Bailey burst leads Lancashire comeback after Abell hundred

Tom Bailey (4-63) took four wickets in seven balls to inspire a Lancashire revival in the evening session against Somerset after Tom Abell’s career-best 135 put the visitors in a commanding position at Old Trafford.

Somerset slumped from 267/2 to 287/7 in the space of five overs after Abell shared big partnerships with Marcus Trescothick (60) and captain Chris Rogers (47) with Bailey’s new-ball spell bringing Lancashire back into the match. However, with Lancashire enjoying a rampant resurgence, Peter Trego steered Somerset to 339/7 at close of play with a quickfire 49 off 40 balls.

Lancashire’s decision to bowl first in the dank overcast conditions backfired when three rain delays inside the first half hour of the day prevented the Red Rose from exploiting prime bowling conditions. Trescothick and Abell then settled in on what turned out to be a reasonably friendly batting track, sharing 134 runs for the opening wicket either side of lunch.

Trescothick reached 1,000 first-class runs for the season in the early stages of the day, with the truncated start to proceedings allowing only 23 overs to be bowled in the morning session. The veteran opening batsman – who is on the verge of becoming Somerset’s most prolific century-maker – led a watchful start in the morning session for his side in testing conditions, before opening up after lunch alongside Abell.

The combination of young and old worked wonders for Somerset – as it has all season in red-ball cricket – as the duo achieved their ninth fifty-partnership together for the opening stand before the interval, with Abell emerging with a more fluent approach after lunch. 

Trescothick reached his half-century in 80 deliveries shortly after the break, but Abell was not far behind him with a 92-ball fifty, with his ninth boundary also brining up the hundred-partnership inside the 31st over.

Having scored the 60th hundred of his first-class career against Lancashire earlier in the season at Taunton, Trescothick went in pursuit of advancing beyond Harold Gimblett’s record of 49 career centuries for Somerset and, until he was caught superbly on the boundary by Simon Kerrigan, it looked as though he would go on to achieve a half-century of hundreds for the west country outfit.

Trescothick fell for 60 when Kerrigan’s back-peddling effort at deep square-leg off Jordan Clark (2-37) broke an accomplished opening stand, with his terrific catch bringing Lancashire a long overdue breakthrough. Respite for Lancashire was brief owing to Abell’s ever-increasing confidence at the crease, with the 22-year-old hitting Kerrigan for three boundaries in the same over.

Rogers and Abell shared another 48 runs before tea to take Somerset to 182/1, with the latter surviving a vociferous appeal for caught behind off the final ball of the session. The promising youngster came into the evening session unbeaten on 97, with his 16th boundary taking him to his second century of the summer in 185 balls. 

This milestone coincided with the fifty-partnership with Rogers, who demonstrated tremendous sportsmanship on 47 when he edged Clark down the leg-side to Steven Croft, with the Australian batsman walking after the umpire had not initially given him out.

For the next half an hour, Lancashire dominated their opponents with a rampant spell of bowling, as Bailey prospered with the second new ball to leave Somerset with a testing conclusion to the opening day. Bailey, who has not played for Lancashire since picking up an injury against Yorkshire at the end of May, struck in his first over with the new ball when he forced James Hildreth (27) to edge to Alviro Petersen at second slip at 273/4.

He then claimed three wickets in his next over and he could have had a hat-trick if Toby Lester had held on to a stunner at mid-wicket. A wicket with the fifth ball of a new spell was followed by the dismissal of Jim Allenby (1), with Petersen holding on in the slips once again to give Bailey his second scalp in the space of three deliveries.

Abell departed three balls later for a career-best 135, edging behind to Croft at 274/5, with Lewis Gregory falling for a golden duck when he was trapped lbw to become Bailey’s fourth victim in seven balls. Somerset’s collapse peaked at five wickets for 20 runs in the space of five overs when Kyle Jarvis (1-78) forced Craig Overton to chop on to his stumps for nine, but Trego’s counterpunch tilted proceedings back in favour of the away side.

Trego hit nine boundaries during his important innings of 49 from 40 deliveries, sharing a fifty-partnership with Ryan Davies (8*) in 49 balls to help Somerset reach stumps on 339/7. 

Preview: Lancashire v Somerset - Specsavers CC

Lancashire have named a 13-man squad for the penultimate home game of the season, as they prepare to take on Somerset in the Specsavers County Championship at Emirates Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Ashley Giles' side are without a Championship victory since the end of May, which means the Red Rose county are involved in an end-of-season battle to avoid relegation. Despite their poor form in red-ball cricket, Lancashire have a reasonable chance of retaining their first-division status, with both Hampshire and Nottinghamshire sitting below them in the relegation zone.

Lancashire, who are 16 points clear of Hampshire in eighth place, are looking to bounce back from a damaging defeat against Surrey at The Oval last week, with the southern county cruising to a ten-wicket win after bowling their opponents out for 287 and 230. The match featured a debut appearance for 20-year-old Rob Jones and a five-wicket haul for Arron Lilley, but Lancashire suffered a heavy defeat after Mark Footitt's career-best second-innings haul of 7-62 set up a straightforward win for Surrey, who now sit in third place two points behind Yorkshire.

The previous meeting with Somerset at Taunton saw a high-scoring draw at the start of May, with Liam Livingstone achieving a maiden first-class hundred for Lancashire in the process. Somerset were forced to follow on after Lancashire scored 493/9 in their first and only innings, but the hosts responded strongly to draw the match, led by county stalwart Marcus Trescothick, who - in contrast to Livingstone - scored his 60th first-class century.

Somerset enter this match on the back of a semi-final defeat in the One-Day Cup at the hands of Warwickshire, with Matthew Maynard's side occupying fourth place in the first division table heading into the closing stages of the season. As it stands, Somerset are no more likely to lift silverware than face relegation this campaign, with just eight points separating the sides heading into this fixture.

Lancashire suffered a blow this week when they discovered that James Anderson would not be available for the rest of the season, as he undergoes rehabilitation on a shoulder injury, while opening batsman and pace bowler, Tom Smith, remains sidelined by a hamstring problem. 

Lancashire 13-man squad: Steven Croft (c/wk), Tom Bailey, Nathan Buck, Jordan Clark, Haseeb Hameed, Kyle Jarvis, Rob Jones, Simon Kerrigan, Toby Lester, Arron Lilley, Liam Livingstone, Alviro Petersen, Luke Procter.

