Player ratings: Lancashire v Kent LVCC

Paul Horton scored half-centuries in both innings including 67* in the second innings to help Lancashire secure victory.

Lancashire:

Paul Horton (8) - 71, 67*: Lancashire's man of the moment. Horton shared 98 runs with Ashwell Prince in the first innings, playing a key role in the Red Rose's monumental first innings score of 444. When Lancashire needed 104 runs in 21 overs, Horton was forced to play with positive intent from the word go and he did just that. He scored a half-century at a run-a-ball as he ensured that Lancashire closed in on their victory target with 14 balls to spare, finishing unbeaten on 67 from 62 balls as he hit a six over mid-wicket and a seventh boundary to hit the winning runs.

Luis Reece (3) - 18, 16: Reece is still yet to find the innings that will kickstart his season, although his departure in the second innings can be excused given the fact that he was trying to assist Horton. Reece played with positivity in the second innings hitting Claydon for successive boundaries to help get their run-chase off to a good start, but a big score will be the only way to secure a place at the top of the order.

Alviro Petersen (3) - 0, 22: After scoring a century on debut, the Lancashire faithful were expecting more from the South-African on his home debut in Championship cricket. Petersen's first-ball duck in Lancashire's first innings was disappointing and forced the hosts to recover from losing two wickets in as many deliveries. However, Petersen redeemed himself with a measured approach in the run-chase, adding 22 in 27 deliveries as he assisted Horton to a vital win.

Prince's 41st first-class century guided
Lancashire towards 444 in their first innings.

Ashwell Prince (7) - 106: Prince's first century of the season was crucial in helping the hosts recover from 38/2. The South-African shared partnerships with Horton, Steven Croft and Alex Davies to help Lancashire towards their impressive first-innings total. Whenever Lancashire experience some kind of top-order collapse he is a dependable figure and this was the case once again as he led the Red Rose to a daunting total, one which allowed them to enforce a follow-on and eventually win the match.

Steven Croft (5) - 37 & 0-7, 0-7: Lancashire's stand in captain played a vitally important hand in his 75-run partnership with Prince. He also captained the side incredibly well in the absence of Tom Smith and his record as Lancashire captain across all formats makes impressive reading. Croft's tactical bowling changes kept Kent's determined tail-enders guessing and his sharp catch to remove Matt Coles broke a partnership which threatened to end Lancashire's rally for victory.

Alex Davies (8) - 99 & four catches, 1 stumping: Another incredible game for the 20-year-old wicketkeeper. He was cruelly denied a maiden first-class century but he proved once again to be a more than dependable batsman for someone so young. His approach before reaching fifty was calm and diligent, but after passing his half-century he opened up his shoulders and raced towards what would have been a thoroughly deserved ton. Davies has scored 228 runs already this season at an average of 76.

The Lancashire wicketkeeper is is superb form.

Jordan Clark (5) - 16 & 1-43, 1-54: A solid debut for the Cumbrian-born all-rounder who bowled with tremendous pace and he can count himself unlucky not to claim more wickets for his efforts. He applied himself well before falling to the first ball of the second day but when he had a chance to make an impact on the game he tried incredibly hard to make a breakthrough.

Peter Siddle (6) - 12 & 2-57, 3-36: The Australian played a key role on his home debut for Lancashire. He was likely to enjoy the opportunity of bowling on a harder wicket after a modest return of three wickets in the first match. Siddle and Jarvis make a deadly combination in the second division and even though he is only available for the first four matches, Siddle is out to make an impact before joining his Australian teammates.

Tom Bailey (3) - 21 & 0-53, 0-50: The young fast bowler ended up making more of an impact with the bat than the ball, although this wasn't reflective of the amount of effort he put in to his bowling. It was similar to his performance at Derby in that his first-innings efforts were slightly off the mark, but whereas at Derby his improvement and accuracy were rewarded with wickets, on this occasion he remained wicketless for the entire game.

Simon Kerrigan (5) - 10 & 2-27, 2-50: The left-arm spinner was needed in both of Kent's innings in order to unsettle determined tail-enders. As Lancashire went in pursuit of seven wickets on the final day, Kerrigan ended Coles's innings of 28 off 71 balls before he claimed the final wicket of Mitchell Claydon to give the Red Rose a chance of winning the game. As is often the case, early-season conditions are offering more for pace bowlers and so his usefulness as a spinner is yet to be fully realised.

