[themaclad]

A fine unbeaten 142 by Josh Bohannon helped Lancashire gain a significant advantage after two days of this LV= Insurance County Championship encounter with Gloucestershire.
MATCH CENTRE

Bohannon signalled early intent by putting two of his first four deliveries away for four, the first of twenty struck during the day, and he went on to build century partnerships with both Luke Wells and Steven Croft across the second day to leave Lancashire well positioned at 289-3 and ahead by 37 runs at the halfway stage of this match.

It was the impressive Bohannon’s fourth first-class hundred and all have been scored at Emirates Old Trafford.



The first task at eleven o’clock as Lancashire resumed on 11-1 was to see the new ball off and build a partnership and both Wells and Bohannon achieved that with some aplomb, defending when they had to, but scoring briskly by putting away anything wayward from the Gloucestershire bowlers.

The pair dominated the session, with Wells reaching his fifty off 110 balls while Bohannon reached the landmark of 2,000 first-class runs (at the impressive average of 44.44) just before the break. And for the second day running, no wickets fell in the morning session.



Bohannon reached his half-century off 106 balls and posted the 100 partnership off 203 balls when the Boltonian cut Ryan Higgins through gully for four immediately after the break. But he soon lost his partner when Wells was lbw for 59 to a big turning delivery from Zafar Gohar.

But unlike the first day that was the only wicket to fall before tea as Croft, a century-maker last week, gave Bohannon great support to help push Lancashire up towards the visitors’ first innings total.



Gloucestershire tightened things up after the break, Higgins in fact bowling a great afternoon spell that saw the pace bowler have figures of 0-12 off 14 overs at one point, and in tandem with left-arm spinner Zafar the pair dried up the run scoring. But they could not dislodge either batter with Bohannon moving steadily towards three figures.

That moment arrived in the over after tea when Bohannon glanced Ajeet Dale to fine leg for his 15th four (from 213 balls) and take Lancashire to a first batting point.

The pair’s century partnership followed (from 192 balls) as Bohannon also completed 2,000 first-class runs for Lancashire when reaching 119 but the persevering Zafar (2-65 from 35 overs) finally had some reward when the left arm spinner bowled Croft, sweeping, for 34 to end a productive partnership that had doubled the Red Rose score to 234-3.



But there was little respite for the Gloucs’ bowlers as Dane Vilas arrived to add a typically attacking flourish of 39 off 44 balls during the final hour, the pair reaching their fifty partnership off 79 balls just before the close, and the batting today rather unlined how well Lancashire’s bowling attack had performed twenty four hours earlier.

“It was nice to spend some time in the middle,” said Josh Bohannon.

“We talked at the start of the season about trying every week to do a match-winning performance. Hopefully we can set this game up and get the win.

“We wanted to bat all day and hopefully I’ve done that job (setting it up).

Bohannon was naturally delighted to get such a big score in his second innings of the season.

“After all the hard work in the winter and then come out and do it today was a massive reward for myself,” he admitted.

“Having watched how Gloucs went about it (batting) yesterday, it was hard when the bowlers got it right. We knew it would be hard at times and they bowled well in periods. But it was nice to get through those tough periods, get a few runs away, and get through a really challenging day.



Looking ahead to tomorrow Bohannon added: “It’s still a nice pitch. There’s a bit of spin, there are some cracks and enough there for our bowlers to exploit.

“Hopefully we can come back tomorrow and put us in a great position to try and help our bowlers win us this game.“

And Bohannon played down questions about possible England involvement after his Lions tour during the winter.

“I’m just taking each game at a time," he said "and just trying to score as many runs as I can for Lancashire. What I took from being with the England Lions was the intensity of the environment – everything they do on and off the field was something that I really enjoyed and hopefully if I keep scoring runs for Lancashire it can be something I can be a part of moving forward.

