[themaclad]

Almost bat and ball time this thread for four day stuff only

[themaclad]

Surrey OT 4 Days starts 6/4/23



Iffy weather forecast for first day, Sky TV the red ball game is back

[themaclad]

Lancashire and Surrey produced a fascinating battle on the opening day of this LV= County Championship match, with three half-centuries by the visitors’ batters in a first innings of 340-7 countering a good effort from the Red Rose attack for whom Tom Bailey took three wickets and Will Williams two.

And the picture of this opening day could have looked quite different but for a quite marvellous catch by Colin de Grandhomme in the 74th over.

Ben Foakes and Cam Steel were building an excellent sixth-wicket partnership of 75 that looked to be pushing Surrey towards a very handy first innings total. Foakes had moved serenely along through the afternoon in making an assured 76 and when the England wicketkeeper/batsman pulled Luke Wood hard towards square leg it looked likely he would be adding to his tally of seven boundaries.

De Grandhomme ended those hopes with a reflex, one-handed, diving catch to his left at square leg to claim an outstanding catch.



And when Bailey next trapped Jordan Clark lbw for 14, Lancashire had put themselves back in the ascendancy at 278-7.

But Steel found good support from Sean Abbott – whose 34 not out including a last over top-edged six over deep square leg – to even things up by the close with a positive, sometimes attacking, innings to reach the close unbeaten on 86, the pair having added 62 for the eighth wicket with the opportunity to add to that tomorrow.

The morning session went firmly Lancashire’s way with four Surrey wickets falling after Keaton Jennings had won his first toss as captain and put the visitors in to bat.

The new skipper watched from second slip as his bowlers found enough early movement to trouble all the Surrey top order.

There was an early debate whether Rory Burns had or hadn’t nicked Williams’ first delivery through the slips for four (it was given as leg byes) and then another when the Surrey captain was adjudged to have nicked Williams to wicketkeeper George Bell to depart for 1 two overs later.



Bailey trapped Ollie Pope lbw for 13 and Williams followed suit to send back Ryan Patel for 3 with both batters guilty of trying to work the ball to the leg side, and Williams having the fine figures of 2-16 from his nine over spell.

And Lancashire were jubilant when de Grandhomme claimed his maiden Lancashire wicket shortly before lunch. Dom Sibley, returning to Surrey from Warwickshire, had played some lovely shots during his first innings back in making 35, before he edged an excellent delivery from de Grandhomme that left the batsman after he had playing at it off the front foot.



That left Surrey on 77-4 but Foakes and Jamie Smith prevented any further damage before lunch before going on to produce an excellent partnership well into the afternoon.

The pair had added 87 for the fifth wicket with Smith reaching a chanceless half century until, on 54, he feathered a leg side delivery from Bailey to wicketkeeper Bell.



That was a welcome breakthrough for the Red Rose bowlers who had generally kept to a good line and length as conditions in the middle eased during the session.

Foakes and Cam Steel then steered Surrey to 196-5 at tea and the pair were building another good partnership of 75 when de Grandhomme produced his magic moment at square leg.

Hopefully more outstanding moments await tomorrow.

[themaclad]

Surrey enjoyed a good day with both bat and ball against Lancashire to put themselves in a strong position at the end of the second day of this LV= County Championship match.

A century by Cam Steel in a total of 442 was followed by a relentless bowling effort that saw Lancashire finish the day on 233-8 still 209 runs behind, Keaton Jennings top-scoring with 76.



Surrey built quickly on their overnight 340-7, adding 102 runs in 75 minutes when play resumed at a sunny Emirates Old Trafford.

Tom Bailey struck early trapping Sean Abbott lbw for 42 in the third over of the day with just eight runs added to give Lancashire just the start they wanted but Steel, aided by good support from Kemar Roach and Dan Worrall, put bat to ball in emphatic style to take Surrey to a commanding total of 442.



Steel, 84 not out overnight, hit Will Williams for a six and – two overs later – a four to midwicket to reach his first ‘ton’ for Surrey and his first century since 2018.

