Briggs 3 Wickets Highlight of Last Day

Hampshire take 10 points as game peters into a draw.

Hampshire v Lancashire
LV= County Championship
Start: Thursday 29th July 2010
The Rose Bowl 

Summary: Day Four
Match drawn
Lancashire: 283 & 351-6d
Hampshire: 369 

Despite Dominic Cork’s best efforts to attack the Lancashire batsmen, the fourth day of the LV= County Championship meandered to a predictable draw despite three wickets from Danny Briggs. Hampshire gained 10 points from their four days of hard labour.

Hampshire’s intention to try to force a win was apparent from the first overs, with James Tomlinson and Cork bowling to fields so attacking that it was hard to see daylight between the ranks of fielders in the slips and gully area. But Lancashire’s batting was as defensive as Hampshire’s bowling was aggressive and the first hour yielded only 30 runs.

The breakthrough came in David Balcombe’s first over when he had Mark Chilton caught behind for a 230 ball 47. His departure and Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s arrival hardly upped the pace and the West Indian was dismissed for 11 when he looped a shot off Danny Briggs to Michael Lumb fielding at short leg. In the meantime his partner, Tom Smith, had reached his century, moving from 90 to 101 in one remarkable over before becoming becalmed for the next half hour and going in to lunch on 103.

Click here to see a full scorecard

Lancashire started the afternoon session on 195 for 3. Cork delayed to new ball and his decision paid off when Briggs and Lumb struck again, Steven Croft losing his wicket in exactly the same way as Chanderpaul. When a further five overs yielded nothing more Cork decided to take the new ball but he and Tomlinson went wicketless as the draw moved from highly likely to inevitable.

Briggs got his third wicket of the innings when Smith (124) miscued and the ball spiralled high into the air, eventually landing in Jimmy Adams’ safe hands for Smith’s highest First Class score. At tea Lancashire were 296 for 5 and it seemed everyone was waiting for the captains to shake hands 50 minutes after the break.

Michael Carberry was brought on to bowl with Briggs in the final session. They managed a further wicket between them, when Luke Sutton holed out to Carberry to be caught by Briggs at deep square leg.

But the day was to end with a modicum of drama when the inevitable declaration was delayed as Gareth Cross had crept to 95 en route for his maiden First Class century. His reverse pull to 99 was almost taken by Tomlinson then he took a single off the last ball of the 75th over to reach his ton. Moments later Cork and Glenn Chapple shook hands and the game was over, with Hampshire earning 10 points and Lancashire 7.

Words: Jane Cable
 

Day Three

Summary: Day Three
Lancashire lead by 20 runs
Lancashire: 283 & 106-1
Hampshire: 369

Rain delayed the start of the third day at The Rose Bowl but the muggy, overcast weather did eventually move on and play resumed at around half past twelve.

Sajid Mahmood opened proceedings and looked to take full advantage of the conditions; some lovely pace bowling that continued to swing in towards the young Michael Bates. But the 19 year old, fresh from an accomplished display in the t20, combated any early movement with well-executed flicks off leg stump.

Having moved past 300 the visitors’ breakthrough came from the bowling of Glen Chapple who’s wonderful delivery resulted in Bates leaving for 7. 

Lancashire continued to pile on the pressure but by lunch Hampshire looked settled on 334-8 despite a large shout for LBW with Cork only 12 away from his half century.

That landmark came in the 7th over after the break with a sweet single through the covers. However Keedy’s controlled and disciplined bowling was rewarded with the wicket of Tomlinson (19) who edged to Paul Horton at first slip. From there on any score near to 370 would be a bonus. And 369 would be the final score; Cork certainly the day’s pick of the batsmen with 54 not out.

Dominic Cork ensured Hampshire's tail wagged with an unbeaten 54

With 52 overs of the day remaining, and another day of cricket to play, Lancashire needed 86 runs to draw level with Hampshire’s first innings score.

However the partnership seen between Cork and Tomlinson when batting had carried over to the bowling side of the game with very few runs given away by either of the pair. And Tomlinson’s confidence continued to grow when he dismissed Horton for only five runs from 12 balls. The pair went on to enjoy an eight over spell, giving away only 13 runs in the process.

David Balcombe and Danny Briggs were bought on in order to bring variation between pace and spin. And it looked to be paying off, with both bowling a good line and length and only the third boundary in the Lancashire innings coming in the form of a hefty six over mid wicket to make it 43-1. But the Royals kept their cool until tea, where the away side were pondering how to up the run rate from a measly two an over in order to at least draw level with Hampshire’s first innings.

The evening session brought with it blue skies and sunshine, however this still couldn’t inspire the away side to build on their second innings total as Hampshire remained faultless.

By the 40th over Lancashire had at last matched Hampshire’s first innings total but could do little more. They end the day on 106-1 and Hampshire needing a big breakthrough in the morning to try to force the result.

Words: Sam Cook

Day Two

Summary
Hampshire lead by 4 runs
Lancashire: 283
Hampshire: 287-6

Having knocked over Lancashire’s tail quickly, on the second day of this LV=CC match Hampshire spent most of the afternoon tied down by the visitors’ spinners.

