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Less than 2 weeks to go

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Surrey OT 5/4/2024 4 Days

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DAY 1

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Josh Bohannon top-scored with 84 but Lancashire were hit by career-best hauls from Dan Lawrence and Cam Steel as Surrey’s spinners combined to bowl the Red Rose side out for 202 when this opening Vitality County Championship match finally got underway after lunch on the second day, following the opening day washout.

Lancashire looked to be in good position at 150-2 but then lost eight wickets for 52 runs inside 18 overs during the final hour of play. With five overs to bat, Surrey reached the close on 11 without loss to trail by 191 runs on a fast-moving and eventful day.

Bohannon produced a mature, patient innings to keep the defending champions attack at bay after Rory Burns won the toss and opted to bowl on a day where the strong winds that swept across the ground made for less-than-ideal conditions. The leading run scorer in Division One last season, Bohannon picked up where left off moving steadily to reach his half century from 89 balls before hitting two straight sixes off leg spinner Lawrence and passing 4,000 first-class runs for Lancashire in the process.



Lawrence, however, went on to have a big say in the latter stages of the day when he snared Bohannon courtesy of a great reaction catch by Jamie Smith at short leg and then trapped Matty Hurst lbw first ball. Tom Bruce hit a six off Steel but became Lawrence’s fourth wicket after nicking a catch to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes.

Steel (5-25) then removed Tom Aspinwall, Tom Bailey, Will Williams and Nathan Lyon in quick succession as wickets tumbled during the final hour with Lancashire slipping disastrously from 150-2 to 202 all out.

Lancashire handed debuts to overseas signings Lyon and Bruce with 20-year-old all-rounder Aspinwall making his first-class debut while Surrey had Lawrence making his debut following his winter move from Essex.



And it was Lawrence, brought into the attack as early as the tenth over, who made an early breakthrough when play finally got under way at 1.10pm. The leg spinner, having launched a full toss the ball before, readjusted his length and clung on to a good catch low to his left when Keaton Jennings drove firmly back up the wicket having made 11.

That wicket fell with the score on 26 but Bohannon and Luke Wells put up good resistance in the face of some accurate Surrey bowling to add 67 runs inside 30 overs. Having driven and pulled to good effect, Wells departed just before tea for 40 after pulling Tom Lawes high to the midwicket boundary where Lawrence took a nicely judged catch.



Bohannon and George Balderson continued in similar vein after the break with another good 57-run alliance across 23.4 overs, Balderson compiling a steady 21 but bowled by a sharply turning leg break from Steel’s fifth delivery midway through the evening session.

That wicket heralded the start of the late evening collapse that put a completely different spin on the day’s proceedings.



“We were good for the majority (of today) and it’s pretty obvious we got it wrong for period at the end,” said Josh Bohannon.

“That’s going to happen at the start of the season. People are finding their feet and, in a way, it’s good that it happens now and not later down the line.

“We talked at tea about how we’d just lost a wicket before the break so me and George (Balderson) had to do a bit of hard work after and earn the right to push on. It was a pitch that was quite hard to pierce the field.

“It didn’t quite go as planned, but that’s the game.”



“There’s enough (spin) out there, it was pretty consistent, and there’s bounce which will be really good for Nathan,” he added.

“He’s going to play a massive role for us if we can get quite a bit more cricket played in this fixture. We’ve got one of the best spinners in the world and one starting his international career who is getting better by the day. It’s going to be really exciting to watch – especially for me at short-leg!

“It will be really good if we can get some more cricket in tomorrow. Hopefully, the weather holds off for us.

“We are looking at how we can get a result in potentially two and a half days. There’s enough tackiness in the pitch which is pretty similar to our nets and both Nathan and Tommy bowled beautifully there this week, that’s why we chose the team we did.”



And Bohannon was pleased to have got runs but disappointed to have missed out on reaching three figures.

“It was nice to get out there and get a feel for the surface again, and play against a really good bowling attack,” he said.