“It is something I am not in control of at the end of the day and all I can do is put my name in the hat by scoring runs for Lancashire. If I can help Lancashire win a Championship hopefully it might lead to bigger and better things

[themaclad]

A career-best double century by Josh Bohannon along with a scintillating century by Dane Vilas helped put Lancashire in complete control of this LV= Insurance County Championship match against Gloucestershire at Emirates Old Trafford.

Bohannon and Vilas dominated this third day with their 203-run partnership closing Gloucestershire out of the game during the first two sessions before the Red Rose bowlers ripped out three top order wickets during the final session to close in on a second consecutive victory of the season.



Resuming on 289-3 in windy, chilly conditions in reply to Gloucestershire’s 252 all out, Vilas wasted little time before clipping Ryan Higgins through midwicket for four to bring up his fifty (off 51 balls).

The well-wrapped up spectators were soon able to warm their hands and show their appreciation when Bohannon reached his third score of 150 and the Lancashire pair settled into a continuation of the excellent form of the previous day, defending when necessary and taking advantage of any poor deliveries.

They comfortably steered Lancashire to 323-3 after 110 overs - and a third batting point - and then set about building a big total to heap the pressure on the visitors.

Bohannon drove gloriously through extra cover off Jared Warner after an hour’s play on his way to passing his previous best of 174 made against Derbyshire three years ago.



His double century never looked in doubt and Bohannon reached the landmark on the stroke of lunch to great acclaim, quickly followed by Vilas who moments later posted a second consecutive century following his 124 against Kent last week.

That meant, somewhat quirkily, no wickets had fallen in any of three morning sessions of this match when the rested bowlers are normally at their most effective – a fairly rare occurrence.



Wickets did fall in the afternoon however.

Vilas was the first to go when the Lancashire skipper tried to loft Josh Shaw over point but was caught by Miles Hammond over his head at that position for 109 to end an outstanding partnership of 203 with Bohannon that had put Lancashire well into the ascendancy.

Phil Salt helped Bohannon pile on the runs with a 49-run partnership, Bohannon hitting Graeme van Buuren for a straight six, before both fell at the same score of 486.

Salt was stumped for 21 after going down the wicket to hit spinner Zafar.

Then Bohannon’s epic 9 and a quarter hour effort came to an end at 231 – the highest innings for Lancashire against Gloucestershire - when he gloved a sweep off spinner Graeme van Buuren that popped up to wicketkeeper James Bracey.

Bohannon departed to another well-deserved ovation for a very fine innings.



Danny Lamb took up the attack with an unbeaten 41 off 46 balls including two sixes, one of them a reverse pull off Jared Warner, while Hassan Ali also unfurled a reverse sweep for six in his 11.

Lamb and Saqib Mahmood punished the tiring visitors’ attack further with an unbeaten alliance of 55 before Vilas called a halt at tea with Lancashire’s 556-7 declared their highest-ever total against Gloucestershire.

Left arm spinner Zafar was the pick of the visiting attack, bowling a marathon 65 overs - the most by a Gloucestershire bowler equalling Tom Goddard’s record from 1938 - and picking up 4-135.

Trailing by 304 runs going into their second innings, Gloucestershire lost both openers to catches behind the wicket with just 36 runs on the board.

James Anderson produced some extra bounce to find the edge of Marcus Harris’ bat while Chris Dent, having cut Mahmood for four, edged another attempted cut with Salt taking a good, leaping catch.



And with 7 overs left Hassan Ali produced the ultimate fast yorker that smashed James Bracey’s middle stump into two pieces to leave Gloucestershire struggling to save the game on 61-3.

Hammond (26 not out) and van Buuren (3 not out) survived to reach the close with Gloucestershire 67-3 and still 237 runs behind going into the final day.



Dane Vilas was delighted with the performances from all the team this season. .

"Personally I've hit the ground running,” he said, “but then I think everyone has. Everyone is playing well.

"Josh (Bohannon) has been batting incredibly well for the last few seasons. Everything is clicking for him and every day he is learning his game and improving in every game he plays.

"His hunger for runs is brilliant to see. He has taken a big step forwards for us and a key position in any team is the number three batsman and he wants to bat there. I'm really proud of him.