Somerset 14-man squad: Chris Rogers (c), Tom Abell, Jim Allenby, Josh Davey, Ryan Davies (wk), Lewis Gregory, Tim Groenewald, James Hildreth, Joe Leach, Johann Myburgh, Craig Overton, Peter Trego, Marcus Trescothick, Roelof van der Merwe.

Footitt best helps Surrey secure emphatic win over Lancashire

Surrey wrapped up a resounding victory on the final day at The Oval, chasing a nominal target of 38 to beat Lancashire by ten wickets and move up to second in the Division One table.

It took the hosts just under ten overs to claim Lancashire’s last two wickets, with the Red Rose slumping to 230 all out after Mark Footitt accounted for both wickets to walk away with career-best figures of 7-62.

Rory Burns (28*) and Dominic Sibley (11*) completed the Surrey victory in just 55 deliveries, as Lancashire extended their winless run in the County Championship to eight matches with their fourth defeat of the season.

Lancashire started the fourth and final day staring at a certain defeat on 203/8 with a marginal lead of 10 runs, with overnight batsmen Kyle Jarvis (14) and Nathan Buck (11) both falling to left-arm seamer Footitt, who reached 300 first-class wickets in the process of decimating Lancashire in their second innings.

The visitors found themselves in this position after a disastrous evening-session spell saw them slump from 167/2 to 193/8, with six wickets falling for 26 runs in the space of 14 overs. Footitt played a key role in this downturn of fortune for Lancashire, securing a five-wicket haul before the close to set up a certain victory for his side.

Having just hit Footitt for a cover-driven boundary, Buck fell in the fourth over of the day when he edged a drive to Burns at second slip at 211/9, before Jarvis and Simon Kerrigan (12*) added 19 runs for the last wicket to set Surrey a straightforward task.

Jarvis was the last man to fall, tamely chipping a drive to Stuart Meaker at mid-off, as Lancashire were bowled out for 230, courtesy of a rampant performance from former Derbyshire fast bowler Footitt.

Burns, who made 88 in the first innings on his way to reaching 1,000 runs for the season, led Surrey’s pursuit for victory with a swept boundary off Arron Lilley in the early stages of the run-chase, one of four boundaries hit by the opening batsman during his brief innings of 28 not out off 32 balls.

He then secured a 23-point victory for the hosts when he reverse-swept Kerrigan to the fence, with Sibley unbeaten on 11 by the time Surrey had achieved a ten-wicket win and their third victory in four attempts in red-ball cricket to send them into second place.

Lancashire, meanwhile, are likely to slip from fourth to sixth in Division One after Somerset and Warwickshire finish their respective matches against Hampshire and Durham. Ashley Giles’ side will now have to pick themselves up in time for the four-day match against Somerset starting on Wednesday at Old Trafford, with a relegation battle firmly on the cards for a number of teams in the first division.

Lancashire fall apart as Footitt puts Surrey on the verge victory

Mark Footitt (5-49) claimed five wickets among a Lancashire capitulation at The Oval, as Surrey set up a surefire victory heading into the final day of their Specsavers County Championship match.

Lancashire staggered from the comfortable position of 167/2 to 193/8, losing six wickets for 26 runs in just 14 overs to hand Surrey the opportunity to record three wins in four matches. Luke Procter (76) and Alviro Petersen (56) guided Lancashire towards a possible draw with a 78-run stand for the third wicket, but Petersen’s dismissal sparked a devastating batting collapse on the third evening.

Surrey now look set to record a 23-point victory, with Lancashire heading into the final day on 203/8 with a slender lead of 10 runs. A defeat would leave the Red Rose county teetering with a relegation battle heading into the closing stages of the season, with Ashley Giles’s side failing to record a four-day victory since the end of May and not at all away from Old Trafford this campaign.

Sam Curran’s career-best 96 guided Surrey to a first-innings lead of 193 after they were bowled out for 480, with Arron Lilley claiming 5-130. Despite falling four runs short of a maiden first-class century, the younger Curran sibling ensured that Surrey consolidated their stronghold over Lancashire, before the visitors fell to pieces in their second innings.

Accompanied by his brother Tom, the teenage all-rounder advanced from his overnight score of 28 to a 75-ball fifty, backing up his four-wicket haul in Lancashire’s first innings with an entertaining knock. Curran junior made the most of being dropped by Rob Jones at second slip in only the second over of the day, lofting Lilley’s first ball of the day for the first of three sixes.

His ninth boundary took him to an eye-catching fifty and a cover-driven boundary the next ball brought up the fifty-partnership to extend Surrey’s overnight lead from 67 to 131 with a partnership worth 70 runs for the seventh-wicket stand.

Tom Curran (25) offered Lancashire respite when he swept Lilley into the hands of Jones at square leg, but the younger Curran continued to enjoy himself with four boundaries in one over off Kyle Jarvis (2-90) and two sixes in quick succession off Simon Kerrigan (1-76) to become the top-scorer in the innings.

However, the second of Curran’s maximums was followed by his departure, as Lilley took a sharp return catch with Curran four runs shy of a maiden first-class ton. Kerrigan then took his first ever wicket at The Oval when he had Surrey captain Gareth Batty (16) trapped lbw at 463/9, with bad light and a brief shower forcing an early lunch.

Footitt (9) replicated Curran by departing after hitting a six, as he was stumped by Steven Croft to give Lilley the second five-wicket haul of his first-class career. Surrey took a handsome first-innings lead of 193 runs into Lancashire’s second innings and they would end the day on the verge of their fourth win of the season after Lancashire’s middle order subsided.

Haseeb Hameed (13) and Procter started solidly with a 49-run stand for the opening partnership, before Footitt extracted the first of five breakthroughs in a devastating spell for the home side. After playing and edging on a few occasions, Hameed edged a drive from Footitt behind to Ben Foakes, a crucial scalp for Surrey in Lancashire’s cause to salvage a draw from the match.

Stuart Meaker (1-38) then had Liam Livingstone (13) out cheaply with a sharp bouncer, forcing Lancashire’s newly adopted No. 3 to glove to Steve Davies, who dived forward at second slip to cling on at 89/2. With Lancashire still 104 runs in arrears, Procter and Petersen established a confident partnership for the third wicket, taking Lancashire to within 26 runs of making Surrey bat again.