Jarivs is the leading wicket taker in Division Two
after claiming 8 for 117 in the match.

Kyle Jarvis (8 - Man of the match) - 26 & 4-50, 4-67: Another sublime performance from the Zimbabwean fast bowler who can do no wrong this season. He has worked hard to get to a stage where his raw pace and ability to swing the ball both ways are features which are truly beneficial. Last year these factors were taken advantage of by county pros, but this season he is one who is making others look ordinary. His fourth wicket in Kent's second innings was his 13th wicket of the season. These wickets have come at an average of 13.69 and as the Division's leading wicket-taker, Ashley Giles can ask for no more from Jarvis but to deliver the same standard all season.


Kent:

Daniel Bell-Drummond (4) - 28, 18: It seems incredibly harsh that the 21-year-old has been made to carry such large expectations with the bat this season. A superb 2014 saw a return of 955 runs, making him Kent's leading run-scorer and their lack of contributors with the bat last season was on show for all to see again in this match. Bell-Drummond got starts, but in both innings was undone by raw pace and was dismissed at times when batting was not a favourable task.

Joe Denly (6) - 28, 60: Denly's return to Kent got off to a bad start against Essex last week when he scored 3 and 0. A tough ride at Middlesex and a bad start to the season were thrown to one side as the Canterbury-born batsman finally found some form. He added 62 runs with Bell-Drummond in the first innings and 72 with Rob Key in the second innings and his first half-century of the season also guided Denly past 7,000 first-class runs.

Denly found some form in Kent's second innings.

Rob Key (4) - 5, 34: His partnership with Denly gave Kent brief hope before Key was removed by a corker of a delivery from Siddle which forced him to lose his middle stump.

Brendan Nash (4) - 16, 27: The Australian-born batsman was tipped as Kent's saviour after Lancashire had amassed 444 runs, but the manner in which he lost his wicket on both counts was disappointing for the visitors.

Sam Northeast (7 - Kent Man of the match) - 55, 43: A tremendous effort from Northeast gave Kent hope in both innings. His form since July last season has seen a return of nearly 900 runs and although many Kent fans argue he should bat higher, he is scoring runs where he is and it often a bad idea to upset a batsman in such good form.

Darren Stevens (3) - 15, 16 & 1-55, 0-23: The Kent all-rounder carries a great deal of responsibility, but it may be beneficial for Kent to see what life is like without him given the fact that he is approaching retirement and they have counted on his contributions with bat and ball for so long.

Sam Billings (5) - 28, 11 & six catches: In the week when Billings was name in an experimental ODI side to face Ireland, the Kent wicketkeeper will be on cloud nine despite this defeat. His six catches in Lancashire's first innings were proof of his ability to make an impact outside of his batting, although his contributions in both innings were promising from the 23-year-old before he failed to make good of his starts.

Coles gave a strong all-round display for Kent.

Matt Coles (5) - 19, 28 & 3-79, 0-30: Coles made an immediate impact on the game, claiming wickets with his fourth and fifth balls of the match. After attempting a reverse-sweep at the end of the second day, Coles knew he had let his side down, but the way he applied himself on the final day was testimony to what he is capable of if he shakes his tendency to take wild swings at the ball.

Mitchell Claydon (6) - 21, 24 & 4-103, 1-30: The 32-year-old gave a respectable account of his all-round abilities. He continued to bowl with pace and vigour despite Lancashire's first-innings onslaught and was eventually rewarded with four wickets. His batting temperament, like Coles before him, does need refinement, but for a tail-ender to bat with such confidence is a rare sight and one which ought to be commended.

Adam Riley (3) - 6, 17 & 1-102, 0-14: The young spinner is yet to hit the form which earned him International recognition last year. After bowling just one over in the entire first match against Essex, Riley was finally able to get some overs under his belt, although a return of one wicket was far from promising for Riley who claimed 48 wickets last season.