“To start the season off with eighty-odd is really pleasing. It was also gutting (to get out) because I pride myself on getting big hundreds and felt my dismissal was a little soft. But there were lots of positives too and hopefully there many more to come.”

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DAY 4




MATCH ABANDONED

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Vitality County Championship Division One, Utilita Bowl (day two)
Hampshire: 367: Dawson 86, Prest 85; Lyon 3-110
Lancashire: 233-4: Jennings 85*, Wells 55
Hampshire (4 pts) lead Lancashire (3pts) by 134 runs

DAY 1

Hampshire edged day one of the Vitality County Championship clash against Lancashire at the Utilita Bowl, with Tom Prest top scoring with 85 - whilst Nathan Lyon opened his account for the Red Rose.

Prest was one of four half-century makers for the hosts – with Nick Gubbins, James Vince and Liam Dawson also reaching the milestone as Hampshire totted up 305 for six in front of their highest first-day-of-the-season crowd from over a decade.

Nathan Lyon picked up his first two wickets for Lancashire during a mammoth 32-over day which yielded two for 97.



Skipper Vince won the toss and chose to bat first, giving debutant Ali Orr an immediate chance to impress the Hampshire supporters after his winter move from Sussex.

His collaboration with new opening partner Fletcha Middleton may need some work after the latter was run out in the ninth over by a George Balderson direct hit after a miscommunication.

Orr departed four overs later when Tom Bailey cut him in two with a wicked in-jagger to be caught behind, but from there, Hampshire found more fluency and built partnerships in overcast conditions.

Vince had come off a winter of seemingly endless white ball cricket, taking him from Abu Dhabi to Australia, Dubai to Pakistan.

SCORECARD

He ended last season’s Championship campaign – one where he become Hampshire’s first batter to 1,000 first-class runs since 2016 – with 56 and began the new campaign in identical fettle.

It was a look down and you missed it half-century, coming up in 62 balls but with hardly a shot in anger. It obviously included a cover drive but otherwise kept the ball on a string to ease his side from danger in an 84-run stand with Gubbins, taking the score away from the worrying 26 for two.

Gubbins, who had scored twin centuries on Lancashire’s previous trip to Utilita Bowl, unfurled his typically aesthetic yet steady knock to provide the foil for Vince before helping Prest lay the foundations for his innings.



Australian spinner Lyon had been due to play for Hampshire in 2020 before Covid prevented him from arriving. His maiden first-class outing on what would have been his home ground saw him strike in his seventh over as Vince tamely turned to leg-slip.

Lyon was given the lone front-line spinner furrow, with England left-armer Tom Hartley left out having played in the rain-affected draw against Surrey. The 36-year-old also lured Gubbins into a drive to edge behind three balls after reaching a 112-run 50 but the most intriguing passage of the day was Lyon’s battle with 21-year-old Prest.

It began with a sharp chance at short-leg, which was followed by a maiden over where every ball landed on the same spot, before Prest reposted with a pair of reverse sweeps. The battle would conclude with 33 runs and 34 dots in 51 balls – including the day’s only maximum on the slog sweep.



Prest is one to watch this season after his maiden century in the penultimate fixture of last season, where he took down Simon Harmer in style.

His 76-ball fifty oozed quality and underlined his tag but fell short of a century when he gloved a sweep to slip, three balls after Lyon had dropped a difficult chance on the dive. It ended a 93-run alliance with Dawson.

Ben Brown fell soon after when Will Williams secured an edge to third slip with the second new ball but Dawson made it a quartet of fifty-makers with an unbeaten 61 – although was dropped on 51 before the close.

DAY 2

Keaton Jennings struck his first Vitality County Championship half-century of the season as his Lancashire side put in a strong showing on day two against Hampshire at the Utilita Bowl.
He totted up 85 with only one dropped catch as a blemish in an otherwise authoritative innings, with his opening partner reaching 55.

Lancashire ended the day on 233 for four, 134 runs behind Hampshire’s first innings total on a placid Ageas Bowl pitch.