Procter reached his sixth half-century of the summer in 85 deliveries with nine boundaries, with Lancashire reaching tea on 111/2. The session started positively for the visitors when Petersen (56) lofted Batty for six on his way to a 57-ball fifty, but the South-African soon found himself trudging back to the pavilion.

Petersen mistimed a drive off Footitt to Dominic Sibley in the covers at 167/3 with Croft falling in Footit’s next over when he edged to Sangakkara at first slip for a nine-ball duck. After claiming two wickets in ten balls, Footitt then had Procter trapped lbw for 76, as Lancashire lost their third wicket for 11 runs in the space of nine overs.

Batty then struck two wickets in quick succession to account for debutant Jones (10) and Jordan Clark in the same over. Jones fell lbw at 188/6, before Clark followed four balls later when he was bowled for one, as Lancashire lost five wickets for 22 runs in 11.4 overs.

Footitt then secured his 17th five-wicket haul when he had Lilley (3) caught at first slip by Rory Burns, capping Lancashire’s collapse at six wickets for 26 runs inside 14 devastating overs. Lancashire finished the third day with a small lead of 10 runs, with the visitors on the verge of another trip to south London without a victory and a sixth defeat in a run of 11 matches without success. 

Burns and Sibley set up strong day for Surrey

Surrey consolidated their stronghold over Lancashire with a confident batting display on the second day at The Oval, as four of their batsmen made half centuries.

Rory Burns led the way with 88, sharing a dominant partnership for the opening wicket with Dominic Sibley (56) worth 160 runs, before Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara (67) and Steve Davies helped Surrey to post an overnight lead of 67 runs, reaching stumps at 354/6.

Lancashire toiled away in the unrelenting heat in south London, failing to take a single wicket in the morning session, as Burns and Sibley took charge. Kyle Jarvis (2-61) then directed the Red Rose comeback with two quick wickets after lunch to account for both Surrey openers, before Sangakkara and Davies (59) added 77 runs in a confident partnership to restore their dominance in the match.

Having bowled Lancashire out for 287 the previous evening, Surrey’s openers put Lancashire through a tiring morning session, with Burns advancing to his eighth half-century of the Championship campaign to lead the hosts to a hugely successful start to the day. Burns, who reached 1,000 first-class runs yesterday, capitalised on Rob Jones’ drop in the evening session on the first day, as he and Sibley enjoyed tucking into Lancashire’s bowlers on the hottest day of the year.

Burns kicked on from his overnight score of 33 to reach fifty in 80 deliveries, with the Surrey openers sharing a hundred-partnership in precisely 30 overs. Sibley followed suit with a half-century of his own in 127 balls and by the time lunch arrived Lancashire had bowled 100 overs in Championship cricket without taking a wicket, including the second innings against Yorkshire last week.

Jarvis spearheaded Lancashire’s resurgence after lunch, reducing Surrey from 150/0 to 163/2 with two wickets in the space of four balls to account for both of the openers in the space of two overs. The Zimbabwean forced Sibley to edge onto his stumps for 56 in the seventh over of the session, before forcing Burns to drive and edge behind to Steven Croft in his next over.

Having gone 641 balls without taking a wicket in red-ball cricket, Lancashire had taken two wickets in the space of ten balls, but all this did was bring Sri Lanka legend Sanagakkra to the crease with ideal batting conditions to suit his masterful technique. The 38-year-old veteran showed his class early on with back-to-back boundaries off Nathan Buck, with his next boundary-four taking Surrey to the first of four batting points.

Arun Harinath (21) added 45 runs with Sangakkara before he was trapped lbw by Arron Lilley (2-76), but Surrey refused to relent from their positive approach, as Sangakkara and Davies dominated Lancashire’s spinners to add 77 runs inside 18 overs.

The highly-experienced Sangakkara took a shine to Lilley when he clobbered the first of two sixes on his way to a 47-ball fifty, with his second maximum coming when he lofted Simon Kerrigan down the ground and into the stands. As a result of the Sri Lankan’s aggressive approach to the spinners, he and Davies shared a fifty-partnership in just 56 deliveries, helping Surrey to reach tea on 274/3.

Sangakkara seemed destined to reach three figures for the second time in three matches against Lancashire – having scored 118 at the back end of last season at Old Trafford – but Buck (1-56) persisted after the interval to remove the dangerman for 67 in the fourth over of the evening session.

Haseeb Hameed held on to a sharp catch after Sangakkara caressed Buck into the gully, but Surrey ended the second day of this match by advancing into the lead, with Davies going on to reach the fourth fifty of the innings. He did so in 96 deliveries, with his patience complementing Sangakkara in a hugely successfully partnership.

Luke Procter (1-30) extracted the second breakthrough after tea by trapping the in-form Ben Foakes lbw for 14 to leave the hosts on 317/5, with Davies following for 59 when he pulled a half-tracker from Lilley straight to Kerrigan at mid-wicket to hand Lancashire a valuable second bowling point at the end of the 106th over.

The Curran brothers – Sam and Tom (0*) – guided Surrey to stumps without any further scares, with the younger sibling unbeaten on 28 with five boundaries to his name, as the hosts reached close of play on 354/6 with a first-innings lead of 67 runs.

Curran shines as Surrey dismantle Lancashire on first day

18-year-old seamer Sam Curran (4-61) starred with the ball to help Surrey dismiss Lancashire for 287 on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship match at The Oval.

Jordan Clark (56) backed up his career-best 84 against Yorkshire last week with a vital half-century, sharing 85 runs for the sixth-wicket with debutant Rob Jones (25) to lead Lancashire’s recovery after they had fallen to 99/5 after lunch on a sun-bathed day in south London.

Arron Lilley then hit four sixes in a quickfire 38 from 28 balls, before Nathan Buck (24*) and Simon Kerrigan (25) shared 48 runs for the final wicket to help the visitors take two batting points after the middle-order batsmen flattered to deceive.

Surrey then responded by reaching close of play unscathed on 50/0, with Rory Burns (33*) reaching 1,000 first-class runs for the season in helping the home side to cut the deficit to 237 runs.