"With his technique he can handle anything whether he's batting at three or four and it's really good to see. I know he's worked a lot in the off season trying to tweak some improvements from last season and he really wants to do better which is a huge plus for us and him.



And Vilas isn’t underestimating the task ahead tomorrow.

“It’s a really good wicket but there’s a bit more rough out there for the spinners,” he said. “They’ve got some good players who can handle the pressure situations so it’s going to be a tough ask. But saying that, the way we bowled in the first innings was excellent.

And those three wickets tonight were three big wickets and something for us to build on tomorrow. They’ve still got some good players to come but hopefully we can put seven really good balls in the right area.

“We know that things can speed up on day four. That cliché of if you get one wicket you can get two quickly (does apply). We’ll be pushing for that. The way we’ve played this game so far, and bowling Gloucester out first day, has bought us a lot of time in the game, and we can use that tomorrow.”

[themaclad]

Lancashire’s excellent start to the season continued with a pulsating second victory in the LV= County Championship by an innings and 57 runs against Gloucestershire at Emirates Old Trafford.

There were just 24 balls left in the match when Gloucestershire last man Jared Warner feathered an edge off Hassan Ali to wicketkeeper Phil Salt to spark great scenes of jubilation led by Hassan’s trademark fist-pumping celebration.



It was a dramatic finale after Gloucestershire’s remaining batsman had battled valiantly throughout the day and came very close to achieving an improbable draw.

But with overs running out and two wickets needed, Dane Vilas turned to Hassan and Saqib Mahmood and it was Mahmood who ended 27 overs worth of resistance when he bowled Tom Lace for the 9th Gloucestershire wicket before Hassan applied the finish.

This final day had many twists and turns, starting with Matt Parkinson who led the way with three wickets and he was instrumental in making the breakthrough after Gloucestershire pair Miles Hammond and skipper Graeme van Buuren had put up one hour of resistance at the start of the day.



Just as we were wondering if the fourth morning was going to be as barren - as far as wickets falling - as the previous three morning sessions, Parkinson emphasized just what a dangerous bowler he can be with two wickets in two balls.

The leg spinner found some nice drift and turn to find the edge of van Buuren's bat, caught at slip by Luke Wells for 15, before completely bamboozling Ryan Higgins with his next delivery that pitched in line with leg stump but turned to hit off stump.



And Parkinson nearly had a third when Tom Lace – on a pair – drove to mid-off where a diving Dane Vilas just failed to pull off a great catch.

Hammond and Lace reached lunch on 116-5 with Hammond going to his fifty soon after play resumed (from 147 balls) before becoming Anderson’s second victim of the innings.

We had the sight of Anderson bowling to an unusual field containing a cordon of short mid-off, short extra cover, short cover, short point and one wide slip (positioned about the third slip area).

Whether the ploy worked only the batsman will know, but Hammond was then late on his shot to an Anderson seamer that nipped back onto his pads to be lbw for 50.



Parkinson backed that up with his third wicket three overs later, Zafar Gohar deceived by a floated delivery that gripped and turned into the batsman's leg stump to have the visitors 127-7 and with just under 60 overs still to be bowled the game looked destined to head Lancashire’s way.

Lace and Josh Shaw had other ideas, showing some good fight with a 79-run partnership with Lace reaching his half century off 130 balls when driving George Balderson through the covers for his sixth boundary.

But Hassan (3-49) returned to bowl a hostile over at Shaw; consecutive bouncers followed by a searing delivery that hit middle and off stumps with the batsman stuck on the back foot and out after making 29.



That breakthrough seemed to have finally swung things back Lancashire’s way but Lace found a strong ally in Warner and the pair defended stoutly for 27 overs to take the match well into the final hour although Lace had earlier been the recipient of a fortunate escape on 65 (with 18 overs left) when his attempted cut off Saqib Mahmood flew quickly to second slip where Steven Croft couldn’t cling on to the chance.