Lancashire enjoyed a good moment when Roach feathered an edge behind off Luke Wood from the final ball of the 110th over to end a quickfire 57-run partnership and give the Red Rose a third bowling point but Worrall then helped add a further 37 runs before being stumped by George Bell off Matt Parkinson for 18 to leave Roach 141 not out in the visitors’ commanding total of 442.



Jennings and Luke Wells successfully negotiated ten overs to reach lunch with 28 runs on the board, but Wells fell to a stunning catch, low down to his left at second slip, by Ollie Pope off Sean Abbott for 24 soon after the resumption.

Josh Bohannon struck some sweetly-timed boundaries in his 32 before playing a loose drive at spinner Steel that went straight to Abbott at extra cover to end a 65-run partnership with Jennings.

And from a reasonable position of 129-2 the new Lancashire skipper quickly became the mainstay of the innings as wickets fell regularly at the other end.



Steven Croft top edged a pull at a short ball from Sean Abbott down to Kemar Roche at fine leg for 11. Dane Vilas dragged on an attempted pull off a bottom edge against Dan Worrall for 12 before the prized wicket of Jennings was claimed by Jordan Clark who speared in a full delivery that took out the batters middle stump via his pads having made a solid 76.



That was followed by the loss of three wickets for 1 run in 7 balls after Bell edged behind for 20 and Wood chipped to Worrall at midwicket in the same Abbott over. Bailey then went first ball to Roach with Worrall taking a juggling catch at midwicket.

Further damaged was averted by a resilient partnership of 36 over the final hour of the day between Colin de Grandhomme (29 not out) and Williams (19 not out) but Lancashire face an uphill struggle tomorrow.

“We’re slightly behind the eight-ball and to be fair to Surrey they’ve played really well,” said Keaton Jennings.

“We’ve probably made some errors that we could have got away with. It’s a good opportunity to the next two days to come back and fight nice and hard,” he added.



“As you’ve seen tonight it’s still a good surface, we are 210 runs behind and hopefully Will and Col, and later Parky, can push us up towards that 150 behind and help us get a little bit of a grip in the game. We’ve got to fight and apply ourselves (from here) in order to get up near to the follow-on and hopefully go past it,” he said.

“It’s a dry Emirates Old Trafford surface and a good cricket wicket with two sides going head to head and I thought they bowled really nicely today,” said Jennings. “They had sustained pressure for periods of time.

“There’s been moments in the game that could have gone our way but haven’t,” he reflected. “So we’ve got to make sure we fight and apply ourselves over the next couple of days with the opportunity to hopefully get a nice result out of the game.“

[themaclad]

Matt Parkinson claimed his sixth five-wicket career haul and took his 150th first-class wicket while England wicketkeeper/batsman Ben Foakes scored a commanding century as Surrey set Lancashire a huge target on the third day of this LV= County Championship encounter.

Set 444 runs to win off a minimum of 107 overs, Lancashire had reached 37 without loss from 11 overs by the close and the size of the task can be demonstrated by the fact the Red Rose have only scored 400 or more three times in the fourth innings of a run chase, twice in 1910 and memorably at the Oval in 2007.

Resuming the second morning on 233-8, Lancashire enjoyed a good first hour with the bat thanks to some attacking cricket from Colin de Grandhomme well supported by Will Williams.



With three overs to be bowled before the new ball was due, Surrey opted to utilise the part time spin of Dom Sibley and de Grandhomme took advantage pulling a six and a four to square leg to put the Red Rose on the front foot.

The former Surrey all-rounder continued that positive approach to reach a debut fifty for Lancashire from 71 balls that helped add 81 valuable runs for the ninth wicket, ended when Williams was lbw to Sean Abbott’s first ball of the day for a Lancashire-best innings of 30. Aussie all-rounder Abbott finished with impressive figures 5-50 on his Surrey debut.

Dan Worrall bowled Parkinson for 5 to give Surrey a 151-run lead but skipper Burns opted not to enforce the follow-on and set about extending the lead.

With six overs to bat before lunch Will Williams struck with the last ball of the session, trapping Sibley plumb lbw for 6, and in the circumstances the Red Rose attack managed to contain the visitors’ scoring fairly effectively during the afternoon.



Matt Parkinson did most of the damage taking four wickets in the session.