The meeting between the two promoted sides from last season started well for Surrey, who are in third place four points ahead of Lancashire, with Luke Procter (5) falling cheaply in the eighth over lbw to left-arm seamer Curran, the first of his four victims on a memorable day for the teenage prodigy.

With Procter’s promotion not having the desired effect in the absence of Tom Smith, Liam Livingstone (37) then found his credentials being tested by a confident Surrey bowling attack, with the Curran brothers sharing a testing new-ball spell in the morning session.

Haseeb Hameed entered this match on the back of recording hundreds in both innings against Yorkshire, becoming the youngest batsman to reach 1,000 runs for Lancashire, but the Bolton batsman struggled to kick on after a solid start, as he failed to record a half-century for the first time since the first innings at Southport over a month ago.

Shortly after Lancashire had reached 50, Hameed (26) attempted to hook Stuart Meaker, only to feather down the leg-side, forcing Ben Foakes to take a smart diving catch at 51/2. This was the first of five catches to be taken by Foakes, who played his part in Lancashire’s middle-order collapse after lunch.

Livingstone adopted his new role at No. 3 with varied success, handsomely driving Mark Footitt to the cover boundary for successive fours, before taking a nasty blow on the hand to a Meaker bouncer. Alviro Petersen assisted Livingstone to lunch with Lancashire on 79/2, finishing the session with back-to-back boundaries of his own, but both batsmen fell in quick succession after the break to leave Lancashire with an uphill struggle.

Petersen fell in the second over of the afternoon session, shouldering arms to Sam Curran when he was bowled for 17, before Livingstone departed 17 balls later, edging the elder Curran brother behind to Foakes. Having edged three boundaries down to vacant third man in the same over, Croft fell for 12 to Curran junior, who claimed the second Lancashire wicket to fall with the score on 99, with Foakes once again holding on behind the stumps.

A third wicket for the teenage Curran left Lancashire reeling on 99/5, leaving Clark and debutant Jones with the unenviably task of guiding the visitors to safety. The latter survived probing spells from the rampant Curran, as well as Meaker, who opted to test Jones with several bouncers in the same over.

Clark followed up his impressive half-century against Yorkshire with another accomplished innings, reaching a 63-ball fifty with ten boundaries to lead Lancashire out of the mire. The Lancashire all-rounder hit Gareth Batty’s first ball to the cover boundary to register a fifty-partnership with Jones, although it was Clark who accounted for the mainstay of these runs, with Jones simply providing gritty determination to his cause.

It took a stunning catch from Kumar Sangakkara at first slip to account for Clark, with the Sri Lankan legend diving full tilt with one hand to hold on after Meaker (3-83) had extracted a rare edge from Clark at 184/6. Debutant Jones then followed after digging in for over two hours for his 25 off 86 deliveries, scything a drive from Sam Curran onto his stumps 15 balls after Lancashire had lost Clark.

Lilley decided to take the aggressive route with Lancashire faltering before tea, hitting the younger Curran for four down to long-on and then for six in consecutive balls in the final over of the session to take the visitors to 211/7 at the interval. Lilley started the final session in the same vein as he had ended the previous one, taking 16 runs from Meaker’s first over with two sixes in the space of five balls.

However, Kyle Jarvis (6) fell in the next over in tame fashion to Tom Curran (2-51), chipping to Footitt at mid-off with the score at 231/8. Lilley then feathered an attempted uppercut into the gloves of Foakes off Meaker, leaving Lancashire 11 runs short of a second batting point with one wicket in hand.

An early boundary for Kerrigan ensured that Lancashire would claim the second batting point, with the visitors adding important runs for the final wicket after losing five wickets in a damaging afternoon session. Buck and Kerrigan hit six boundaries between them in sharing 48 runs for the tenth-wicket stand, before Kerrigan edged Footitt (1-56) behind to Foakes.

Surrey’s response rubbed salt into Lancashire’s wounds, with the home side reaching 50/0 in the final over of the day. A day of mixed fortunes for Lancashire was compounded by Burns (33*) reaching 1,000 first-class runs for the season, with the left-handed opener being dropped at second slip by Jones with only two balls left in the day. 

Preview: Surrey v Lancashire - Specsavers CC

Lancashire have named a 13-man squad for their Specsavers County Championship match against Surrey at The Oval starting on Tuesday.

Ashley Giles' side enjoyed a memorable four days against Yorkshire in their last Championship outing, with Haseeb Hameed grabbing the headlines once again by breaking several records. The teenage batsman became the youngest player to reach 1,000 runs in a season for the Red Rose county in the process of becoming the first person to score centuries in both innings in a four-day match against Yorkshire for Lancashire.

Hameed has scored 1,030 at an average of 57.22, with only Durham's Keaton Jennings (1,037) scoring more runs than the Bolton batsman in red-ball cricket this season. The Roses encounter also featured a record-breaking partnership between Jordan Clark (84*) and Kyle Jarvis (57), who both made career-best scores in sharing 109 runs to achieve Lancashire's biggest tenth-wicket stand against Yorkshire.

Surrey and Lancashire were both promoted from the second division last season and are holding their own in the top flight sitting in third and fourth place respectively. The southern outfit cruised to an emphatic victory over Warwickshire in their last Championship match by 224 runs, climbing above Lancashire in the table.

Lancashire are without a win in the four-day format in their last seven attempts and, despite a positive draw against a strong Yorkshire outfit, Ashley Giles' side have not recorded a victory since the end of May. However, the last time they did taste success was when Surrey travelled to Old Trafford in the early stages of the campaign, as Lancashire recorded a resounding margin of victory by an innings and 96 runs.

After being bowled out for 191 on the first day, Surrey were then skittled for just 107 second time around by Lancashire, who raced to victory inside three days to record their third win in five attempts, putting them top of Division One. This defeat left Surrey without a win in their first six matches, but they have undergone a resurgence in form by winning three of their last seven to move away from a relegation battle, although they have played more matches than any other side in the top flight.

Despite his tender age, Hameed already has fond memories of playing against Surrey, kickstarting his career with a gritty 91 at Old Trafford at the end of last season. Since then, the impressive opening batsman has gone on to record four centuries, becoming the first teenager to score 1,000 first-class runs in a season since James Taylor in 2009. 