But Lace’s fine effort finally ended after 266 minutes on 71 with 10 overs left after Mahmood clipped the off stump just enough to bizarrely dislodge the leg side bail with umpire Richard Illingworth confirming the decision.



There was still further drama however as Warner and Dale batted out a further six overs before Hassan’s coup de grâce arrived to seal a very hard won victory.

Lancashire take 22 points from the game and Gloucestershire 3.

A delighted Head Coach Glen Chapple reflected on a “tough day”

“We were in a great position and played superb cricket throughout the game,” he said, “on a really good surface that was fairly flat but was like a Test pitch.

"I'm pleased that we dominated the game and played really good cricket all the way through but even with the unbelievable bowling attack we've got it was hard work and Gloucestershire played well, made it difficult and at one point a draw looked favourite.”



And Chapple is happy with the type of pitches at Emirates Old Trafford, adding:

"We'd prefer good surfaces like that because the best team has the best chance to win and at the moment we have a strong team. We didn't ever take a backward step and the effort was great - if we can find a way to keep our foot on the gas all the way through it would be great but the efforts of the team after tea were amazing. “

Josh Bohannon’s double-century was one of many highlights to take away from this game and Chapple said: “During his career to date, Josh (Bohannon) has not had a bad spell and we know now that he is a proven, quality player.

“He has been determined this winter to work on how he can make sure that he can bat long and make really big, telling scores. He richly deserves his first double hundred and everyone is delighted for him."

[themaclad]

The Rose Bowl, known for sponsorship reasons as Ageas Bowl is a cricket ground and hotel complex in West End, Hampshire. It is the home of Hampshire County Cricket Club, who have played there since 2001.

It was constructed as a replacement for the County Ground in Southampton and also the United Services Recreation Ground in Portsmouth, which had been Hampshire's homes since 1882. Hampshire played their inaugural first-class match at the ground against Worcestershire on 9–11 May 2001, with Hampshire winning by 124 runs. The ground has since hosted international cricket, including One Day Internationals, matches in the 2004 Champions Trophy, two Twenty20 Internationals and Test matches in 2011, 2014 and 2018, when England played Sri Lanka and India. In 2020, the ground was used as one of two biosecure venues, alongside Old Trafford, for the tours involving West Indies, Pakistan and Ireland which were regulated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In order to be able to host Test cricket, the ground underwent a redevelopment starting in 2008, which saw stands built to increase capacity and other construction work undertaken to make the hosting of international cricket at the ground more viable. A four-star Hilton Hotel with an integrated media centre overlooking the ground opened in 2015. Following Hampshire Cricket Ltd finding itself in financial trouble in 2011, the lease on the ground was sold to Eastleigh Borough Council for £6.5 million with a benefactor injecting a similar sum in 2012.

The Rose Bowl played host to the inaugural final of the 2019–21 ICC World Test Championship between India and New Zealand, resulting in New Zealand being crowned inaugural World Test Champions.[2]

Hampshire great

Roy Edwin Marshall (25 April 1930 – 27 October 1992) was a West Indian cricketer who played in four Tests from 1951 to 1952. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1959.

https://www.ageasbowl.com/cricket/

@hantscricket

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2637487

[themaclad]

Pakistan fast bowler Hassan Ali also continued his excellent start at Lancashire with five for 45, with Nick Gubbins’ 101 not out saving Hampshire after they had slumped to 40 for five. Lancashire reached close 37 for one, 209 runs in arrears.

On the day Ben Stokes was announced as England’s new Test captain, Anderson produced a casting tape of his best attributes. A reminder, if one is ever needed when you have 640 Test wickets, ahead of the upcoming series with New Zealand and South Africa. Not that Stokes, nor Key, asked or needed one having made their intentions clear.

Inviting Anderson to bowl first on a green-tinged pitch under silvery skies is akin to dangling one’s arm in the face of a ravenous crocodile, but Hampshire did just that and predictably lost their top order cheaply.



