Lancashire Vs. Essex LVCC Day Four

Lancashire complete 'Freaky Friday' victory.

Ashwell Prince scored 80 as he and Karl
 Brown led Lancashire to victory.

Lancashire have once again come back from an unbelievable position to complete a three wicket victory over Essex, as they achieved their second Championship win of the season. For those who witnessed the miracle that took place at Colwyn Bay, this victory was comparatively tense, with Lancashire winning on the penultimate delivery of the match. 

With Essex starting the day in the commanding position, this victory came as an even greater shock to the Lancashire fans, who expected to watch their side fall to their first loss of the campaign - but how wrong they were.

The rain that fell yesterday was initially seen as a means of saving Lancashire from losing this fixture and when further rain washed out the entire first session, the game appeared to be heading for a draw. But the likelihood of both teams searching for a result meant that Essex were forced to put themselves in an awkward situation, declaring at 203-3 with a lead of 253.

Given their fortune to escape losing the match, many people expected Lancashire to play for the draw, but when Paul Horton and Luke Procter fell with the score at 13, it appeared as if their luck had run out. 

The home side would have been forgiven for playing out a draw and shaking hands at five o'clock, but Karl Brown and Ashwell Prince had other ideas. The pair shared an incredible stand worth 169 runs, with both batsmen eventually falling for 80 and facing 105 balls. 

With just 57 runs scored at tea, many wondered if Lancashire had settled for a respectable draw, but the third wicket stand accelerated soon after play resumed, bringing up the hundred partnership in 123 balls. 

Simon Katich and Steven Croft were more than capable of completing victory, but this Championship match now had the tempo of a Twenty20 finals day and the run rate was reflective of this pressure, as Lancashire pursued the unthinkable once more. The latter smashed two sixes in his innings of 28, but he and Katich (26) both fell to Reece Topley, who claimed figures of 5-80.

Both men fell with the score at 248 and when Gareth Cross was removed for a golden duck the pendulum swung once more. Who would come to Lancashire rescue but Sajid Mahmood, who conceded 16 runs in the fourth last over to boost his old teams chances for victory.

Wayne White and Kyle Hogg were now at the crease, with Lancashire needing five runs from the last over to achieve an incomprehensible victory over Essex. Once again it would be the former Lancashire player who aided his old colleagues to do so, as Mahmood failed to take the simplest of catches on the boundary off White and the batsmen scurried through for the vital run. Sympathy greeted the fast bowler, but not before Lancashire launched into celebration over yet another astonishing victory, that sees them move to second in the division two table.

The celebrations were muted slightly, as both teams discovered they would lose a point for slow over rates, but to Lancashire this was trivial when you consider how much they had overcome to reach this miraculous stage. 

Once again, Lancashire's disappointing batting was fortunate to escape what seemed to be an inevitable loss, but the second innings proved what they are capable of when it really matters. The victory against Glamorgan was due to a late surge of runs and spectacular bowling, but today Lancashire owe a great deal of thanks to Essex for setting them a total to chase and of course the Manchester weather that has so often frustrated them.

Lancashire 18 points, Essex 3 points (both teams deducted one point for slow over rate).