Tom Bailey returns to the squad after being absent for two months with a side injury, while youngsters Rob Jones and Danny Lamb also travel as part of a 13-man squad. However, all-rounder Tom Smih has been ruled out with an injury.

Surrey squad: TBC

Lancashire 13-man squad: Steven Croft (c/wk), Tom Bailey, Nathan Buck, Jordan Clark, Haseeb Hameed, Kyle Jarvis, Rob Jones, Simon Kerrigan, Danny Lamb, Arron Lilley, Liam Livingstone, Alviro Petersen, Luke Procter.

Hameed makes history as Roses encounter ends in draw

Teenager Haseeb Hameed achieved multiple personal accolades on the final day of the Roses match at Old Trafford, as Lancashire and Yorkshire played out a high-scoring draw.

Hameed (100*) became the youngest Lancashire player to score 1,000 runs in a season when he recorded centuries in both innings for the Red Rose county, becoming the first Lancashire player to do so in a Roses affair. At the age of just 19, Hameed has scored four centuries this summer, hitting five fifties in a row and he now has 1,030 runs at an average of 57.22 in what is proving to be a tremendous first full season for the young opening batsman.

As soon as Hameed reached three figures, Lancashire declared on 232/3, setting Yorkshire 367 to win from a minimum of 71 overs. Alex Lees (114*) and Adam Lyth (63*) took Yorkshire to 188 without loss when the players shook hands at 5pm, 179 runs short of their target after batting valiantly for over three hours to prevent Lancashire from claiming victory.

Lancashire took their overnight lead from 204 to 302 when Hameed and Tom Smith (87 off 103) recorded the highest opening partnership of the season worth 168 runs. Both batsmen played with positive intent in the hope of setting up a fourth-innings run chase for the visitors, with Hameed latterly supported by an unbroken partnership with Liam Livingstone, who hit a run-a-ball 31 not out to add 55 runs for the fourth wicket.

Smith capitalised on being dropped in the first over of the day by Jack Leaning at short leg by reaching fifty for the fourth time this season in red-ball cricket in 80 deliveries after scoring regular boundaries in the morning session. The Lancashire all-rounder welcomed Steven Patterson (0-22) into the attack with a huge six into the pavilion, bringing up the hundred-partnership with Hameed in 154 balls.

Hameed started a memorable day by recording his fifth consecutive half-century in 81 balls, as the Bolton batsman played with vigour and freedom in helping Lancashire to extend their already daunting lead with all ten wickets in hand. Yorkshire attempted to stem the flow of runs by posting eight men on the boundary, but that didn't stop Smith from hitting his second maximum of the morning, again launching Patterson into the stands to help Lancashire add 71 runs in the first nine overs of the day.

The injection of pace from Smith and Hameed saw them add the next fifty runs of their partnership in only 33 balls, with fast running between the wickets and strong shots through the leg-side a key feature of their morning-session assault on the Yorkshire bowlers. Smith threatened to record the fourth century of his first-class career when he hit Adil Rashid (1-68) for back-to-back boundaries, with Hameed reaching 1,000 runs for the season when he progressed to 73, becoming the youngest Lancashire player to do so.

Smith and Hameed's partnership came to a halt at 168/1 when the former advanced down the track to Tim Bresnan (2-60) and top-edged to Andrew Hodd for 87, his highest score of the season. This wicket sparked a mini collapse from Lancashire, who were still firmly in pursuit of setting up a run-chase for their Roses rivals. Lancashire lost three wickets in 12 balls when Alviro Petersen got a leading edge back to Rashid, as he was caught and bowled for two.

Bresnan then struck his second breakthrough in quick succession when he had Steven Croft (3) caught behind by Hodd attempting to fend the ball down to third man from a sharp bouncer, leaving Lancashire on 177/3 with Hameed approaching back-to-back hundreds in the match. Bresnan's confidence was thwarted by the emphatic temperament of Hameed, who hit two fours in quick succession to move to 93, again showing incredible confidence through the leg-side and more typically playing with pace on the ball through the covers.

Livingstone proved the perfect company to Hameed, offering a fearless approach to Lancashire's cause by hitting 31 runs from as many balls. The two ran brilliantly between the wickets, much like Hameed had previously done with Smith, allowing them to add a fifty-partnership in 45 balls. Hameed then put his name in the record books for a different reason, becoming the first Lancashire player to score centuries in both innings of a match against Yorkshire, reaching his fourth hundred of the summer in just 124 balls.

Hameed reaching three figures signalled Lancashire's declaration at 232/3 after he and Livingstone added an unbroken partnership worth 55 runs, setting Yorkshire 367 to win in the blazing sunshine. For the rest of the day, Yorkshire's opening batsmen Lees and Lyth took centre stage with a valiant partnership worth 188 runs, preventing Lancashire from recording their first Championship win since the end of May.

With all of the attention on Hameed's brilliance, Lees forced the limelight onto himself with a very competent 114 not out, ably supported by a former England opening batsman. The pair initially negated a six-over spell before lunch, with Lyth taking advantage of an early drop in the afternoon session by reaching fifty for the fifth time this summer. Petersen's drop at gully came on the second ball of the session and the seventh over of the innings, but it proved to be as close as Lancashire came to forcing a breakthrough against a stern Yorkshire resistance.

It was never totally clear as to whether or not Yorkshire fancied the sizeable target of 367, but a flurry of early boundaries for Lees off Nathan Buck (0-43) did set the visitors off to a good start. Lees hit four boundaries in a row, before swatting Buck for a six in his next over, racing to a 55-ball half-century to suggest that the Tykes were not going down without a fight.

However, even with positive start made by Lees, an already daunting task became that much harder when the Lancashire spinners applied a strangle to proceedings, sending the required run rate towards seven an over before Yorkshire had a chance to put their foot on the accelerator. The inevitability of the draw became apparent towards tea despite Lyth and Lees recording a hundred-partnership in 188 balls, as Lyth reached his fifty at a leisurely pace of 113 deliveries on the cusp of the interval.

The lack of aggression shown by either batsman signalled Yorkshire's desire to settle for the draw, but with a perfect platform set - and all ten wickets in hand - it begged the question as to why the White Rose didn't take a chance. Lees enjoyed a chanceless knock, hitting 15 fours on his way to his second century of the season after top-scoring with 85 in Yorkshire's first innings, with the visitors still needing 219 more runs to win heading into the final session of the match.