Ivan Thomas (3) - 4*, 4* & 1-75, 0-8: The 23-year-old carries a yard of pace and will no doubt have a bright future at the club, but a return of three wickets in two matches is not the scintillating start he was looking for.

Photos: Lancashire v Kent LVCC - Day four

Horton guides Lancashire to tense victory over Kent

Lancashire claimed their second successive County Championship victory of the season with a tense nine-wicket victory over Kent, as they successfully chased 104 runs with 14 balls to spare.

Paul Horton finished unbeaten on 67 as he led Lancashire's second innings score of 107/1 after Kent were eventually bowled out 295. This gave Lancashire a minimum of 21 overs to score 104 runs, an equation which required a confident approach from the hosts, but Horton's seven fours and one six ensured that the Red Rose returned to the top of Division Two with 13-point lead over Essex in second place.

Lancashire needed to take seven more wickets as quickly as possible to give them a chance at achieving their second win of the season, a task which was initially not so easy as the combination of Kent's determined batting and unpredictable weather delayed their search for success.

Brendan Nash looked in good touch and found the fence a couple of times as he adapted his languid approach from yesterday evening into one which was more pleasing for the crowd. But the left-hander was caught in two minds when Kyle Jarvis (4-67) sent down a short delivery, one which he attempted to fend into the leg-side, but the ball found the outside edge of his bat and ballooned to Ashwell Prince at gully who took a routine catch to dismiss Nash for 27.

Jarvis's wickets were crucial as Lancashire eventually
bowled Kent out for 295 setting them 104 to win.

A mixture of blue sky and grey clouds had surrounded Old Trafford for most of the morning session, but a brief delay in play saw five overs lost as the rain eventually drifted its way over the ground. Lancashire had 45 minutes before lunch to find another breakthrough and they did so in the third over after the rain delay when Siddle (3-36) had Darren Stevens (16) out lbw - as he did in the first innings - although on this occasion the decision was not so straightforward as the Kent all-rounder left the field in disgust, rather than with his bat in the air as he did the first time he was given out.

Kent managed to make it lunch without losing another wicket as the two Sams - Northeast and Billings - started to assemble a useful partnership. But their determination before the interval was to be undone as Lancashire removed both batsmen within three deliveries with the new ball, as Siddle and Jarvis claimed their third wickets of the innings.

Billings was the first to go as he became Jarvis's seventh wicket of the match and his 12th victim in three innings when he was caught behind for 11, although in truth there was very little he could do about the tremendous delivery he received from the Zimbabwean who got the ball to bounce sharply at the last minute.

Kent lost their second wicket with the score on 216 when Siddle also struck with the new ball after lunch, this time accounting for Northeast (43), who scored over one-hundred runs across the two innings and proved to be a big wicket for Lancashire. Although he had arguably been Kent's best batsman, he played an uncharacteristically loose shot outside the off-stump, one which led to an inside-edge onto his leg-stump as the visitors lost their seventh wicket with a lead of just 28 runs.

Matt Coles (28) and Adam Riley came together with neither batsmen having got off the mark and in fairness to both batsmen, it would have been very easy to go down without a fight as Siddle and Jarvis had their tails up from the double blow they had just inflicted. Coles, who got out in the first innings in disappointing fashion, was out to make amends and was forced to play an unusually cultured innings, although just occasionally he showed glimpses of the more visceral side to his batting style, thrashing at air after long spells of defensive strokes.

Kerrigan claimed two vital wickets to help remove
Kent's determined tail-enders.

He and Riley batted together for over 25 overs adding 49 runs for the eighth-wicket stand as Lancashire struggled to find the breakthrough. Riley faced 97 balls before tea for just 17 runs, such was his determination not to offer Lancashire a chance of winning the game and although Coles had batted sensibly he was eventually removed by Simon Kerrigan (2-50) when he found a leading edge to Steven Croft at leg slip.

Riley had played a superb hand in Kent's rearguard action, but he became Jarvis's fourth victim of the innings when he was out lbw to his eighth ball after tea, playing back into his crease as he was trapped in front of all three stumps.

Jarvis has now claimed 13 wickets in three innings for 123 runs, with those wickets coming at an average of 9.46.

