Preview: Lancashire Vs. Somerset LVCC

Trescothick has been in good form for Somerset this season.

After a break from the four-day competition, Lancashire will host Somerset where they hope to carry the momentum from their limited overs success into their Championship campaign.

As is often the case, the Natwest T20 Blast presented Lancashire with the opportunity to regain some confidence and after achieving four successive victories in this format they are top of the North Group.

Spirits appear to be high at Emirates Old Trafford, a position that has been enhanced by the arrival of Andrew Flintoff, but survival in the Championship remains a priority for Lancashire.

Their last match of the County Championship against Yorkshire ended in a draw, but the Red Rose finished the match with the greatest cause to believe that they could win, before rain brought the match to a premature close.

Lancashire may have finally found form at the ideal time, but there is still room for improvement with the bat, despite achieving their highest first-innings total of the season.

Somerset have, by all accounts, exceeded expectation in the Championship this season and are the only team in Division One not to have lost a match so far. The experience of Marcus Trescothick has been crucial to their success, having scored 416 runs at an average of 52.00.

The visitors were also subjected to poor weather in the last match after amassing an imposing first-innings total of 411 at home to Warwickshire and would also like to believe that they could have converted this position into a win.

With that in mind, both teams will be hungry for success and if the weather does not intervene, this has the potential to be a highly competitive encounter.

Key men:

Lancashire:

Smith has been in fantastic form across all three formats.

Tom Smith is in the form of his life with both bat and ball and continues to be the most valuable player in the Lancashire team. After falling to 183-6 in the Roses match, his fourth half-century of the season led a late-order surge as Glen Chapple and Kyle Hogg helped Lancashire to reach their highest first-innings total of the season.

With the ball he was equally destructive and his second five-wicket haul of the season gave Lancashire a useful lead of 82 runs, one that may have developed into a tough run chase for Yorkshire if the weather had not intervened. Smith now has 20 wickets, making him the highest wicket-taker for Lancashire so far this season. He has also accumulated 355 runs, which puts him in second place behind Paul Horton (388).

Somerset:

Marcus Trescothick has been a crucial member of this Somerset side as both a leader and a batsman. Before the start to the season, many will have put Somerset amongst those who would have been consider as ‘relegation candidates’, but Trescothick has led his team towards the top of the table, as he continues to prove his critics wrong with his personal contributions.

He has accumulated 416 runs in eight Championship innings and is one of only a handful of batsmen to have registered two centuries in the four-day campaign. Trescothick, 38, applies himself to all three formats of the game with a professional temperament and there are few players that can boast to have scored over 21,000 first-class runs.

Lancashire team: Glen Chapple (captain), Andrea Agathangelou, Karl Brown, Steven Croft, Alex Davies (wicketkeeper), Kyle Hogg, Paul Horton, Kabir Ali, Simon Kerrigan, Stephen Parry, Ashwell Prince, Tom Smith, Wayne White.

Somerset team: Marcus Trescothick (captain), James Hildreth, Alex Barrow, Nick Compton, George Dockrell, Craig Kieswetter (wicketkeeper), Craig Meschede, Johann Myburgh, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton,  Alviro Petersen, Alfonso Thomas and Peter Trego.

Weather conditions:

Sunday has the potential to be a largely pleasant day with plenty of sunshine around. For the first time this season, the coin toss might not be influenced by ‘early season’ conditions, but the weather is expected to deteriorate as the match progresses.

Match facts:

Date: 1st-4th June.

Ground: Emirates Old Trafford.

Time: 11am

Odds: Lancashire (11/10), Somerset (8/11) (Skybet)

Form: Lancashire (DLD), Somerset (DWD)

Umpires: Neil Mallender and Steve Garrat. 

Lancashire defeat Bears in low-scoring affair.

Khan and Parry had combined figures of 6 for 24 runs.

Lancashire Lighting continued their habit of successfully defending low totals after they bowled the Birmingham Bears out for 111 to earn their fourth successive win of the Natwest T20 Blast campaign. 

A winning margin of 15 runs seemed out of the question after Lancashire were bowled out for 126, but Junaid Khan (4-12), Stephen Parry (2-12) and Kabir Ali (3-23) all played a significant role with the ball as Birmingham's innings capitulated.

Tom Smith continued his form as he made 44, the highest score of the Lancashire innings, but was unable to find any long-term support as the Bears assumed a stronghold on the match. The visitors appeared to be in control of their run chase at 29-0, but they lost four wickets for five runs as Lancashire repeated their heroics against the Durham Jets.

Lancashire were guilty of capitulating also and after reaching 70-2 and will have been disappointed to lose their final eight wickets for 56 runs as Andrea Agathangelou (21) added useful runs to the total.