Lancashire moved up to fourth in the Division One table with an 11-point draw, as the players shook hands on a hard-fought draw to conclude a memorable Roses encounter and one that the Red Rose certainly enjoyed the better of across the four days.

Jarvis wickets keep Lancashire in charge of Roses match

Kyle Jarvis backed up his exploits with the bat by claiming four wickets to keep Lancashire in control of the Roses clash against Yorkshire heading into the final day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Old Trafford.

The Zimbabwean claimed figures of 4-70 after hitting his first half-century in first-class cricket on Day Two, sharing a hundred-partnership with Jordan Clark to take Lancashire to 494. The hosts toiled away in blazing heat in Manchester, with Simon Kerrigan (3-91) also playing a key role with his leg-spin to dismiss Yorkshire for 360, handing the Red Rose a useful lead of 134 heading into their second innings.

Overnight batsmen Alex Lees (85) and Andrew Gale (83) both attempted to halt Lancashire's bid for victory, sharing a defiant partnership worth 130 runs for the third wicket, but Jarvis and Kerrigan continued to take regular wickets to give Lancashire a chance of forcing victory on the final day. Tom Smith (35*) and Haseeb Hameed (30*) then extended Lancashire's first-innings to 204 by stumps, sharing an unbroken stand worth 70 runs with a confident finish to the penultimate day of the Roses match.

Lees and Gale had already added 81 runs for the third wicket on the second evening, with their watchful approach allowing Yorkshire to recover from Lancashire's lower-order antics. The manner of their approach could certainly be described as circumspect, given that the hundred-partnership came up in 301 deliveries in the early stages of the third day.

Skipper Gale registered only his second half-century of the season in 162 balls after spending much of yesterday evening padding away to Kerrigan, adopting a edge of confidence in the morning session by advancing down the pitch to the leg-spinner to bring up the hundred-partnership with his sixth boundary.

Lees looked well set to register his second century in red-ball cricket this summer, but Jarvis struck an hour and 15 minutes into the morning session when he had Yorkshire's one-day captain trapped lbw for 85. Debutant Jake Lehmann turned a few heads on his debut for Yorkshire, playing with much the same flare and assurance that his father, Darren, used to during his long-standing association with Yorkshire.

The Australian batsman made a confident 46 from 53 deliveries, giving Yorkshire their first batting point with a nicely driven boundary off Jarvis. Both Lehmann and Gale found the ropes in the same over to bring up a brisk fifty-partnership - a run-a-ball 52 for the fourth wicket - with Gale now looking likely to reach three figures on the ground that he was handed a two-match ban in 2014 when he clashed with Ashwell Prince.

However, Kerrigan held on to a superb catch in the gully off Smith (2-38) to remove Gale for 83 - his highest score of the season so far - leaving Yorkshire with a potentially awkward spell before lunch at 243/4. Lehmann and Adil Rashid (16) survived until the interval unscathed, but Lancashire accounted for both batsmen in quick succession to regain control after the Lees and Gale rearguard.

First, Rashid fended Kerrigan to Hameed at short leg, before Jarvis forced Lehmann to chop on, denying the Australian a half-century on debut to leave Yorkshire in trouble at 272/6 after claiming two wickets in the space of four balls. Yorkshire's desire to chase 300 inside 110 overs were quashed when Jarvis had Tim Bresnan plumb lbw for 11, Lancashire's third wicket for 11 runs in four overs.

The home side were then forced to endure a frustrating eight-wicket partnership between Andrew Hodd and Steven Patterson (20), as Yorkshire took their turn to enjoy a lower-order rally. The pair added 58 runs to help take the Tykes beyond the follow-on, adding a fifty-partnership in 76 balls, before Hodd fell to a superb catch by Liam Livingstone.

Yorkshire's wicketkeeper took a chance on 43 with an attempted sweep shot, but he top-edged to Livingstone, who was forced to run from slip to take a diving catch at 341/8, giving Kerrigan his second scalp of the innings. Patterson continued to stand strong after tea, stonewalling Lancashire's best efforts in the torrid heat to survive nearly two hours at the crease, before Nathan Buck (1-65) pegged back his middle stump to claim a throughly deserved wicket after bowling consistently throughout the third day.

Ryan Sidebottom (3) then followed cheaply when Kerrigan struck his third and final breakthrough, forcing the number eleven to edge behind to Steven Croft, as Yorkshire were bowled out for 360, surrendering a 134-run deficit to Lancashire. Smith and Hameed then buffered Lancashire's already handsome lead to 204 runs by close of play, adding an unbroken partnership worth 70 runs in the evening session in the 21 overs that remained.

With the draw looking the most likely result heading into the final day, Lancashire's opening batsman were forced to play positively in the hope of setting Yorkshire an optimistic target in a fourth-innings run chase. Hameed commenced the boundary count when he steered Brooks to the cover fence in the second over of the innings, before Smith twice hit the same bowler through the covers in sumptuous fashion in his next over.

The urgency displayed by Hameed and Smith allowed Lancashire's opening stand to add fifty runs in just 86 deliveries, with both openers having five boundaries apiece by the time the lead had been extended to 200 in the closing stages of the day.

Clark and Jarvis put Roses match in Lancashire's favour

Jordan Clark (84*) and Kyle Jarvis (57) shared a record-breaking stand for Lancashire's last wicket to give the Red Rose county a memorable day against Yorkshire in the Specsavers County Championship.

Both batsmen achieved career-best scores to take Lancashire from 299/7 at the start of the second day to 494 all out, with the tenth-wicket partnership adding 109 runs to set a new record for Lancashire against Yorkshire. Clark was initially assisted by Arron Lilley (45 off 39) who helped the home side to add 87 runs for the eight wicket in just 79 balls, before Jarvis hit his first half-century in first-class cricket.

Lancashire added 195 runs in the space of 37 overs to reverse the damage of yesterday evening, with Yorkshire having the hosts on the ropes when they claimed six wickets for 61 runs after Haseeb Hameed's century had set a strong platform at 238/1. Yorkshire then responded with a watchful approach, reaching 136/2 after 62 overs, with Alex Lees (62*) and Andrew Gale (36*) sharing a necessary and circumspect partnership worth 81 runs in 42 overs.

