was a morning when batsmen came and went like leaders of UKIP; a morning when the rapidity of events boggled the scrambled mind and outstripped the scribbling pen; a morning when 12 wickets fell in exactly 15 overs, Lancashire losing their last eight for 15 runs. Then Nottinghamshire leaked another four in scoring the mere ten runs they required to give Steven Mullaney a six-wicket victory on his championship debut as skipper.

But when this ridiculous game leaves its marbles in the changing room, it is important to identify a moment of calm brilliance which encapsulates the hurtling sequence of events. In the sixth over of the morning Jake Ball bowled a ball to Steven Croft which pitched somewhere near the line of middle stump before hitting the top of off. The blameless batsman strolled away, perhaps thinking that if a cricketer has been born who can play those, he would like to congratulate his or her parents on their genes.

During the winter Ball was presented with the shortest of straws by England; he was asked to bowl it short when his strength is pitching it up. Today on a wicket which was always softer, colder and damper than it looked, Ball dismissed three more batsmen to finish the innings with 4 for 14 and the match with 9 for 57. Twice in eight balls he was driven to the boundary by Liam Livingstone; undaunted he stuck to his craft, pitched it up again and saw the Lancashire skipper edge a catch to Tom Moores when attempting another booming drive.

But by the time Lancashire's new captain was dismissed, the good ship Red Rose was already capsizing. It had been holed as early as the third ball of the morning when Keaton Jennings played a milksop of a leg-side push to a straight ball from Harry Gurney. Umpire Graham Lloyd did not have to think too long about the leg before. Next over Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a man who is well used to batting across geological eras, could not get over a ball from the excellent Gurney and was taken at slip by Ross Taylor.

Then Livingstone departed; then Croft. 66 for 6. There was much harrumphing and a modicum of hoping in the Old Trafford pavilion but the lower order could do nothing to halt the slide. Nottinghamshire's slip catching was outstanding, as Jordan Clark and Dane Vilas discovered, when Chris Nash and Riki Wessels scooped up chances. Gurney finished with a career-best 6 for 25 in the innings and 8 for 43 in the match. Eight batsmen had been dismissed in ten overs this morning and Lancashire had lost all ten second-innings wickets for 24 runs.


"Extraordinary is probably the right word for it," agreed the Nottinghamshire coach Peter Moores. "It was an outstanding hour of cricket by us. The quality of the bowling and catching was absolutely fantastic. Harry Gurney bowled brilliantly all game and Jake Ball did what Jake Ball can do. If he wanted to make a statement in the first game of the county championship season then he's done it."


But still we were not done with madness. Presented with an opportunity to lead his side home in sober fashion, Mullaney hooked the seventh ball of the innings to Graham Onions at long leg. Two overs later, Joe Mennie struck again when Nash was hustled for pace and Haseeb Hameed scampered back from slip to take a brilliant diving snare some forty yards from the stumps. More conventional efforts by Livingstone removed Jake Libby and Taylor. Some folk jested that ten runs might be too stiff a target. As it turns out it is the lowest total ever successfully chased when losing four wickets. But you knew that anyway.

The game ended when Riki Wessels nudged a single backward of square on the leg side. It was almost the only mundane moment of the day. The two sides lined up to shake hands; it is cricket's answer to line-dancing. One thought of the two skippers trying to cope with the aftermath of mayhem. There is an enormous difference between the idea of doing a thing and actually doing it. The former is a diverting notion whereas the latter is often hard work. When invited to captain their respective counties Livingstone and Mullaney were no doubt attracted by the prospects. They have now discovered what leadership is like when Dame Cricket takes a hand. They had better get used to the glorious madhouse.

Yorkshire above us and they didn't play!!!!!!!!!!

[themaclad]

Essex v Lancashire Chelmsford 20/4/2018 to 23/4/2018

Lancashire head to County Champions Essex hoping for a better performance than the shambles on Monday morning, hopefully batting conditions will be better but no excuse for the feeble effort against Nottinghamshire.
Fair play to Essex deservedly won the title last season however due to their abandoned game at Headingley last weekend winning it again has been made slightly more difficult but saying that they are still above Lancs who actually played.!!!

Liam Livingstone will be hoping Lancashire can make full use of what he believes is an away team advantage in terms of early season conditions in the Specsavers County Championship when the Red Rose take on Essex tomorrow.