Anderson was at his controlling best in a first six-over spell which found brisk nibble in both directions – after Tom Bailey had dismissed Joe Weatherley with an in-out set-up. Ian Holland pushed forward on one which held its fifth stump line, while James Vince was bereft by a sharp in-ducker which took his outside edge. Anderson’s opening stint returned two for six, with four maidens.

One of the motifs of this fixture is the blue-ribbon fast bowling attacks on show from both teams, something perfectly exemplified by the replacement of Anderson with Ali. Ali, on the back of a nine-wicket bag against Gloucestershire, maintained and built on Anderson’s pressure. He slightly squared up Liam Dawson with one that angled away off the seam before a leg-side delivery found its way to third slip via Ben Brown’s outside edge four balls later.

Hampshire needed a partnership. They got one through the pugnaciousness of Gubbins and Felix Organ – who put on 92 either side of lunch.

Gubbins spent a portion of his winter playing in Zimbabwe’s Logan Cup – scoring a century in two matches – and had begun his Championship season with a handful of starts and a 69 last week versus Kent. He was forced to temper his usual aesthetic to churn to fifty in 133 balls.



Anderson returned to direct some short balls at Organ, who having negotiated a series of bumpers, tamely lobbed a top edge to leg slip for 42, before Keith Barker looped a leading-edge off Ali.

James Fuller juxtaposed Gubbins by upping the tempo with his biffing and bottom-hand favoured shot-making. He was 37 off 19 balls at one point, before slowing slightly to a 49 ball fifty, with an 83-run stand with Gubbins.

Gubbins reached his second century for Hampshire since arriving last summer, and the 12th of his first-class career, in 210 balls. But with Fuller bowled by Luke Wells, Ali mopped up the tail ruthlessly to move to 19 scalps so far this season.

Wells and George Balderson had fewer issues against the new ball, although the latter tickled Barker behind late in the day.

[themaclad]

Left-handed batter Gubbins followed his innings rescuing 101 not out with 130 to give Hampshire a hefty lead on a pitch which had previously benefited the bowlers. He joined forces with Ben Brown, who scored a high-quality 72, to put on 144 for the fifth wicket.

The home side were eventually bowled out for 344, with Lancashire reaching nine in six wicketless overs by close.

This was a better day for batting. The skies were blue and the ball was already 36 overs old. The caveat being James Anderson and his relentless control. His first six-over spell of the day saw four maidens and Liam Dawson’s wicket. He eventually recorded three for 36.



Gubbins was largely anonymous in his slow run building, although burst into life with two eye-catching cover drives. The first punishing a rare piece of width offered by Anderson, the latter taking him to a 120-ball fifty.

Gubbins and Brown are two recent signings under-pinning Hampshire’s chase for a first title since 1974; hungry having been unwanted by previous counties but with the records of the finest county players. They grew the lead in a risk-free fashion, making the most of an unresponsive ageing ball, totting up 144 runs together in the lazy spring afternoon sun.



Gubbins’ big moment came when he pushed Hasan Ali through the covers, with his 218 delivery. For a second the emotion appeared to swell as he gently punched the air with his head bowed, tapped his bat on the floor three times before turning around and almost collapsing into a hug with Brown. Only then did he take off his helmet and raise his bat to the dressing room for the 13th ton of his first-class career.

Brown reached 72 before the second new ball pinned him plumb in front, with Felix Organ following him back shortly after when not offering a shot to George Balderson. The lead past 300 before Gubbins was finally dismissed after 231 runs and 515 deliveries in the match when Danny Lamb trapped him on the crease. Keith Barker chipped in with 40 before scything to cover, James Fuller was bowled and Muhammad Abbas holed out to long-on to complete the innings.

[themaclad]

No play day 4 match drawn

[themaclad]

Warwick 4 dayer OT starts 5/5/2022



A black and white photo not sure of date, anorak fact the first time I saw Lancashire was a Gillette Cup match against Warwickshire at Old Trafford in 1964

Seen this guy before



Taken from the Warwickshire site

Rewind: Lancashire v Warwickshire, 1972
It is the opinion of no less a judge than the great MJK Smith that Rohan Kanhai is up there with Brian Lara as the greatest batter ever to play for Warwickshire.
Both were touched by genius and one factor with which Lara did not have to deal, which Kanhai did throughout his Bears career (1968-77) was uncovered pitches.