After a spirited comeback from Yorkshire's bowlers on the previous day, Clark and Lilley were forced to play with a degree of positivity to restore Lancashire's position in the match. Lancashire secured a third batting with the second ball of the day with four byes, with Jack Brooks completing an over from yesterday evening.

This largely set the tone for a thoroughly enjoyable morning for Ashley Giles' side, with Lilley finding his rhythm quickly with two boundaries in quick succession off Ryan Sidebottom. Lilley played with a typically aggressive approach, but he was also happy to pick the gaps, guiding Adil Rashid's second ball of the day down to vacant third man for one of eight boundaries hit by the Lancashire off-spinner.

Rashid (1-149) was treated with utter distain by both Clark and Lilley, with the latter twice lofting the England leg-spinner back over his head to bring up the fifty-partnership in only 35 balls. The third boundary of an expensive Rashid over saw Lancashire reach 350 and a fourth batting point, as Clark continued to play more technically-correct strokes through the covers on his way to a second first-class fifty.

A straight drive took Lilley to within five runs of a fifty of his own, but Steven Patterson (1-69) responded with a rising delivery, forcing Lilley to swat and edge behind to Andrew Hodd for a quickfire 45 from 39 deliveries, ending the 87-run stand with Clark for the eighth wicket. 

In an otherwise perfect morning session, Lancashire did surrender their ninth wicket inside the 110th over when Nathan Buck (1) shuffled across his stumps to Tim Bresnan and was trapped lbw to give Yorkshire maximum bowling points with two balls to spare.

Clark took Lancashire to 400 and achieved his half-century in 66 balls in the same over from Patterson, before Jarvis clattered Bresnan back over his head for the first of two sixes to be hit by the Zimbabwean. The last wicket shared the first fifty runs came in 66 deliveries, with Clark recording a new career-best score when he beat the 63 he made against Surrey at The Oval last season.

Lancashire forced Yorkshire's dejected bowlers to carry on for another half hour in an extended morning session, as Jarvis continued his assault by bringing up his first ever fifty in style with a second maximum, this time lofting Rashid back over his head to reach his half-century in 84 balls.

Clark and Jarvis enjoyed Lancashire's best ever tenth-wicket partnership against Yorkshire, with the former whipping a handsome six over long-on to bring up the hundred-partnership in 136 balls. Jarvis continued to play with excellent conviction straight down the ground, driving Rashid for his fourth boundary, before the leg spinner had him out lbw for 57, as Lancashire finished on an incredible first-innings score of 494 after starting the day on 299/7.

High on confidence from his exploits at the end of Lancashire's innings, Jarvis (1-32) delivered a probing opening spell alongside Buck, striking a breakthrough in his seventh over when he had Adam Lyth trapped plumb lbw for 25 at 38/1. Lancashire had a second wicket just before tea when Tom Smith (1-13) struck at the end of his second over, extracting an edge from Jack Leaning (7) to Liam Livingston at first slip to leave the visitors in trouble heading into the final session of the day.

However, the club captain and one-day skipper duo of Gale and Lees ensured that the Tykes would survive the rest of the day unscathed, adding a watchful partnership worth 81 runs either side of tea to end the second day on 136/2, still 358 runs behind Lancashire. Lees took his side beyond 100 when he hit Buck for back-to-back boundaries on his way to a 155-ball fifty, with Gale adopting a cautious method in the closing stages of the day, frequently padding away to Simon Kerrigan (0-12) when he was able to do so.

Yorkshire fight back after Hameed century in Roses match

Haseeb Hameed (114) made his third hundred of the summer to put Lancashire in a strong position in Roses clash at Old Trafford, but Yorkshire recovered with six wickets in the evening session to end the opening day in the ascendancy.

The Bolton-born opening batsman passed fifty for the ninth time this season, his fourth consecutive score of fifty or more, before registering his second century of 2016 at Old Trafford. The teenage batsman continues to turn heads with his impressive temperament at the crease, sharing a 152-run stand with Luke Procter (79) for the second wicket to give Lancashire a sturdy platform to try and get ahead of the two-time reigning champions.

Their partnership allowed Lancashire to negate a threatening bowling attack, packed with international talent past and present, with the duo registering their third hundred-partnership in four attempts since their stand in the second innings at Southport against Durham, which was followed by another solid partnership at Hampshire last week.

However, Lancashire closed on 299/7 after Yorkshire fought back from the Hameed-Procter partnership, with the Tykes taking six wickets for 61 runs - including both of the established batsman in the space of 12 balls - to give the Red Rose a disappointing conclusion to what had largely been a dominant day with the bat after winning the toss.

Hameed was initially accompanied by Tom Smith (46) and the opening stand survived the entire first session to send Lancashire to lunch on 83/0. Ryan Sidebottom's opening spell offered Yorkshire their best chance of making a breakthrough in the morning session, causing Smith one or two problems outside the off-stump in the first hour without ever forcing an edge. 

Surviving a testing first hour from Sidebottom and Jack Brooks allowed the opening stand to reach a fifty-partnership in 136 deliveries, with both Smith and Hameed injecting a degree of impetus thereafter. Smith's reverse-sweep set the tone for a miserable day for leg-spinner Adil Rashid (0-93), one of eight boundaries to be hit by the Lancashire opening batsman, who fell shortly after lunch to miss out on a half-century.

Smith fell in the fifth over after the interval when he was trapped lbw by Sidebottom (2-34), as he failed to add to his lunchtime score of 46 after adding 86 runs for the opening stand with Hameed. For the next 38 overs, Hameed and Procter progressed in masterful fashion against one of the best bowling attacks in the country.

Procter in particular played with a superb tempo, hitting Bresnan for three fours in the same over to make a racing start to his innings. Hameed supported his efforts nicely by reaching his ninth fifty of the season in red-ball cricket in 124 balls, while Procter continued to find the boundary with alarming regularity from Yorkshire's point of view.

Hameed then took his turn to find the ropes to the frustration of the Yorkshire bowlers, welcoming Brooks back into the attack with a boundary through the leg-side. He followed that up with three boundaries off Rashid in the same over, twice driving the spinner straight down the ground in succession, before clipping him to mid-wicket to move to 84. 