Ollie Pope was the first to depart for 38, top edging a sweep that was brilliantly caught at midwicket by a diving de Grandhomme, before Ryan Patel played back fatally to his first ball to be bowled by a big spinning delivery.

Burns top-edged a sweep off Parkinson to Dane Vilas at backward short leg shortly after completing his half century, and Jamie Smith did likewise into the hands of Steven Croft at short fine leg for 13.



Those wickets help reign in the scoring rate but once again Foakes produced another excellent innings, reaching his second half century in this match off 57 balls just after the tea interval and forging another useful partnership with of 61 with Cam Steel after the break to take Surrey lead past the 400-mark.

Steel became Parkinson’s fifth – and 150th first-class – wicket after being bowled sweeping for 31 but Foakes progressed relentlessly to his century off 94 balls when sweeping the leg spinner for 4 with Surrey then declaring on 292-6, setting Lancashire a target of 444 runs from a minimum of 107 overs.

Luke Wells (28 not out) and Keaton Jennings (9 not out) steered their way through the 11 overs of Lancashire’s second innings to reach the close safely and they return at 11am tomorrow.



“I think the boys have done well today,” said Matt Parkinson.

“The gameplan was to restrict them and make them bat as long as possible, which I think we did quite well.

“The surface is good, it wasn’t really spinning from straight, a bit from round (the wicket) and I think to only have batted 11 overs tonight was good. We thought we might have to bat for 20 overs or so.



“To put the shift in today was good. I was pleased to have got some wickets. I felt the only way to restrict them and make chances was to come round the wicket into the rough, so to get five was nice. There were a few ‘burgles’ in there as well!” he laughed.

Parkinson claimed seven wickets in the first match of last season, and he said: “April is my month! I’m like an ‘anti’ spinner – I do well in April and badly in August!!” he said with a big grin.

“Surrey have played well to be fair,” he added. They batted well and they’ve got a strong line-up.

So, for them to score at the rate they did, we’re quite pleased (to have restricted them) and bat just the 11 overs.

“The target looks a long way off now, but with the line-up that we have, we’ve got a great side and it’ll be up to the batters tomorrow.”

[themaclad]

Typical 4th day wicket, dynamite needed to blast people out



A battling century by birthday boy Josh Bohannon and equally resolute half century from Steven Croft headed a great fightback by Lancashire to force a draw in this LV= County Championship match with Surrey.

The pair batted from mid-morning through to the middle of the evening session in a 173-run partnership to frustrate the visitors who had hoped to force a win following their declaration yesterday but only managed to take three wickets.



Having been set a notional target of 444 runs and starting the day on 37-0, Red Rose openers Luke Wells and Keaton Jennings started circumspectly – apart from when Wells clipped an over-pitched leg side delivery from Dan Worrall for six over square leg in the sixth over of the morning.

The opening pair were in fact progressing calmly and confidently until both were out within seven balls with the score on 65 after an hour’s play.



Jennings was bowled by Clark for 16 after chopping-on, while Wells was left hanging his head in despair after top-edging a pull off a short ball from Kemar Roach straight to Dan Worrall at fine leg to depart for 45.

That double-dismissal put a new complexion on the morning session with the now 26-year-old Bohannon and Croft producing some resolute defence to keep the newly energised Surrey attack at bay.

Bohannon had a left off when he had scored just two, Ollie Pope failing to hang on to a diving catch after the batter had edged to first slip off Sean Abbott.

Unperturbed Bohannon then square drove Abbott for four in the same over, and he went on to play some eye-catching drives off front and back foot as the day progressed to make the visitors rue their missed opportunity.



Croft provided rock solid support at the other end, and having safely reached lunch the pair steadily picked their way through the afternoon session against an increasingly demoralised visiting attack who found it hard to get any encouragement from a good pitch.

The century partnership arrived from 220 balls with, perhaps, the latter statistic the more important as Bohannon and Croft steadily worked their way through overs to reach tea on 196-2.



The arrival of the new ball seven overs after the break made little difference, save for the unexpected dismissal of Bohannon bowled for 108 by Worrall, soon after reaching a fabulous century from 173 balls that included 14 fours.