But the hosts were in high spirits after their recovery yesterday and the signing of Andrew Flintoff for the T20 contest has brought a feel-good factor to Emirates Old Trafford and this was clear to see as they fought their way back into the match from a seemingly desolate position.

Smith's 44 from 21 balls proved to be crucial as Lancashire suffered a similar set back at the start of their innings, losing three wickets for two runs as Jeetan Patel (3-15) claimed the key wickets of Smith and Jordan Clark (10).

Clark and Agathangelou added 30 runs for the sixth-wicket to keep Lancashire in contention and a last wicket stand worth 15 runs between Parry (10*) and Khan (9) allowed the Lightning to post a competitive score of 126.

Lancashire's batsmen had certainly given the bowlers a challenge and after William Porterfield (14) and Varun Chopra (13) assumed a sturdy start it seemed as though the hosts were in for a heavy defeat.

But Khan made the first breakthrough of the innings to remove Porterfield and from this moment on Lancashire chipped away at the opposition. The visitors lost another two wickets with the score at 33, losing Chopra and Johnathon Webb (3) in quick succession.

Rikki Clark was unable to impart his experience on the match after he was superbly run out by keeper Alex Davies for just one and the Bears were thankful to earn 44 runs for the fifth-wicket as Tim Ambrose (22) and Laurie Evans (29) put the match back in the balance.

At 79-4, the Birmingham Bears were now in control, but the loss of Ambrose to Parry sparked another batting collapse, as the visitors lost their last six wickets for 34 runs.

Evans soon followed to give Khan his second wicket and the Pakistani fast-bowler continued to rip through the opposition, claiming the next two wickets as he finished with 4 for 12, Lancashire's second-best bowling figures in this format.

After Khan had reduced the Bears to 106-8, Ali was left with the simple task of defending 20 runs from the final over, but was keen to finish in style as he removed the remainder of Birmingham's batsmen to finish with 3 for 23 as Lancashire claimed the last wicket off the final ball of the innings.

This win consolidates Lancashire's position at the top of the North Group and their next match of this campaign is against Yorkshire at Emirates Old Trafford, where they hope to secure a fifth successive victory in the company of a certain Freddie Flintoff.

Man of the match: 

All three of Lancashire's top wicket-takers in this match deserve to share the accolade, but for claiming the second best bowling figures for Lancashire in this format, Khan edges it on this occasion. After claiming 3-21 against Durham yesterday, Khan is in imperious form and is proving why Lancashire re-signed him. His ability to bowl yorkers at will baffled the Bears this evening and  this will be crucial going forward.

Flintoff returns for T20 Blast.

Flintoff has ben training with the Lancashire squad for a while now.

Andrew Flintoff has come out of retirement to play for Lancashire in the Natwest T20 Blast after four years away from cricket.

The former England all-rounder was forced to retire from all forms of the game in 2010 due to a serious knee injury, but the 36-year-old will make his return to the Lancashire team after a period of recuperation.

Flintoff said: "I'm really honoured to be part of Lancashire once again. It is something that I never thought would happen but after training with the squad over the last few months I am really happy they have invited me to play.

"I have worked really hard to get back to my fittest and I hope we have a successful summer. I'm just glad that I can be a part of it."

The former England captain had been rumoured to make a return earlier this year, but a sprained ankle hampered his chances to make a comeback for the start of the t20 campaign.

Flintoff will be remembered as a hard-hitting batsman, capable of bowling 90mph and if he is at full strength then Lancashire will be serious contenders this year, having already won three matches in the North Group.

Lancashire's director of cricket, Mike Watkinson, added: "Fred has been back at Emirates Old Trafford under his own steam since the winter and has been working with the Academy and in the nets with some of the other players.

"He has shown in practice that he still has plenty of class with bat and ball and will be a great addition to the Natwest T20 Blast squad."

Flintoff was a significant figure in the England side and celebrated Ashes success against Australia in 2005 and 2009. He played 79 Tests, 141 One Day Internationals and 7 Twenty20 matches before he was forced to retire.

He has also made it clear that he hopes to be a member of the Lancashire squad beyond the 2014 season, saying: "I don't want it to be one year. You see Brad Hogg playing in the Big Bash, Brad Hodge is playing for Australia at 39, Glen Chapple's 40 and still charging in in four dayers."

Lancashire are currently top of the North Group after defeating the Durham Jets yesterday by one run and will face the Birmingham Bears at Old Trafford tonight as they hope to continue their form in this format.

