Luke Procter (122) scored a vital hundred on a sun-bathed third day to keep Lancashire alive and set up a thrilling run chase on the final day in their Specsavers County Championship match against Durham at Southport.
Procter's second century of the season helped the Red Rose to post 333 in their second innings, after he had shared a partnership with Haseeb Hameed (53) worth 114 runs for the second wicket and 70 runs with loan-signing Tom Moores (35) to set Durham 247 to win the match on the fourth day.
Hameed's sixth fifty of the summer allowed Lancashire to recover after they had surrendered a first-innings lead of 87 runs yesterday evening, before Procter's marathon innings ensured that Lancashire were able to post a respectable lead and leave all results possible heading into the last day of the match.
After losing Tom Smith cheaply yesterday evening, Hameed and Procter had already established an important partnership worth 56 runs in 20 overs to take Lancashire to within 28 runs of Durham's lead. The pair continued to resist an imposing Durham bowling attack, bolstered by the likes of Ben Stokes, who was recalled to the England Test side today.
Lancashire were forced to endure a wicketless first hour on the second day at Trafalgar Road and the Red Rose repaid the favour by keeping Durham at bay, courtesy of another defiant innings from their teenage opening batsman and a vastly-improved Procter. Hameed took 14 runs - including three boundaries - from a single over off Graham Onions to put Lancashire into the lead in the morning session, reaching his half-century in 107 deliveries with seven boundaries.
Hameed and Procter had batted untroubled for the majority of the opening session until the former fell for 53 to superb delivery from Stokes, one that climbed late on Hameed and took the edge through to the substitute fielder, Jeremy Benton, at second slip to leave the score at 117/2. Procter followed Hameed's example by reaching fifty in 137 balls, hoping to find long-term support from Alviro Petersen (17), but the South-African fell in the final over before lunch.
Petersen was trapped lbw on the back-foot by Scott Borthwick (3-98) to take the hosts to 161/3 at the interval, with Steven Croft adopting the anchor role to Procter's defiant innings. There was a serious let-off shortly after lunch when Croft found himself stranded halfway down the wicket, but Durham were unable to complete a routine run out to give the Lancashire skipper a life.
Croft (20) failed to capitalise on his stroke of luck, offering Adam Hickey (2-37) his maiden first-class scalp when he chipped a tame stroke to Borthwick at mid-wicket. Hickey struck again three overs later with Lancashire's lead at 122, when an inside-edge from Karl Brown (5) looped up to Keaton Jennings at short-leg.
Procter was in danger of finding himself isolated at the crease, given that his remaining company consisted of first-class debutant Moores and a four-man strong tail, but the Nottinghamshire and England Under-19 wicketkeeper represented his adopted county with gritty determination in testing circumstances.
Moores settled any early nerves with a handsome straight six off Borthwick, while Procter negated the new ball to progress to his second century of the season in 235 balls to help take Lancashire to 246/5 at tea, with a lead of 159 runs. Procter departed shortly after the interval after being caught well at leg-slip by Jack Burnham off Borthwick for 122, a breakthrough that caused Lancashire to wobble in the evening session.
Durham claimed three wickets in 12 balls when Moores was run out for 35 following miscommunication with Kyle Jarvis, who was then out for no score himself when he was cleanly bowled by Borthwick at 286/8. Simon Kerrigan (19) and Nathan Buck then added a useful partnership worth 27 runs to bolster Lancashire's lead and occupy the crease into the depths of the evening session.
Kerrigan's resistance was thwarted by Stokes, who collected figures of 3-50 when the tail-ender was caught behind by Michael Richardson attempting to turn the ball into the leg-side. With Lancashire leading by 226 runs, Buck smashed a quickfire 27 from 46 balls, hitting Borthwick for two sixes either side of a boundary to push the lead towards 250.
Buck clobbered a half-tracker over square leg, before dispatching a huge six over mid-wicket to improve Lancashire's chances of being able to force a positive result on the final day. Matthew Parkinson (0) could only fend a Stokes bouncer to Burnham at short-leg, as Lancashire set Durham 247 to win the match after being dismissed for 333 in their second innings.
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