It took just five overs for Hampshire captain Dominic Cork to knock over Lancashire’s tail for a further 21 runs. With Simon Kerrigan caught by Jimmy Adams in the slips and Gary Keedy comprehensively castled, the visitors finished with 283 and Hampshire had snared 3 bowling points with relative ease.

***

The Hampshire innings started badly when Michael Carberry was bowled by Glenn Chapple for nought third ball. Chapple is undoubtedly Carberry’s Rose Bowl nemesis as the last time he bowled to him here, in 2008, he had him for nought third ball in both innings.

After a careful look at Lancashire’s opening bowlers Adams and Michael Lumb got down to business with well judged singles and classy boundaries moving the score to 63 for 1 at lunch. There was only one alarm, when keeper Luke Sutton juggled and dropped Adams on 18. It proved to be an expensive mistake.

The first hour of the afternoon session continued in the same vein until Lumb top edged Sajid Mahmood to Kerrigan for 48 and was warmly applauded back to the pavilion by the Hampshire members. Neil McKenzie joined Adams and they slowly rebuilt the innings’ momentum until Chapple brought Keedy on at the Northern End to join Kerrigan and runs began to dry up. Keedy was the more dangerous of the pair and Adams became his first victim when he top edged a sweep shot behind for 72.
 

Jimmy Adams top scored on day two with 72

At tea Hampshire were 179 for 3 and Keedy struck again immediately afterwards when McKenzie (33) attempted a paddle sweep which was caught by Chilton at leg slip. For the next fifteen overs James Vince and Sean Ervine found themselves pinned down by the Lancashire spinners but in the last half hour before the new ball they broke away somewhat and upped the scoring rate.

It was part-timer Steven Croft who broke the partnership when, having gone for 10 runs in his first over, he trapped Vince lbw for 33 in his second, leaving Hampshire on 255 for 5. His dismissal brought Michael Bates to the crease for his first Championship innings – a lesson in patience and defence, as Lancashire took the new ball at the earliest opportunity.

Eventually he was off the mark for a single off Mahmood hit firmly and crisply into the ground. But not before Ervine was dismissed for 56 by Chapple, having first plundered the new ball for 9 runs in a couple of overs.

Hampshire nudged in front before the umpires called bad light in the 85th over. At 287 for 6 the home team are still in a good position to build on their slender lead when they resume tomorrow, with Bates on 5 and Cork on 8.

Words: Jane Cable, Images: Neil Marshall

Day One 

Summary
Lancashire lead by 262 runs
Lancashire: 262-8

A promising morning session for the Hampshire bowling attack was suppressed by a second commanding performance from Lancashire’s new signing, Shivnarine Chanderpaul in as many games.

The West Indian scored his first century for the club having fallen just eight runs short of the mark against Durham on his debut last week.

It was a shame for Hampshire, who had bowled well to limit the visitors to 65-3 at lunch.

Lancashire had won the toss and elected to bat first – a decision that always seemed an unusual one, given that overcast conditions appeared to suggest the ball could move about quite a lot. And so it proved as openers Paul Horton (21) and Tom Smith (2) struggled to get off the mark at all, reaching the princely sum of 4 runs in 7 overs by the time the latter was caught behind by Michael Bates off James Tomlinson.

It marked a maiden First-Class wicket for the young keeper whose performances continue to look assured and intelligent in all forms of the game. And it wouldn’t be the last time Bates would be called into action as Mark Chilton (17) pushed forward, edging Sean Ervine into Bates' lap.

At this point Ervine was looking particularly impressive, even in a bowling attack that was keeping things very tight indeed. At lunch, the Zimbabwean went in having conceded just 4 runs from a 6 overs that had included 5 maidens and, of course, the aforementioned wicket.

Lancashire, who appeared to lose Luke Proctor to injury in the warm-up (meaning a great deal of confusion immediately before the toss) somehow came off looking even more dishevelled than they had coming on!

Shivnarine Chanderpaul scored 118 to steady Lancashire's middle order

In the next session, they calmed themselves down thanks, in no small part, to a clever innings from Chanderpaul, who looks good when the ball is seaming around. Having first taken the sting out of Hampshire’s pacemen, he moved to his half century with a minimum of fuss, before guiding his team through the 150 mark.

The hosts reverted to spin and aggressive fielding and Danny Briggs and Michael Carberry were brought into the attack. Briggs had some success, bowling Steven Croft (41) then being cut by Gareth Cross (4) to Bates, but could do nothing to get rid of the West Indian. At tea The Red Rose’s innings was beginning to bloom with a more respectable 170-5.

Indeed the home fans would remain frustrated as the evening drew towards 5 o clock with Chanderpaul and Luke Sutton (29) remaining at the crease. They had time to make it to 200 before the latter was caught by Vince at first slip, slashing at a David Balcombe delivery outside off stump.

Then, four hours and 242 deliveries since entering the action, Chanderpaul brought up his century with his thirteenth 4, this one calmly ushered to fine leg.

Although home captain, Dominic Cork would eventually see Chanderpaul off for 118, and his opposite number, Glen Chapple with around an hour left of play, the visitors managed to see out the rest of the evening, finishing on 262-8. The hosts will be looking to claim the final two wickets quickly in the morning to give themselves the best possible chance of posting a big score on day two.

Words: Simon Vincent, Images: Barry Zee / Getty Images

 

Day Three

 

Back to news