Lancashire are looking to bounce back from their opening round defeat to Nottinghamshire against the reigning champions at the Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford.



Despite the six-wicket loss, engineered by a superb fourth day bowling display from Notts on Monday when the hosts lost eight wickets in double quick time, Livingstone is refusing to be downbeat.

The cricket comes thick and fast in Division One ahead of next month’s break for the start of the Royal London one-day Cup, so there is plenty of time for Lancashire to get back on track.

“It’s only one game, and we go again at Essex,” said Livingstone. “We've still got another four big games to start the season.

“That morning session can happen in cricket, especially early season.

“I do think that it is a little bit of an advantage playing away from home for the first couple of games of the season because you get the better of the conditions because the grounds are still damp.

“I think we had the tougher of the conditions, but I also think we were outplayed, which is the main thing. If you play good cricket and not have the best of the conditions, you can hold your hands up.”

[themaclad]

Essex 150 Lancs 90-6

[themaclad]

141-8 at the close

[themaclad]

It might be stretching it a bit to suggest the Championship offers a rudder to steer us in these times of change, but in some cases familiarity does breed content. That was certainly the case for those Essex supporters watching the two standout performers of last season's title-winning team go about their business under an unseasonable April sun. Jamie Porter and Simon Harmer were back in harness, following 147 wickets between them in 2017, and keeping the champions in contention.

For a while, it was all threatening to go Pete Tong, as they say in these parts. Essex required some biffing from their No. 10, Australia international Peter Siddle, to reach 150 - hardly the most intimidating of opening batting efforts for the season (having been denied any on-pitch action in the first round at Headingley) but reminiscent of the 159 they managed on the first day against the same opponents last year. And we all know how that turned out.

They then went to work with the ball, Porter finding the thudding stride that took him to within a back injury of a Test call-up over the winter. Lancashire's top three - Keaton Jennings, Haseeb Hameed and Alex Davies, all England prospects - fell in an opening burst of 3 for 11, and he returned to remove Shiv Chanderpaul later in the evening session, as Lancashire stuttered to 109 for 7 before Jordan Clark kept them in with a sniff of a first-innings lead.

Andy Flower, coach of the England Lions, was in town to give feedback on the likes of Jennings, Hameed and Essex's Dan Lawrence, after their involvement in the winter tour of the Caribbean. That Lions series against West Indies A showed up the batsmen's shortcomings against spin but, if Flower had hoped to watch one of his charges bat through a session in more familiar conditions, he was to be disappointed.

Seam had done the trick for Lancashire, but Essex did not wait too long to introduce Harmer: Liam Livingstone, the unused batsman in England's most recent Test squad, was taken at short leg for an attractive 33 in the 18th over, Harmer's first - though Livingstone seemed unhappy with the decision. Dane Vilas fell in identical fashion, to similar disgruntlement, as Harmer and Porter - Essex's HP sauce - threatened to mop up.

The topic up and down the country may have been 100-ball cricket, the ECB's latest grow-the-game wheeze, but the patrons at Chelmsford were concerned only with the old verities. There was humbug to be found, but only in small amounts, as fans returned to what we are bound to refer to as the home of the champions for a while yet, eager to drink in the sunshine and see Essex in Championship action for the first time in 2018.

There were queues at the gates ahead of their 10am opening, the Tom Pearce Stand was brimming and - an important ritual, this - the first shirtless patrons of the summer were visible by early afternoon. Not too much had changed over the winter around one of the circuit's cosiest grounds, but the Division One winners' pennant hung (somewhat limply) by the pavilion and you can now find such delicacies as bratwurst on the lunch menu.

On the field, the white-clad players went about their business, moving back and forth in the timeless manner described in Joseph O'Neill's Netherland, "a repetition of pulmonary rhythm, as if the field breathed through its luminous visitors".


The cricket was somewhat less poetic. Until Siddle brought some fast-bowler's grunt, whacking sixes down the ground in each direction, Essex's innings had taken on a bronchial quality, puffing along as wickets fell. Having introduced himself, Essex's overseas debutant was then engaged by a member of the crowd down at fine leg in a jovial discussion about whether the pugnacious Siddle had ever considered being a boxer.