Mitchell Claydon and Ivan Thomas (4*) continued Kent's resolute search for a draw and they faced seven overs together before the visitors lost their final wicket. Kerrigan claimed his second wicket of the innings as he had Claydon stumped for 24, setting Lancashire a target of 104 runs in a minimum of 21 overs.

Paul Horton and Luis Reece (16) batted with positive intent, knowing that Lancashire needed to score at a rate of nearly five runs per over. Reece was in good touch and seemed to benefit from the urgency which had been forced upon him, but was soon out hooking Claydon (1-30) to Northeast with the score at 47/1.

Horton's six over mid-wicket settled the nerves as he made his
second fifty of the match to guide Lancashire to victory.

Horton was Lancashire's main enforcer in their pursuit of victory and after scoring 71 in the first innings he carried the responsibility well as he and Alviro Petersen added an unbeaten stand worth 60 runs for the second wicket. Lancashire's opening batsman scored boundaries at regular intervals, but it was his thumping six over mid-wicket which took the required target down to single figures as he reached fifty in exactly fifty balls to guide Lancashire closer to their target.

Petersen played a useful role adding 22 in 27 deliveries, but it was Horton who guided the ball down to a vacant third-man for his seventh boundary, as Lancashire claimed a thrilling victory to take them back to the top of the table.

Rain thwarts Lancashire's progress on third day

Lancashire extended their superiority over Kent in their LV= County Championship encounter before rain stopped play for nearly two hours at Emirates Old Trafford.

The visitors were all out of for 252 and forced to follow on by Lancashire who had a first-innings lead of 192 runs, but Kent's approach, coupled with the time lost to rain and bad light, means that the draw is now a strong possibility in this match.

Kent closed on a second innings score of 148/3 still trailing Lancashire by 44 runs as Brendan Nash and Northeast ensured that the visitors had a chance of salvaging a draw from this match.

Lancashire enjoyed the better of the first hour despite a strong start from both of Kent's overnight batsmen. Mitchell Claydon played with positive intent finding the boundary early on as the visitors avoided losing any wickets within the first half hour of the third day.

Northeast continued his impressive form with the bat, having scored more than 800 Championship runs for Kent since the start of July last season, as he reached his second fifty in as many innings in 109 deliveries.

Just as Lancashire looked to be struggling to find a breakthrough, they were gifted one as Claydon (21) guided a Peter Siddle (2-57) delivery into the hands of Ashwell Prince at gully, which gave Siddle his 400th first-class wicket.

Siddle was then involved with the next wicket 16 balls later as Northeast was tempted into hooking Kyle Jarvis (4-50) down to the Australian who, at long-leg, took a smart catch to remove the only Kent batsmen to make good of their start by scoring a half-century.

Kyle Jarvis has claimed ten wickets for 78
runs in his last three innings for Lancashire.

This wicket gave Jarvis combined figures of 9-63 across his last two innings for Lancashire as the Zimbabwean continued to prove just how much he has improved since his introduction last season. Simon Kerrigan (2-27) was then chaired with the responsibility of claiming the final Kent wicket when Paul Horton took a superb one-handed catch at first slip to dismiss Adam Riley (6).

Lancashire enforced the follow-on with Kent still trailing by the unsettling margin of 192 runs but Daniel Bell-Drummond and Joe Denly were able to survive the remaining 12 overs before the lunch interval unscathed.

However, just 18 deliveries into the new session debutant Jordan Clark (1-22) found a timely breakthrough for Lancashire as Bell-Drummond edged behind to Alex Davies for 18 with Kent losing their first wicker of the innings at 39/1.

Denly and captain Rob Key (34) were then responsible for ensuring that Kent did not suffer a collapse which may well have jeopardised their already unfavourable position in the match. The pair added a partnership worth 72 runs for the second wicket, as conditions became marginally more suited to batting than they had been in the morning session.

The 50 partnership was soon followed by a half-centry for Denly in 96 balls, by which stage Kent had cut the overall deficit to just 86 runs, but the reintroduction of Siddle proved to be crucial as he removed Key with a corker of a delivery.

Denly's half-century led Kent's resistance in their second innings.