Croft remained there until the end, unbeaten on 56, with Lancashire 247-3 when the players shook hands on the draw that earned Lancashire 9 points and Surrey 12.



Josh Bohannon hailed the support he received from Steven Croft during their lengthy alliance today. “It was a great partnership,” he said, “especially given the way they bowled.”

“The pitch didn’t have much in it for the seamers, spinning was hard work due to the pace of the it, but they way we fought against an attack like that in the second innings was really good,” he added.

“Credit to our groundstaff who have managed to keep it so dry after the recent weather we’ve had. I don’t think anyone expected it to play the way it has done.



Bohannon was pleased how the team fought back second time around.

“I think it showed some learnings from the first innings where, myself included, we chucked away what could have been a first innings score. So there was some frustration from that, but we can take a lot of positives from the second innings performance.”

Bohannon admitted to a few concerns heading into 2023.

“There were a few technical things I was trying to get right, so I wasn’t in the best frame of mind before the start of the season,” he said. “But having chatted to our coaches and getting some reassurance, that’s allowed me to play quite freely and just play what’s in front of me.”



Having earned a hard-fought draw Bohannon is positive about what lies ahead.

"There are a lot of good bowlers around on the county circuit and everything is a challenge - no first-class runs are easy,” he said. “The attack with which we've come into this game shows we're in a great position and the lads are up and about, having fun and enjoying their cricket - it's a great environment to be part of at the minute. When everything clicks as a unit I think we're going to be pretty hard to beat.

"We talked all winter about how we're obviously playing really good cricket to have come second in all formats last season. There are little one per centers here and there which we are trying to get better at as a team and individuals and when we do that I think that will be the missing piece."

[themaclad]

[themaclad]

[themaclad]

ames Anderson warmed up for this summer’s Ashes by claiming the prized scalp of former England captain Sir Alastair Cook in his first LV= Insurance County Championship appearance for 11 months.


Lancashire’s decision to bat first on a straw-coloured wicket meant Anderson remained tucked up in the pavilion until required to bat shortly before tea. He made nine not out. However, England’s all-time leading wicket-taker required just three balls in Essex’s reply to collect his first wicket of the domestic season before having Cook playing forward half-cock to be judged lbw.


Anderson had struck straight away when Cook’s opening partner Nick Browne chased one that lifted outside off-stump to give catching practice to Luke Wells at first slip. Anderson finished the day with two wickets for 33 from 11 overs as Essex reached the close on 98 for three.


With almost impeccable timing, it was Sam Cook, the more than promising Essex seamer with aspirations of eventually replacing Anderson when he retires from Test cricket, who took the limelight with his first five-wicket haul of the season as Lancashire were dismissed for 207 on the stroke of tea.


Lancashire’s up-and-down innings was underpinned by 20-year-old wicketkeeper George Bell, having only his fourth Championship outing, who was ninth out for a career-best 60 from 109 balls that included 10 fours and displayed maturity beyond his years.


Not that there were too many signs early on of the sort of life that Anderson was to extract in his seven-over salvo in the evening session. Only when Essex’s overseas debutant Doug Bracewell joined the attack did a few sparks start to fly. The New Zealander had the Lancashire upper-order ducking and weaving, and Josh Bohannon had to watch one pass just under his throat.


However, on a fresh and breezy April day that had Harmer standing at second slip almost incognito inside a snood that covered the lower part of his face, it was a rejuvenated Jamie Porter who made the initial breakthrough. Porter took just 19 Championship wickets last year but needed just 10 balls to raise his 10th of this season when he had Luke Wells strangled down legside.


Keaton Jennings seemed to find plenty of time against the Essex pace attack and walked down the wicket to pat away the majority of deliveries faced. However, Adam Rossington clocked the move and crept closer to the stumps and duly profited as Jennings wafted at one to give Cook his first wicket. Jennings had weighed anchor for 36 minutes for the single next to his name.


However, it was the introduction of Bracewell that blasted a hole in the Lancashire batting. He was soon celebrating his first Essex wicket when Steven Croft drove at one outside off-stump and was grabbed at shoulder-height by Harmer. The same partnership accounted for Bohannon, fencing at another wide ball with Harmer taking a smart one-handed catch.