Having bowled Hampshire out for what felt like an about-par 367, Wells and Jennings made hay in good batting conditions.



Mohammad Abbas’ battle with Wells was intriguing, with the Pakistan fast bowler sending down 16 challenging dot balls before the batter could manoeuvre himself off strike.

And from that point, the former Sussex opener slowly put himself on top of the home side’s bowling attack to rush towards his first half-century of the season.

He found straight driving particularly profitable as he needed just 65 balls to reach the milestone – the 68th fifty of his career.

Wells fell to end an 87-run partnership, of which he had notched up 55 when he clipped Abbas to Tom Prest at short midwicket – in doing so becoming the fifth batter to 50 but not 100.



Jennings was far less aggressive in his approach but never looked in too much danger as the Kookaburra ball quickly went soft.

His main approach to the lack of pace in the pitch by batting further and further out his crease, with Lancashire’s general tactic of hitting down the ground, in opposition to Hampshire’s square domination.

Jennings was dropped at point on 36 by Nick Gubbins, who lost his trousers in the process, before slowly closing in on 57th first-class half-century – which eventually arrived in 122 balls.

Josh Bohannon made 30 out of 38 with Bohannon before chopping James Fuller onto his own stumps, after a big build-up of pressure from the Pavilion End – started by Kyle Abbott and continued by Fuller.

Jennings then teamed up with George Balderson in an 86-run stand which appeared to be never ending and provide the backdrop for a first innings lead.



But Balderson held out to deep midwicket for 38 before Tom Bruce was brilliantly caught at first slip by Liam Dawson to give Holland two wickets in two balls to turn the momentum.

George Bell narrowly avoided edging the hat-trick ball before surviving to the close with Jennings.

Earlier, Hampshire added 62 runs to their overnight score as they extended their first innings by an hour and a half, with three batting points pocketed.

Dawson had gone to bed on 61 having begun his season in the sort of form that 2023 was remembered for, and continued to tick along with Ian Holland and James Fuller in 38 and 45 run partnerships.

Baring a little scamper to reach 350 in plenty of time – which included Dawson pulling Will Williams for a maximum – there was hardly any deviation from a placid tempo.



Holland fell leg before to Williams before Fuller edged a drive off Luke Wells to a helmeted Keaton Jennings at first slip, while Dawson fell for an innings-high 86 by a smart catch behind off Tom Bailey. It meant none of Hampshire’s four fifty makers were able to convert to three figures.

Nathan Lyon completed the innings when Kyle Abbott was caught at long on by Jennings – the Australian ending with three for 110 from a backbreaking 38.1 overs.

From then on in, Lancashire bedded in and made the most of a pitch and ball that was suited for patient long-form batting.

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Hampshire: 367 & 39-2: Williams 2-12
Lancashire: 484: Jennings 172, Bell 99; Dawson 4-156
Hampshire (4 pts) trail Lancashire (5 pts) by 78 runs

Keaton Jennings quickly disproved a Utilita Bowl jinx with a fine century to ease Lancashire into a large first-innings lead over Hampshire.
Five batters – Nick Gubbins, James Vince, Tom Prest, Liam Dawson and Luke Wells – had scored fifties without converting to three figures in the first fixture at the newly renamed ground.

But Jennings turned his overnight 85 into 172 with barely a moment out of shape, 21-year-old George Bell brilliantly accompanied him – but he was left cursing himself after running himself out for 99, with a maiden first-class century at his fingertips.

Lancashire were eventually bowled out for 484 – with Liam Dawson picking up four for 156 – boasting a 117-run lead. Hampshire lost two wickets to Will Williams before the close as they reached 39 for two.



Neither the pitch nor the Kookaburra ball have assisted the bowlers in any way shape or form, but batters have been able to make hay at the Utilita Bowl.

The only time Jennings had not looked at ease during his seven-and-a-half-hour vigil had been on day two when he was dropped at point, when on 36, by Nick Gubbins.