Their strong position will only be enhanced by the return of Flintoff, who played 29 domestic t20 matches, with a highest score of 93 against Derbyshire. His ability to be a three-dimensional cricketer makes him perfect for this format of the game and there are new rumours that South African, Faf du Plessis, may also be returning to Lancashire.

Flintoff added, "I'd sooner try and have it not come off than sit at home for the rest of my days thinking, 'I should have tried this I should have had a go.' I don't live like that."

Lancashire defeat Durham by one run.

Lancashire and Durham tied back in 2012 when both sides scored 133.

Lancashire edged a nail-biter at Chester-le-Street against the Durham Jets to earn their third successive win of the Natwest T20 Blast, as they successfully defended 133-6 to go top of the North Group.

Scoring runs was an unfavourable task for both sides, but Karl Brown's heroics proved to be the difference as he made a match-winning contribution of 61 from 51 balls, including an over which profited 23 runs to guide the visitors towards a competitive total.

Durham seemed to be in control as Callum Macleod (45) led their run chase, but the hosts lost their way and suffered the loss of four wickets for 15 runs in the closing stages of the match as Junaid Khan claimed 3-21.

After a break from the shortest format of the game, Lancashire won the toss and elected to bat first, but it became clear that scoring runs was going to be a challenging prospect after losing Tom Smith (18) and Alex Davies (1) inside the powerplay.

Wickets continued to fall but runs were still a collectors item, as captain Paul Horton fell for 12 and at 48-3 the visitors were well and truly under the cosh. The partnership between Karl Brown and Steven Croft in Lancashire's last twenty20 fixture yielded 131 runs, but today their stand at the crease added just nine.

Brown's innings proved to be crucial.

A substantial stand was needed to give Lancashire any chance of redeeming the match and a 69-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Brown and Jordan Clark (27*) did exactly that. Brown's over proved to be the difference in the end and in smashing 23 runs from one over he propelled the visitors into a healthy position.

In his search for more boundaries Brown was eventually caught after he brought up his half-cenutry in 44 balls and at 127-5 Lancashire were now in a much more comfortable position. Chris Rushworth returned to claim the wicket of Andrea Agathangelou (0) as he finished with 2-25 and Lancashire posted 133-6.

Durham's reply suggested that Lancashire were 20 runs short as Phil Mustard (17) started brightly for the hosts. The Lightning were able to seize wickets at crucial times, the first of which was that of the durham captain, Mark Stoneman, who fell for 12 to give Khan his first scalp of the innings.

But this brought Macleod to the crease and his contribution ensured that Durham retained control of the match for the majority of their innings, before they lost their way in the latter stages in chase of 134.

The loss of Mustard and the potentially dangerous Ben Stokes (1) proved to be crucial wickets in this innings as Durham stumbled to 51-3 after the England international was bowled in an attempt to reverse-sweep Arron Lilley (1-13).

Spin partner, Stephen Parry, played a significant role with the ball in this fixture affording just 16 runs from his four over allocation, claiming the wicket of Paul Collingwood (19) and for the first time in their runs chase Durham appeared to be nervous having slipped to 98-4.

The match was now in the balance but with wickets falling the run rate began to increase and with that pressure came further breakthroughs for Lancashire, as Khan returned to claim the precious wicket of Macleod.

At 99-5 Lancashire were now the favourites and Durham were only able to add one more run before Gareth Breese was bowled by Croft (1-25) as the run rate began to spiral out of control. Durham were not prepared to lose the match without giving it their best shot as Muchall added a five to the total, but it was Ryan Pringle who gave the home crowd their best chance for victory.

Needing 15 runs from the final over, the hosts claimed seven runs from the first two deliveries and the efforts of Khan in the previous over were starting to be reduced as Ali battled at the death to restrict the flow of runs.

But the four off the second ball from Pringle, who scored 14 from just 6 balls, was to be the only boundary of the over as Durham entered the final ball of the game needing four runs to win. The hosts fell agonisingly short of the target as Pringle struck the last delivery down the ground and was only able to scamper through for two runs.

This narrow victory gives Lancashire their third successive win of the contest and they will be hoping to continue this run of form tomorrow evening against the Birmingham Bears at Emirates Old Trafford.

Man of the match:

Karl Brown's 61 from 51 balls was the standout performance from both sides as he scored 23 runs in one over and four sixes inside seven deliveries. Scoring runs was difficult for either side, but he took his time and his patience was rewarded with a second half-century in this format in 2014. After scoring 67 in Lancashire's previous match against Derbyshire, Brown is the Lightning's form player and will be vital going forward in this campaign.

Photos from fourth day of Yorkshire vs Lancashire LVCC.

Roses encounter drawn after heavy rain.