Procter advanced to his fourth half-century of the season in 92 deliveries, bringing up this milestone with a lovely pull shot for his ninth four, as well as the hundred-partnership at a brisk pace of 161 balls. It was the third time in four attempts that these two had shared a century stand and it gave Lancashire a tremendous platform at tea with the score at 187/1.

However, the loss of six wickets for 61 runs saw Lancashire falter from 238/1 to 299/7 by stumps, with the loss of Hameed and Procter in quick succession commencing a damaging spell for the hosts. Hameed went to his third century of the season in 189 balls - with his 14th boundary taking him to three figures - but Lancashire went on to squander the platform established by the second-wicket partnership.

Procter was first to depart for 79 after edging an attempted drive off Bresnan (2-58) behind to Andrew Hodd and Hameed fell 12 balls later - also to Bresnan - when he top-edged an attempted pull shot back to the bowler to fall for 114, nine runs short of achieving a new career-best score. Steven Croft (13) then made it three wickets for 30 runs when the Lancashire captain was well caught by Bresnan at first slip off Brooks (3-51).

Liam Livingstone followed for a ten-ball duck when he flashed outside the off-stump and edged Sidebottom behind to Hodd at 279/5 and the decision to send Simon Kerrigan (2) in as nightwatchman against the new ball proved to be bad one for Lancashire when he edged to Hodd once more, as Brooks took the first of two quick wickets at the death on the first day.

Alviro Petersen (32) looked to be negotiating the renewed optimism that was coursing through the Yorkshire bowling attack with relative ease but, with three balls left in the day, the South-African played-on attempting to shoulder arms to Brooks, as Lancashire closed on 299/7.

Preview: Lancashire v Yorkshire - Specsavers CC

Lancashire have named a 13-man squad for their Roses clash with Yorkshire in the Specsavers County Championship at Emirates Old Trafford starting on Saturday.

The Red Rose county are without a win in their last six County Championship matches, with their last victory in red-ball cricket coming against Surrey at the end of May. Since then, Ashley Giles side have drawn four and lost two matches, with the latest fixture ending in a stalemate against Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.

Will Smith hit a career-best double century for Hampshire to help the home side post 548/6 declared, while Haseeb Hameed responded with half-centuries in both innings to take his overall tally to eight fifties this season, leading Lancashire's resistance on an increasingly turning wicket. Despite a slight scare on the final morning in Southampton, the visitors walked away with a hard-fought draw, but Lancashire have now slipped down to sixth in the Division One table.

Yorkshire, meanwhile, are enjoying a superb spell in all formats of the game, coming into this match on the back of a quarter-final victory against Glamorgan in the T20 Blast. After securing their first trip to Finals Day since 2012, as well as earning a place in the quarter-finals of the One-Day Cup, Yorkshire will be hoping to strike together a late bid for the Championship trophy and record a hat-trick of four-day titles.

Adam Lyth celebrating his century the last time Yorkshire played a four-day match at Old Trafford.

The reigning champions - who are in third place with a game in hand over most other sides - achieved  a 48-run win over Warwickshire in their last four-day outing in a low-scoring contest at Headingley. 

The last time Yorkshire visited Old Trafford in the four-day competition it did not end well for the Red Rose county. 

The Tykes recorded a resounding victory by an innings an 18 runs after Adam Lyth's career-best 251 helped Yorkshire to post a formidable total of 610/6 declared. Lyth and Adil Rashid shared 296 runs for the sixth wicket, as the England leg-spinner hit 159 to help the visitors to a comfortable win.

Lyth will undoubtedly be the key man for Yorkshire on his return to Manchester, with the opening batsman extending his success at Old Trafford beyond the four-day contest already this season, hitting 136 in the One-Day Cup to inflict Lancashire's heaviest ever defeat in List A matches by a margin of 242 runs. He is 69 runs away from reaching 8,000 first-class career runs and he will be out to prove a point given that Alex Hales is struggling to make his mark at the top of the order alongside Alastair Cook in the Test side.

Yorkshire boast, arguably, the strongest all-round side in the country, even in the extended absence of the likes of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance, who remain tied up with international duties for the Test series against Pakistan. The likes of David Willey, Liam Plunkett, and of course Rashid, allow Yorkshire to field international-quality players, while the consistency shown by the likes of Jack Brooks and Steven Patterson in this campaign gives them incredible depth in the bowling attack.

In addition, Tim Bresnan's all-round exploits are not to be underestimated, especially after he and Rashid inspired Yorkshire's resurgence in the reverse-fixture at Headingley with their partnership worth 136 runs, after Lancashire had their enemies on the ropes at 79/5. Yorkshire went on to win the game comfortably despite making an indifferent start, beating Lancashire by 175 runs after the visitors were dismissed cheaply in both innings for 196 and 173 respectively.

Bresnan and Rashid scored vital runs and took 13 wickets between them in the meeting earlier this season.

To add insult to injury from Lancashire's perspective, Yorkshire have also recruited the services of Jake Lehmann. The son of Australia's Head Coach, who scored 8,871 runs during a career with Yorkshire that spanned from 1997 to 2006, is one of the most hotly-anticipated talents in Australian cricket.

Jason Gillespie's tenure with the Big Bash League team Adelaide Strikers has given Yorkshire the opportunity to strengthen the side with Travis Head, who has been called up to Australia's one-day side for the series against Sri Lanka starting on 21 August.

Yorkshire skipper, Andrew Gale, will be hoping for an inconspicuous affair after the last meeting at Old Trafford in 2014 saw him exchange verbals with Ashwell Prince. The subsequent punishment for abusing the South-African batsman was a two-match ban and he was also prohibited from lifting the trophy when Yorkshire were crowned champions for the first time in 13 seasons.

Lancashire 13-man squad: Steven Croft (c/wk), Nathan Buck, Jordan Clark, Haseeb Hameed, Kyle Jarvis, Simon Kerrigan, Arron Lilley, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Alviro Petersen, Luke Procter, Tom Smith.

Yorkshire 14-man squad: Andrew Gale (c), Tim Bresnan, Jack Brooks, Andrew Hodd (wk), Jack Leaning, Alex Lees, Jake Lehmann, Adam Lyth, Steven Patterson, Liam Plunkett, Azeem Rafiq, Adil Rashid, Ryan Sidebottom, David Willey.