Otherwise, it was a 360-degree showcase of his skills, with the lack of movement from the fast bowlers not troubling him, and his renowned brilliance against spin made threats low.

Jennings reached his 28th first-class century in 234 balls with an effortless cover drive as he and Bell eased through the morning session.



In fact, Hampshire’s solitary moment of joy came when they thought James Fuller had produced an edge out of Jennings, but their celebrations were cut short by the lack of the umpire’s finger.

Jennings moved through 150 – something six of his last seven red ball centuries have done – with Lancashire reaching 350 before the bonus points ended. That point will mean Lancashire will take one extra point if this ends in a draw.

The 40th over of the day finally ended the 166-run stand between Jennings and Bell, as Dawson pinned Jennings while he played a reverse sweep.



Bell was largely risk-averse throughout his innings but showed he was capable of driving attractively and adeptly finding gaps.

He wouldn’t be rushed with his 50 coming in 132 balls, with a century seeming inevitable – despite seeing Dawson have Matthew Hurst caught at first slip and Tom Bailey leg before, having previously stood his ground after James Vince wrongfully claimed a catch.



The only time he looked skittish was in the 90s and taking off for a single – when one was needed for a fine first ton. A run was never really in the offering, something Jack Blatherwick recognised and sent him back but too late for Ian Holland to directly hit from point.

Dawson’s tireless twirling away for 49 overs concluded by bowling Will Williams, before Fuller claimed his second of the innings when Blatherwick edged behind.

In 21 twilight overs under the lights, all of the visiting bowlers beat the bat countless times, but were rewarded with a pair of wickets.



Williams tickled a defending Fletcha Middleton’s outside edge and a swishing Ali Orr to give Lancashire hope of forcing a final day victory.

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DAY 4

Hampshire: 367 & 179-4: Gubbins 69*, Prest 45*; Williams 2-26, Lyon 2-47
Lancashire: 484: Jennings 172, Bell 99; Dawson 4-156
Hampshire (12pts) drew with Lancashire (13pts)

Nick Gubbins batted out the final day to make sure Hampshire and Lancashire drew their Vitality County Championship fixture at the Utilita Bowl – and maintained the visitors’ unbeaten record on the ground.
Gubbins added an unbeaten 69 to his first innings 50 in a four-and-a-half-hour vigil to nullify any threat of a Hampshire collapse and a result – with James Vince and Tom Prest equally stubborn in their resistance.

Lancashire picked up one extra point to Hampshire’s 12, with both sides shaking off their rain-affected openers with more shared points.

It did however extend the Red Roses’ record of not losing a first-class away match at Hampshire to 35 years – with the last home success coming at Portsmouth in 1989.

Any hopes of Lancashire forcing a result by blowing away Hampshire quickly were kyboshed by no play possible in the morning due to a rain shower which left the run-ups temporarily unusable.

In all 24 overs were lost from the day before the visitors set about hoping to add the final eight wickets to avoid the otherwise inevitable draw in strong winds.

George Bell had spoken the previous evening about how excited he has been for fielding at short leg to Lyon, despite being in the firing line for the angle the ball is turning.

He got his wish to share a line on the scorecard with the legendary Australian spinner when nightwatchman Kyle Abbott clipped the 16th ball of the day to the 21-year-old under the helmet.

Any chance of the hosts collapsing from that point ended with Gubbins and James Vince occupying the crease for the next two hours – and in Gubbins’ case, beyond.

Lyon, who had claimed three first-inning wickets in 38 overs, tried everything to spark a flurry of wickets with the Kookaburra ball.

He teased Vince with different flights – tempting the Hampshire skipper to almost hole out of long on – he flirted with front pads and he created his own rough at either end of the pitch so he could have a patch to aim at wherever he was bowling.

His battle with Vince also saw the batted bottom edge a sweep, which trickled past his stumps.
Finally, Lyon made an unlikely turn towards BazBall for inspiration when he tried the trick of switching the bails. It turns out that specific magic can only be conjured by Stuart Broad.