Wet wickets made batting significantly more difficult, offering bowlers all sorts of help and requiring the greatest skill from batters. These were conditions that brought the best out of Kanhai, some of whose greatest innings were played when batting was at its most testing. The Bears’ championship visit to Old Trafford to face Lancashire in 1972 was a classic example.

There had been, unusually for Manchester, rain around and the pitch was damp and green. Batting was tricky, as the Red Rose discovered when they went in first and scored 181.

Kanhai then made 199 – one of the finest individual innings ever played for Warwickshire.

A strong Lancashire batting side, including Clive Lloyd. David Lloyd, Barry Wood and Farokh Engineer, was bowled out in 62.1 overs as Steve Rouse took five for 47 (his maiden five-for) and Norman McVicker three for 48. The ball was doing plenty, as John Whitehouse soon discovered when Ken Shuttleworth sent it on to his stumps.

That brought Kanhai to the crease and the masterclass began.

Shuttleworth, Peter Lever and Peter Lee were a strong pace trio, backed up by the medium-paced bananas of Wood and the wily spin of Jack Simmons and David Hughes. All came alike to the great West Indian.

The Bears were 50 for three when Kanhai was joined at the crease by his countryman Alvin Kallicharran. They added 152 and, after Kalli fell lbw to Simmons for 50, Kanhai climbed into even more spectacular attack. The ball was swinging and seaming but he defended with impeccable judgment and drove, cut and pulled with brutal power.

Kanhai was just a single short of a scintillating double century when he edged ‘Leapy’ Lee to wicketkeeper Engineer. He was on 199 out of his team’s 347 for six.

His genius lifted the Bears to 371 for seven declared, after which the Red Rose were bowled out for 149 (David Brown (five for 49, McVicker three for 35), leaving the Bears victorious by an innings and 41 runs.

Since that win in ’72, they have won only another three championship games at Old Trafford but if that does not seem many in 50 years, it must be remembered that the Bears have often visited Lancashire outgrounds. They have won at Blackpool (1973 and 1976), Southport (1999) and Aigburth (2012).

Their three wins in Manchester since ’72 arrived in a seven-year burst between 1978 and 1984. An 85-run triumph in ’78 was set up by remarkable match figures of 61.2-27-111-12 by skilful medium-pacer Steve Perryman. In 1983, a six-wicket win featured crucial runs from 40-year-old Dennis Amiss and decisive wickets from 43-year-old Norman Gifford.

The following season came a 50-run win after a fine fightback from a first innings deficit of 56. Alvin Kallicharran (117), Robin Dyer (84) and Geoff Humpage (61 not out) put the Bears back in the match in a second innings score of 327 for four declared. Gladstone Small then sent Lancashire tumbling to 70 for six and finished with five for 42 as the Red Rose was bowled out for 221. And that, 38 years ago, remains the Bears’ most recent championship win in Manchester.

Can Will Rhodes this week become the first Bears captain since Norman Gifford to lead his side to championship victory at Old Trafford?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2643123

[themaclad]

ESPN View

Warwickshire 273 for 7 (Sibley 118*, Bailey 3-50) vs Lancashire

Dominic Sibley will never be a gainly cricketer but he might become an exceptionally effective one once more. Those Warwickshire and England supporters who watched Sibley struggle dreadfully when playing Test cricket last summer would be heartened by such a renaissance and they may be further encouraged when he finally talks about the work he did over the winter.

The evidence of that labour - apparently Sibley was often in the Edgbaston nets at eight in the morning - was plain during this marvellously well-contested day at Emirates Old Trafford. When it ended, in glorious May sunlight, the opener had 118 runs against his name. He had batted through the three sessions and had faced 278 balls, 15 of which he had hit for four. So much, so statistical. But the true merit of his innings was plain not in its figures - he has made centuries before, some of them big ones, two of them in Test matches - but in the manner the runs were made.