The match was abandoned after heavy rain hit Headingley throughout the morning.

Old rivals were made to settle for a rain-affected draw after the weather prevented any play on the final day of Lancashire's encounter with Yorkshire.

Lancashire are now unbeaten in their last nine LV County Championship matches at Headingley and entered the final day with a narrow edge after they had claimed a first innings lead of 82 runs, despite Tim Bresnan's late heroics on day three.

This draw leaves Yorkshire in second place, whilst their Roses-rivals sit one place above relegation after drawing their third match this season.

Lancashire: 325 (Horton 66; Smith 54;Brooks 5/90) and 48/3 (Bresnan 3/9). 
Yorkshire: 243 (Gale 95*; Smith 5/49)

Points: Yorkshire 9, Lancashire 11.

Man of the match:

Tom Smith's season is going from strength to strength and this match demonstrated the all-rounder's value in the Lancashire set-up. After falling to 183-6, Lancashire's first innings was in danger of being cut short, but his fourth half-century of the season led a late-order surge as Glen Chapple and Kyle Hogg helped the visitors to their highest first-innings total of the season.

With the ball he was equally destructive and his second five-wicket haul of the season gave Lancashire a useful lead of 82 runs, one which may have developed into a run chase for Yorkshire if the weather had not intervened. Smith now has 20 wickets, making him the highest wicket-taker for Lancashire so far this season. He has also accumulated 355 runs, which puts him in second place behind Paul Horton (388).

Photos from third day of Yorkshire vs Lancashire LVCC - Evening Session.

Smith haul puts Lancs in charge.

Smith's season is going from strength to strength with bat and ball. 

Tom Smith claimed 5-49 as Lancashire emerged narrow leaders on the third day of their Roses match against Yorkshire after the hosts were bowled out for 243 before bad light ended play prematurely.

Lancashire's response showed that batting had become much harder at Headingley, as they faltered to 48-3 but an overall lead of 130 runs means that they will enter the final day with the strongest case to claim victory in this match.

Yorkshire captain, Andrew Gale, led by example for the hosts, finishing unbeaten on 95 but was unable to find any long term support for his cause as Yorkshire lost their last seven wickets for 107 runs.

The hosts resumed on 29-0 after a confident stance in the evening session on day two and openers, Adam Lyth (50) and Alex Lees, continued to play with the same fluency exhibited yesterday. Their partnership worth 66 for the first wicket got Yorkshire off to a good start before Lees (21) edged behind to Alex Davies to give Smith his first wicket of the day.

With plenty of dangerous batting still to come, Yorkshire remained in full control of proceedings, but were unable to capitalise after their strong start to the innings. New Zealand international, Kane Williamson added just four and Lyth fell shortly afterwards having brought up his half-century moments before.

Jonny Bairstow was trapped LBW by Kyle Hogg for 20 and having already claimed the first three Yorkshire wickets, Smith continued to rip through the opposition, removing the potentially dangerous Adil Rashid (12).

Yorkshire lost three first innings wickets for just five runs when Kabir Ali (2-35) struck twice in quick succession to remove Andrew Hodd and Tim Bresnan before they could make a significant contribution to the total.

At 183-7, Yorkshire were in danger of posting a nominal first innings score and a brief cameo from Liam Plunkett (12) will have frustrated Gale, who achieved his second half-century of the season in just 63 deliveries.

Smith returned to claim his fifth wicket of the match and his second five wicket haul this year, with the removal of Plunkett earning him his 20th wicket of the season so far.

Thankfully for the Yorkshire skipper, veteran Ryan Sidebottom (9) was able to last a while longer than his predecessors as he and Gale shared a 33-run stand for the ninth-wicket to earn the hosts their first and only batting point of the match.

Smith continued to be involved, claiming a catch off Simon Kerrigan to end Sidebottom's defiance and Jack Brooks was only able to last three deliveries before chipping the ball back to Glen Chapple, as the Lancashire skipper claimed the final wicket of the innings.

A first innings lead of 82 was perhaps less than Lancashire would have hoped for at one stage, but they will be grateful to enter the final day in a promising position, one which may have developed into a win if the match had not been subject to the weather.

But the overcast conditions continued to make batting an unfavourable task as Lancashire suffered a rough patch of their own, stumbling to 31-3 as their first innings lead became even more important.

Tim Bresnan claimed three wickets for just nine runs as the visitors were given a reality check after a largely successful day, with Steven Croft's unbeaten 23 proving to be vital in keeping Lancashire afloat as the light continued to get progressively worse.

Photos from third day of Yorkshire vs Lancashire LVCC - Afternoon Session.