Siddle (1-17) steamed in and removed the Kent captain's middle-stump, ending a determined partnership with Denly who was soon out himself to a delivery from Jarvis (1-29) which kept low, trapping Denly in front of all three stumps as he eventually fell lbw for 60.

With the first ball after the tea interval, the Zimbabwean removed Denly who, up until that stage, had offered very little to the Lancashire bowlers. This wicket gave Jarivs his tenth wicket in three innings for Lancashire at a cost of just 78 runs, but this was to be his and indeed Lancashire's final success of the day, as a combination of determined batting and typically unfriendly weather put a dent in their rally for victory.

Nash's innings of 18 not out has so far accounted for 70 deliveries, such was Kent's approach to try not to lose the game, as he and Northeast (11*) added an unbeaten partnership worth 20 runs either side of the lengthy delay.

Menacing clouds initially stopped play for a combination of rain and bad light, but as the rain became heavier this delay became very much about the amount of time it would take for the ground staff to make the pitch suitable again.

Play resumed at 6.20pm as Kent were forced to bat for an uncomfortable four-over period, one they survived in the same manner with which they had batted before the delay had halted Lancashire's onslaught.

Giles: "We don't want to be a yo-yo team"

Ashley Giles has vowed his intention to help Lancashire avoid becoming a yo-yo team as he hopes to pursue with the younger players during his tenure at Emirates Old Trafford.

Giles, speaking at a members forum at the end of the second day of Lancashire's four-day game against Kent, addressed all manner of topics, including Simon Kerrigan, Andrew Flintoff and the lack of homegrown players at the club.

The Lancashire Head Coach said: "I have been here for seven months and I am still working through things at the moment. I have only brought in one player myself in George Edwards so I am still working on it. I am looking to develop the younger guys and the academy and I am hoping to get some good quality youth players coming through."

"The lads want to play good cricket on good wickets, score 400 and bowl sides out, but because we are in Division Two we will not always play on pitches that meet that criteria. We do not want to be a yo-yo team."

Jordan Clark claimed his first four-day wicket today, but the members still
think there should be more places for homegrown players in the team.

On a day when 20-year-old Alex Davies made a career-best 99 and Jordan Clark claimed his maiden first-class wicket for Lancashire, Giles was still questioned about the lack of places for homegrown players, something Giles seemed to care deeply for.

He said: "Out of the top five batsmen, whoever they are, one of them should be able to go on and get a hundred, or at least that is the feeling in the dressing room. Brown under-achieved last year, but his one-day record was great. I would like to allow more of our own players to come through."

One member asked about the possibility of a return for Andrew Fintoff for the Natwest t20 Blast this summer after he helped Lancashire to come within touching distance at Edgbaston last year. "He is a difficult person to track down. I have sent him a text but I have not heard anything at the moment. Therefore if I was hedging my bets I would say no, he won't play a role this summer, and I would like to expose some of our youngsters later on this season," said Giles.

Giles also paid tribute to the attitude of Simon Kerrigan as the Lancashire Director of Cricket praised his attitude after a difficult period. He said: "He is bright and positive, the experience of his Test debut was horrible and it could have been avoided. His view on spin is to put it in the right places and bowl it at the right pace. I feel that he might still have an international future. Kerrigan’s confidence was given a boost when [Matt] Coles gave away his wicket late in the day."

Giles praised Kerrigan's attitude after a tough spell.

Club Chairman, Michael Cairns, then gave members an insight into the effort the club has gone through to secure the services of Peter Siddle and James Faulkner, saying that the deals would not have been possible were it not for Lancashire's good relationship with Cricket Australia.

Cairns said: "A lot of work was done with Cricket Australia to get Peter Siddle. A number of other counties wanted Peter but because of our relationship with Cricket Australia he wanted to come and play for Lancashire. We thought he was going to be available for the whole season and even though he has been picked to play for them he still wants to play four matches for us.

"Two Southern counties also wanted James Faulkner but again because of our relationship and the fact that Siddle couldn’t play for us, we managed to get him. There is also the option for someone else to join Lancashire later in the year. There is a gap at the end of the season when Faulkner will be gone, so there is an option for someone else to come later in the year."

Lancashire have welcomed 539 new members this season and the club is expected to host a small function for the new members in the coming weeks.