It is, of course, absurd to say Sibley should now be recalled to the England side. Yet innings like this revealed an improved technique and underlying that, the sort of humble, illusionless approach any sportsman needs if he is to recover from the setbacks that will certainly be part of his career. The late wickets taken by Lancashire with the new ball may have given their side the slightest of edges but there is little doubt whose contribution will attract the most notice when this game is reported on the media's many platforms. Sibley's "journey", to borrow the current buzz-word, might be one from which other young cricketers can learn and perhaps it began, ironically, with opting not to play for an England team.

When selected for the England Lions squad last autumn it would have been easy for Sibley to go to Australia in the hope of picking up a big hundred and somehow getting straight back in the Test team. Instead, he clearly recognised that such an approach would do little for his technical shortcomings and he opted to spend his winter mornings with Tony Frost and the other Warwickshire coaches in the Edgbaston nets, working on his balance and rebuilding a game that had come close to disintegration in two Tests against India's pace attack.

As a result, Sibley's batting is no longer an unlucky bag of technical problems. He does not fall across the line of the ball; his hands are less likely to grope out towards the off side; his attacking strokes to leg in front of square have become controlled clips rather than wild shovels. He is also playing much straighter, with his head over the ball; a fine straight drive off George Balderson was a perfect example off this modification. In short he no longer topples over like a hat-stand in a stiff breeze. His batting is characterised by commitment without compulsion.

There were sins amid all this righteousness; Sibley's 380-minute innings was chanceless but by no means faultless. Yet one only needed to recall his fraught cricket last year to realise how much has now changed. And one had to see the struggles some of his partners endured to understand the merit of his innings.

The first wicket to fall was that of Alex Davies, whose departure from Lancashire last July came as a surprise to most people at Emirates Old Trafford, maybe even, in a sense, to Davies himself. However, the opener experienced a more predictable leave-taking in the third over of the day's play when he shouldered arms to a ball from Tom Bailey and lost his off stump. Davies had already been flummoxed twice by his former colleague so one can hardly say his dismissal for an eight-ball eight-minute nought was much of a shock.

Sibley's difficulties, though, have never been of the temperamental variety and throughout the rest of the day he bore the departures of his partners with a phlegmatic shrug. Nearly an hour after Davies' dismissal, Rob Yates was bowled for 15 by a fine outswinger from Luke Wood that curved back from a middle-stump line and knocked out the off stick. The stump had barely stopped moving before Sibley had turned to the dressing room and indicated he needed new gloves. It would be wrong to interpret this as indifference to reverses; rather it revealed a determination to prepare for a new stage in his side's innings. The over after Yates was dismissed Sibley cover- and straight-drove Balderson for fours. It was hard to recall him playing the second of those strokes with comparable assurance a year ago.


Lancashire, though, are a flinty bunch of cricketers and they allowed Warwickshire few liberties in the afternoon session. Sam Hain batted very competently for his 38 runs but then turned a legspinner from Matt Parkinson into a full toss and drove it to straight to short extra-cover where Rob Jones, the substitute fielder, took the catch above his head. Will Rhodes, who seems out of sorts at present, went back to a legspinner from Parkinson when he should have gone forward and was bowled for 16.

Warwickshire came into tea on 169 for 4 and by then it was clear that the nature of the day, although not its balance, might be defined by whether or not Sibley, who was on 76, completed one of the most important centuries of his career. That matter was resolved relatively swiftly. A glanced four off Bailey and a cut off Wood took him nearer the nineties and two fours off Parkinson eased nerves. A single off Balderson brought up the landmark but Sibley acknowledged the matter in the most low-key fashion. He probably knows there is so much more to do in this match, this season and his career. Others can kiss badges if they wish.