The fighting was one-sided to start with, although Essex might have felt they had denied Lancashire the initiative by reaching 38 for 1 after the first hour. But Nick Browne, having pilfered 23 from 54 balls, received an excellent bail-trimming delivery from Joe Mennie, Lancashire's Australian pace bowler, coming round the wicket, and batsmen came and went thereafter.

The Lancashire attack, now led by Graham Onions - still an insistent, angular menace at 35 - found their range on a pitch that was perhaps a bit soft, with Lawrence the recipient of a particularly good ball from Clark that turned him around like a nightclub doorman. Tom Westley brought coos with one straight drive but fenced to slip, while Ravi Bopara and James Foster were both lured into prods outside off, and Ryan ten Doeschate was adjudged lbw as Mennie brought the ball back in. Essex's batsmen dragged themselves off but, not for the first time, Porter and Harmer dragged them back into it.

[themaclad]

Essesx 150 and 312
Lancs 144

Need 319 to win tomorrow and Monday

---

Batting at this time of year in England is often a frisky business, as can be ascertained by a quick glance at scorecards from around the country (with the honourable exception of Hove). Eighteen wickets fell on the first day at Chelmsford, and another two followed in short order, but thereafter Essex showed some grit worthy of their status as Division One champions to leave the visitors looking at a hefty fourth-innings chase.

Essex managed to pass 200, somewhat fretfully, and then 300 with increasing panache as James Foster became the first batsman in the match to record a half-century. A few days on from his 38th birthday - and six months after briefly contemplating retirement following Essex's surprise title win - he was fox-like and tenacious as ever with the bat in hand, even if (whisper it) a couple of sharp stumpings had passed him by on the first day.

Foster appeared set to be emulated by Simon Harmer, the Kolpak cult hero who was awarded his county cap at lunch after completing his first five-for of the season in the morning. The eighth-wicket partnership between Foster and Harmer, worth 103 in 25 overs, came late in the day and left Lancashire flagging. Harmer brought up 300 with a thump for four of Graham Onions, was promptly dropped at second slip from the next ball, before becoming the second Essex batsman to be out on 49.

Although the pitch seemed to have eased a little, Essex will likely feel confident they have enough in the bank; Lancashire, having been dismissed for scores of 158, 73 and 144 so far this season, have a sizeable task on their hands if they are not to head back north with two defeats from two.

For two-and-a-half hours during the afternoon, there was a growing sense that Tom Westley might be about to make a mark - both on the game and in a slim field of England candidates looking to impress the new national selector, Ed Smith. But Westley chipped wastefully to extra cover for 49 off the bowling of leggie Matt Parkinson - who might claim some credit for deception having served up a few full tosses - and rapped his pads in frustration before walking off.

While the glorious weather again suggested a good batting day, the surface has been receptive throughout. What Essex would have given to be able to deploy Alastair Cook for a couple of sessions of barnacle immovability and steady accumulation. "He needs the practice," opined one of the locals, down by the River End before play got started; but Cook has been rested by England for the first two rounds, and few in the game now seem to possess his reserves of patience.

Foster remains invigorated by the challenge of first-class cricket, however, chivvying and hustling valuable extra runs. When Ryan ten Doeschate was pinned lbw by Onions, the ball keeping a touch low, Essex's lead was 180 but that swelled quickly during the evening session.


Until Foster took charge, the most fluent passage of the day came when Westley and Ravi Bopara were adding 57 for the fourth wicket - although the fact they ran two off an overthrow as Lancashire were unsuccessfully appealing for lbw against Bopara tells you something about the nature of play. A slow outfield continued to hamper run-scoring, but Westley did unfurl one trademark whip through the leg side for four, like the first ice cream of the summer - good enough to stick a flake in.

It was a case of "sun's out, guns out" in the morning, and Lancashire were soon all out, too, Jamie Porter and Harmer wrapping up five-wicket hauls apiece in the first nine balls of the day. That gave Essex a slender first-innings lead, which had seemed unlikely when they were 113 for 9 on Friday.

With batting bonus points out of the equation, Essex went in search of bonus runs. Varun Chopra, who also received his county cap some 12 years after making his Essex debut, cracked 28 of his 32 in boundaries during an opening stand of 48 - the second-highest in the Championship to date - before comprehensively losing his off stump to Onions. Nick Browne and Dan Lawrence were both then sent on their way after disputed low catches but there was little argument about who was on top by the close.