More Lancashire tricks of a 7-2 leg-side field and Tom Bailey bowling spin to the left-handed Gubbins and his usual pace to the right-handed Vince, also didn’t produce returns.

Vince and Gubbins were steadfast in their 66-run partnership to showcase their large amount of Championship experience.

Both had scored half-centuries in the first innings, although Vince failed to reach the landmark in the second dig as Lyon pinned his lbw to dismiss him in both innings.

Gubbins scored twin centuries the last time Lancashire came to the Utilita Bowl in 2019. He half-replicated that with twin half-centuries, this time coming in 135 balls.

Tom Prest, another first-innings fifty-maker, simply continued where Vince left off – although was unafraid to plonk half-trackers over the ropes for six to end up unbeaten on 45.

The inevitable handshakes came at 16:50 BST, after a short rain delay, to signal the draw.

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Lancashire 146: Snater 4-42, Cook 3-18
Essex 68-1: Khushi 53
Essex (3 pts) trail Lancashire (0 pts) by 78 runs

Shane Snater rediscovered the form with the ball that deserted him last season on a rain-shortened day at Chelmsford.

The Zimbabwe-born Dutch international blasted out the top three in the Lancashire order at a personal cost of one run before returning to add a fourth for figures of 4-42.

Snater took just eight expensive wickets in an injury-ravaged campaign last year, having taken a combined 67 in the two previous seasons. He now has 10 wickets in three Vitality County Championship matches this April.

He was ably supported by fellow seamer Sam Cook, who managed to marry both hostility and parsimony to finish with 3-18 from 14 overs, as Lancashire were 146 all out. In 12 overs under the floodlights, Feroze Khushi refused to hang about with nine fours in a whirlwind 53 from 33 balls as Essex knocked off 68 of the deficit for the loss of his wicket, caught in the slips off George Balderson.

A mid-morning downpour encouraged Essex captain Tom Westley to ask Lancashire to bat on a green-tinged wicket and local knowledge proved decisive inside the 45 minutes possible before lunch once Snater had been introduced.



The seamer removed Keaton Jennings to a magnificent flying catch in the gulley by Matt Critchley in his first over, and trapped the freewheeling Luke Wells plumb lbw in the next.

Wells had plundered 13 runs – including a straight-driven four and a six flicked off his legs – in a Jamie Porter over that led to the bowler’s departure from the attack after conceding 22 runs from three overs.

The brief morning session completed, the players had barely reached the pavilion for lunch when the latest April shower lengthened the interval by more than an hour and three-quarters. When they did return in mid-afternoon, Josh Bohannon faced just nine more scoreless balls before he edged Snater and Dean Elgar took a stunning one-handed catch low down at first slip.

Cook bowled unchanged for nearly two of the truncated sessions and gained reward in his ninth over when Balderson failed to withdraw his bat in time and was caught behind.



George Bell hit two of his four career half-centuries at Chelmsford last season, and added a high of 99 against Hampshire last week, but Snater’s first ball after tea had him bang to rights in front of his stumps for just four. However, his one scoring stroke in 22 balls had been a sumptuous straight drive that was arguably the most aesthetic shot of the day.

The Lancashire slide continued apace when Matty Hurst hung his bat out to Cook and was a second victim for wicketkeeper Michael Pepper. Tom Bruce got a leading edge to chip Porter to mid-on before 19-year-old Noah Thain claimed a wicket on debut with his third ball in first-class cricket when Tom Bailey steered to second slip.

However, the ninth-wicket partnership between Jack Blatherwick and Will Williams proved to be the biggest of the innings, helping to repair the damage of 92-8 with some lusty hitting.



With a six apiece, the pair put on fifty in 36 balls before Blatherwick went for another heave to Simon Harmer’s second ball of the game and holed out on the long-leg boundary. Cook wrapped up the innings when he had Nathan Lyon held at point to leave Williams not out on 32.