Clark stars for Second Eleven against Hampshire

Jordan Clark had a superb day with bat and ball to guide Lancashire's Second XI side to a strong performance against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl.

The Lancashire all-rounder blasted 86 from 80 balls, hitting four sixes in five deliveries, before taking  two wickets in Hampshire's response. There were three half-centuries in Lancashire's innings of 283/4 declared, with Alex Davies (68) and Liam Livingstone (57) also impressing with the bat ahead of the opening Specsavers County Championship match against Nottinghamshire this Sunday.

Davies and Livingstone shared 109 runs for the second wicket, before Clark's ferocious innings propelled the visitors to a strong total. Hampshire's reply was similarly assured, although the standout performance of the day came from Joe Weatherly, who was unbeaten on 98 at stumps with Hampshire reaching 146/3.

The loss of Luis Reece (14) came early on in Lancashire's innings after the visitors had been put into bat, with Brad Wheal (2-49) forcing a thin edge through to the keeper. Wheal struck again to remove Davies at 130/2, but by this time Davies and Livingstone had given Lancashire a superb platform to play positively against the old ball.

Looking for an injection of confidence and valuable time at the crease ahead of the game against Nottinghamshire this weekend, wicketkeeper Davies recorded 68 from 101 balls, while Livingstone added 57 in 102 deliveries. Livingstone gave Hamza Ali (1-50) his only wicket of the innings, before Clark and Rob Jones added a further 118 runs for the fourth wicket.

Davies made 68 sharing a partnership of 109 with Livingstone

Clark was responsible for the majority of these runs, although Jones anchored the partnership well with his unbeaten innings of 34 from 60 balls. Having reached the third fifty of the Lancashire innings, Clark let loose and took the game to the Hampshire bowlers, an approach that was rewarded with four maximums in the space of five balls.

This belligerent spell took his score to 86, although his attempts to clear the rope again resulted him being bowled by Mason Crane (1-87), a welcome breakthrough for Hampshire after he and Jones had frustrated the home side throughout the afternoon session.

Lancashire declared soon after his dismissal, enjoying a positive start with the ball when Nathan Buck had Ben Duggan caught at slip by Livingstone for seven. Livingstone was called into action again when he held onto another catch, this time to remove Aaron West (11) at 63/2.

Weatherly offered resistance to the Lancashire onslaught, sharing a partnership of 58 with Lewis McManus, who was the third Hampshire wicket to fall when he edged behind to Davies, supplying Clark with his second wicket. Lancashire's cause for superiority continued to be halted by Weatherly, who ended the first day unbeaten on 98 from 120 balls.