[themaclad]

Lost by 31 runs made 288 second time around

[themaclad]

Three times during this third and final day at Chelmsford, Lancashire began to seriously raise hopes of pulling off a chase for the ages. Three times Jamie Porter thundered in and found the ball to quell Essex fears. Alex Davies, Jordan Clark and Joe Mennie each scored valiant half-centuries but all three were victims of Porter's indefatigable seam bowling, as the defending champions claimed victory in the sort of hard-fought, sun-drenched contest after which victory beer slips down like ice water.

It can't be long before they start serving pints of Porter2 at the Spinner's Bar. The 24-year-old collected 9 for 80 to continue the form that saw him lead the Division One wicket-taker's list in 2017, celebrating the dismissal in particular of Davies with a throaty roar. That left Lancashire 139 for 5 and although Clark took them within 77 of victory with three wickets still standing, Porter speared the ball into his pads to ease the tension.

Still Lancashire kept coming, with zombie determination, as the Australia seamer Mennie clubbed his way to fifty, bringing the requirement down to 38 with the arrival of the second new ball. Eight deliveries was all it took for Porter to rattle the stumps and finally end Mennie's resistance.

"He digs in and has a crack," was the assessment of Porter's team-mate, the Australia seamer Peter Siddle. "That's what you want from your main fast bowler. Coming off a big year last season, needed to come out here and start well, and he was tremendous. He tries hard and deserves every wicket he gets."

Lancashire have now lost two from two but certainly found some fibre to fortify their batting, after failing to reach 200 in three previous innings. They had been left with too much to do, stretched out of shape by the eighth-wicket stand of more than 100 between James Foster and Simon Harmer on the second evening. Keeping Harmer to just a single wicket in the fourth innings on a wearing pitch was little consolation.

Davies could have been accused of giving his wicket away in the first innings, chipping tamely to mid-off having faced 17 balls, but he was the only member of Lancashire's top order to demonstrate the required graft second time around. There was plenty of class on display, too. Porter was thrashed for three successive fours - two pulls and a drive - and Davies also played Harmer deftly, using his feet to cut the spinner with regularity.

Lancashire had given themselves a solid platform, reaching lunch on 82 for 2 with Davies playing beautifully and the captain, Liam Livingstone, reining in his attacking instincts. Those Essex supporters sitting in the Tiptree jam stand could be forgiven for feeling a bit sticky around the collar, with the sun shining and the pitch having eased after 18 wickets fell on the opening day.

There was also a suspicion that Essex were a little light on bowling beyond the frontline three of Porter, Harmer and Peter Siddle, with the tall left-armer Paul Walter only in the side after Sam Cook fractured a finger in training the day before the game. Walter was unused during the morning session, but he needed only three ball to break the third-wicket stand: a bouncer and a gentle half-volley pushed for two was followed up by good-length ball that drew another drive and a thick edge from Livingstone.

Walter made it two in as many overs when he won an lbw decision against Shivnarine Chanderpaul, not quite such an eternal presence at the crease these days, and the main scoreboard promptly broke down - something Chanderpaul refuses to do, although he has now collected scores of 11, 0, 8 and 1 this season.


The muttering from the home fans increased as Davies coasted to his half-century and began to open up. He had laced 38 from 30 balls faced after lunch and was looking to be the pivotal figure of the chase, only for Porter to produce a thunderbolt of a yorker that knocked Davies off his feet and sent him back for a fine 71.

Dane Vilas fell soon after, a second wicket for Siddle, who then produced a marvellous bit of fielding to leave Lancashire seven down. Having been denied an lbw appeal against Clark, Siddle hurtled across to his right and threw down the stumps with Tom Bailey a yard shot having been sent back. Clark might have fallen on 19, but Varun Chopra was unable to hold a fast edge off Ravi Bopara.

The morning began with Lancashire required to make the highest score of the match - and significantly more than they had managed in three previous innings this season - in order to inflict Essex's first defeat since September 2016. The mantra at Essex over the last two seasons is that "no one gets through the new ball" and Porter ensured that held true when he flattened Haseeb Hameed's off stump in the third over. It was a good enough strategy come the end of the day too.