Two quick wickets fell straight after lunch when Cook was brought back into the attack. First Vilas was pinned in front playing down the wrong line, and five balls later Colin de Grandhomme was similarly undone and lost his off-stump.


Bell and Tom Hartley steadied the ship with a 67-run seventh-wicket stand. Hartley survived two dropped-catch chances to record a 50-ball 33 that included five fours and a six before he attempted to reverse-sweep Harmer and exited lbw.


Bell lost another partner when Tom Bailey pushed Bracewell to midwicket and Porter’s direct throw beat him to the non-striker’s end. The youngster followed two overs later, victim of the Cook-Cook alliance before Cook the bowler wrapped up the innings to finish with figures of five for 42.


The elder Cook drove Anderson crisply to the midwicket boundary three balls before he perished. Essex were three down in the next over when Tom Westley misjudged a ball from Will Williams and was another lbw victim.


Dan Lawrence (39) and Matt Critchley (23) saw Essex to stumps with an unbroken half-century partnership.

[themaclad]

A successful morning with the ball in hand from Lancashire's bowling attack and hard graft in the evening from the red rose batters leaves the round two LV= Insurance County Championship match nicely poised at Chelmsford.

Essex all-rounder Matt Critchley (78) continued his intriguing joust with England paceman James Anderson, who otherwise had Critchley’s team-mates jumping and weaving while taking two more wickets to return figures of four for 70.

Critchley was last man out for 78 from 154 balls to follow scores of 55 and 53 in last week’s win at Lord’s against Middlesex. It enabled Essex to post 219 and eke out a 12-run advantage that at one time in the day looked beyond them.

When a combination of bad light and drizzle curtailed play with 27 overs remaining, Lancashire’s unbeaten second-wicket pair of Keaton Jennings (45) and Josh Bohannon (28) had swung the pendulum back towards the visitors who hold a 70-run lead.

Anderson had been almost unplayable in the first hour under slate-grey clouds as he extracted pace and movement from a pitch that had other looking like mere mortals. One ball was so full of life and pace that it beat wicketkeeper George Bell’s extravagant dive and raced away for four byes.



England hopeful Dan Lawrence had looked comfortable enough against Anderson on the previous evening but failed to add to his overnight 39 when he fended the fifth ball of the morning into slip’s hands.

Adam Rossington – who later gave up the wicketkeeping gloves in Lancashire’s second innings to Michael Pepper after damaging a hand – lasted just eight balls before he gave a thick edge to another lifter from Anderson and Luke Wells held on above his right shoulder.

A third Essex wicket fell in the first half-an-hour when Simon Harmer on nought fenced at Tom Bailey and Wells snaffled again at first slip.

Critchley, who had struggled for consistency last season after his move from Derbyshire, continued to hold up the other end and reached his latest fifty from 100 balls. He played first fiddle in a seventh-wicket stand of 43 in 12 overs with Doug Bracewell, though he was fortunate when dropped by Wells on 53.

The enterprising partnership ended when Bracewell chased a wide ball from fellow New Zealander Will Williams and became the fourth slip catch of the morning session.

When Anderson was rested after a six-over burst worth two for 20, it gave Essex some respite and Critchley took advantage by nonchalantly angling Williams past the slips for one of his nine fours.

When Anderson did return after the first of three rain breaks, there was not the same venom or spite in his deliveries. Indeed, tail-ender Sam Cook played two controlled drives to the third-man boundary off England’s premier strike bowler in a pleasing cameo worth 20.

The eighth-wicket pair put on 38 valuable runs that took Essex beyond Lancashire’s first-innings total of 209, but it ended when Cook dollied Colin de Grandhomme to midwicket. Essex were all out soon after when Critchley holed out to deep extra cover to give Williams a third wicket.

Lancashire had reached equality when Wells departed for his second single-digit score of the game, going half-forward to Jamie Porter and being judged lbw.

However, that brought Bohannon in to join Jennings and the pair patiently pieced together a half-century stand in 16 overs that was embroidered by some loose bowling from Bracewell, who was taken off after conceding a combined total of 24 runs from his third and fourth overs.