Lancashire, though, struck the day's final important blows. Bailey, who seems never to bowl badly, had both Chris Benjamin and Michael Burgess leg before wicket, the former for a fine 47, and Hasan Ali snared Danny Briggs well caught at slip by Keaton Jennings. Sibley watched from the other end and then trudged off. Weather permitting, he will be there again tomorrow. And suddenly, it looks as though there might be a lot of fine tomorrows for him.

[themaclad]

An unbroken century partnership for the first wicket between Luke Wells and Keaton Jennings backed up some good work by the bowlers on a rain-shortened second day to give Lancashire a good platform against Warwickshire in this LV= County Championship match.

Wells and Jennings, opening together for the first time, compiled a very handy 127-run partnership before bad light and then rain ended play early at 3.50pm before the abandonment for the day at 5.20pm.

Wells looked to be in great touch, driving crisply and emphatically as he stroked 12 boundaries in his unbeaten 70 while Jennings, playing his first match of the season, was understandably much more circumspect and took time to settle in given the hamstring injury that had side-lined the left handed batter until now.



Wells reached his second half century of the season from 90 balls at the end of the 30th over with a total of 85 on the scoreboard, having produced some impressive drives through the arc between point and mid-off.

Once settled, Jennings too started to find his range, striking six fours in his unbeaten 44.



It was the perfect start to the Lancashire reply before the weather intervened after 42 overs, the ball after Wells had lofted off-spinner Rob Yates to the long-on boundary to take the total to 127 and 188 runs behind the visitors’ first innings total.

Lancashire would have been pleased to have wrapped up the Warwickshire innings inside 75 minutes for the addition of 42 runs at the start of the day.

With century-maker Dom Sibley well set the Red Rose bowlers focused their attack on the tailenders and it didn’t take long for that tactic to bear fruit as Hassan Ali had Nathan McAndrew (15) and Craig Miles (4) trapped lbw to leave the visitors on 288-9.



Last man Olly Hannon-Dalby defended well in support of Sibley who went for his shots wherever possible and the pair garnered a third batting point before Matt Parkinson (3-60) bowled Hannon-Dalby for 3 leaving Sibley stranded on 142 – the opener carrying his bat for the fourth time for the Bears – with Warwickshire 315 all out.

“The pitch is really flat and for them to choose to bat first and for us to bowl them out for 315, we’ve done really well,” was Luke Wells’ close of play assessment before going on to hail the work of the Red Rose attack.

“The bowlers have been unbelievable,” he added. “They kept coming back for second, third and fourth spells and they never let Warwickshire get a scoring rate that was threatening to us.”



“To have that extra pace of Hassan and Woody is great,” he said, “and Tom Bailey never misses top of off (stump) and Parky spins it a long way. It gives us an ability to take wickets on flat pitches and we’ve won two games on really flat tracks already this season.”

It was Hassan Ali who provided the inspiration this morning, with Wells saying: “Hassan has bowled a serious amount of overs in four matches and after bowling twenty overs yesterday he was still running in and bowling proper pace. It’s been remarkable to watch him work.”

Wells enjoyed his partnership with Keaton Jennings at the top of the order.

“I feel like I’ve batted a lot with Keats,” he said. “He’s played a lot of cricket so we keep each other quite calm out there, don’t get too flustered and it was really enjoyable.

“We call each other ‘the twins’,” he laughed. “Obviously we are both tall left-handed batters but we score in slightly different areas and our pace of play is different.



“He’s a more natural rotator and player of spin than I am, but I might score slightly quicker against certain fast bowlers. It ebbs and flows differently throughout the game.”

The deterioration of the weather provided another challenge during the afternoon.

“(Nathan) McAndrew tried to cause some problems with extra pace, banging the ball in (short) and it was quite dark,” admitted Wells. “So it was really pleasing to lose no wickets so far.”



And looking ahead to the remaining two days Wells added: “It’s a shame we lost some time today. I think we need as many deliveries as possible to try and force a result in this game. 315 is not a small total to get a long way past.”

“Hopefully we can bat once, see where we are at the back end of the day (tomorrow) and if we have an opportunity on day four to try and put their batsmen under pressure.

“But at the moment we have to take it one step at a time. “