Likely to be bottom after two matches yipee

[themaclad]

Lancashire v Surrey 27/4/2018 to 30/4/2018

Should be attending Sunday and Monday however forecast naff so may get limited play again, do love April cricket in Manchester.

SURREY HAVE NAMED A THIRTEEN-MAN SQUAD FOR THIS WEEKEND’S SPECSAVERS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH WITH LANCASHIRE AT EMIRATES OLD TRAFFORD.
The eleven players that beat Hampshire at the Kia Oval in the first match of the season retain their places in the squad and are joined by Ryan Patel and Stuart Meaker.

South African batsman Dean Elgar remains as the only non England qualified player in the squad, which contains nine Surrey Academy graduates.

Courtesy of Lancashire CCC, there will be a live stream of every ball, including commentary, which will aslo be available on on kiaoval.com with live highlights on Twitter at @surreycricket.

FULL SQUAD IS AS FOLLOWS:
Rory Burns (captain)

Mark Stoneman

Scott Borthwick

Dean Elgar

Ollie Pope

Ben Foakes

Sam Curran

Rikki Clarke

Jade Dernbach

Matthew Dunn

Amar Virdi

Ryan Patel

Stuart Meaker

Other Division One fixtures starting on 27 April: Hampshire v Essex (Ageas Bowl); Somerset v Yorkshire (Taunton); Worcestershire v Nottinghamshire (Worcester)

Mark Chilton has called for consistency from Lancashire’s players as they bid to arrest a disappointing start to the new summer, starting against Surrey at Emirates Old Trafford tomorrow.

The Red Rose assistant coach says there has been no overreaction to two defeats from two in the Specsavers County Championship given there has been some good cricket played.

Chilton has spoken of the competitive nature of Division One and how last season’s second-placed finish guaranteed nothing in terms of success in 2018. But the former batsman is confident of a quick turnaround and with it a move up to the right end of the table.



“We'll try not to overreact too much to two defeats in the first two games and stick together as a unit and identify the things we've done really well,” he said. "But, after defeats, you have to look at areas where you have to improve.

"I don't think the players will need picking up as such. I think it's more recognising, like we said before the first game, what a competitive league this is. Having finished second last year and played a lot of good cricket, it quickly brings you straight back down to earth. And we've done that in pretty grand style after the first two games.

"We all know the quality that some of those guys have got. They've been on England Lions trips this year, and they are good players.

“The one area we were slightly concerned with before the first game, we hadn't had the group together for very long. Whether that's been an issue or not has been difficult to tell. This side is just starting to settle down, and that's one area where we're aware where everyone's at. We'll work hard to be ready for Friday.”



Lancashire’s batting has been the area which has let them down in matches against Nottinghamshire at home and Essex away.

"The first day (at Essex) was difficult, and there were wickets falling all around the country,” continued Chilton.

“We've got to be careful we don't dive in because a lot of our players have played a lot of good cricket over the winter and the last summer.

"As a coach, you give it quite a lot of thought because you don't want to go jumping in too soon with regards to people's form. The wickets have been quite tricky. I've never seen a wicket at Emirates Old Trafford move as much as it did against Notts.

"I think, when you analyse it closely, there are areas (to improve). You've got to maintain your discipline on length when you're batting. With Jamie Porter and Peter Siddle, you have two guys who don't miss length that often. As soon as you make a mistake, you're in a bit of trouble.

"I've been happy with the way people have been playing in practice. That's all you can do as coaches, make sure you prepare players as best as you can to give themselves the best chance of performing.”



OPPONENTS


Surrey have played one, won one, beating Hampshire at the Kia Oval in the most recent round of matches, with 20-year-old Ollie Pope starring with a career best 145, his second century in seven first-class matches. Their early season overseas player is South Africa batsman Dean Elgar.

They are captained by Rory Burns, who will open the batting with England Test left-hander Mark Stoneman.

"Surrey had a good game against Hampshire at the weekend, so they will be fairly confident,” added Chilton.

"I think all teams are evenly matched. You can players out in every team who you think will present challenges and issues for you as a team. Porter at Essex, for example.

"It's about us getting our things right and identifying the areas where we need to be a bit more clinical. I think our catching has been excellent, which is a positive. I just think we have to find ways of staying in the game for longer."