Lancashire posted a mammoth total of 499 all out as they enjoyed another excellent day in their
three-day friendly against Somerset at Taunton.
Steven Croft (119) and Tom Smith (84)
shared a 180-run partnership for Lancashire’s fifth wicket as they excelled in
the afternoon session to help the visitors recover from a turbulent start to
the day as they finished the Day Two with a lead of 289 runs.
Tim Groenewald took 5-73 and for a long
while was Somerset’s only menacing bowler as he helped the hosts to claim three
wickets for 39 runs. Promise from other Somerset bowlers was severely lacking
as four Lancashire batsmen made fifties and Croft top-scored with another
century at Taunton.
Luis Reece resumed on 64 but added just two
more runs to his overnight score before Groenewald encouraged an edge to Marcus
Trescothick at second slip to remove the Lancashire opener with the score at
152/2.
Reece and Karl Brown (48) had added 80 runs for the second wicket partnership but Brown continued
to play well as he approached a half century of his own, one which sadly eluded
him when he lost his off stump to Groenewald.
The former Derbyshire bowler had a purple
spell for Somerset, bowling Ashwell Prince (7) in similar fashion before
removing Brown, although the South-African batsman lost his middle stump instead.
Memories of Lancashire’s
Championship-winning season came flooding back when Brown and Croft were
batting together at Taunton in 2011, but their stand did not last very long as
Brown fell two short of his fifty after hitting eight fours.
The wicket of Brown gave Somerset their
third of the morning for just 39 runs, but this was to be their last
glimpse of success for a long time as Lancashire’s new captain and vice captain
frustrated Somerset in the heat.
The hosts squandered an early opportunity
to dismiss captain Smith when his Somerset counterpart, Trescothick, shelled a
routine catch at second slip, a drop which proved costly when you consider
Smith was only on six at the time.
Lancashire moved into the lead as Croft and
Smith made a 50 partnership before lunch to steady the ship after a tough start
to the day as the visitors reached the interval on 238/4, adding 106 runs in
the first session.
Croft was approaching fifty before lunch
and it didn’t take long after play restarted for him to reach this milestone as
he achieved a half-century in 70 deliveries with nine fours.
Smith’s innings started to gain momentum as
he struck successive boundaries to take his partnership with Croft over the
100-run mark. Somerset then wasted another opportunity to end their partnership
when Tom Cooper dropped Croft at deep mid-wicket when the Lancashire
all-rounder was on 74, a moment he took full advantage of as he went on to pass
three-figures just before tea.
Smith took slightly longer to reach his half-century,
taking 114 balls to do so, but his innings of 84 surpassed any of the scores he
made last season, his highest score in 2014 being 79.
The Lancashire skipper hit Lewis Gregory
(0-73) for four boundaries in one over to take his score to 80, but he was
unfortunately unable to partner Croft on his way to a century as he was
dismissed by Groenewald before the interval.
Smith was trapped lbw by the Somerset
talisman who claimed his fifth and final wicket of the innings when he removed
the Lancashire captain, as Somerset finally ended his partnership with Croft
who was stranded on 99 not out at the time, with the score at 351/5.
Two wickets came in quick succession either
side of Croft’s century as Luke Procter (0) was also given out lbw, this time
to Jamie Overton (2-89), but this flurry of wickets did not distract Croft as
he reached a magnificent century in 143 deliveries with 17 boundaries.
Alex Davies joined the Lancashire centurion
and hit the final delivery of the afternoon session for six, but his innings of
29 from 67 deliveries was mainly used as an opportunity to get some time in the
middle.
A wicketless Peter Trego was eventually
rewarded for his efforts as he trapped Croft lbw for 119 although in truth the
pitch offered a great deal of assistance as Croft was beaten by a ball that
kept low, as it has tended to do all game from the River End of the ground.
But Lancashire proved to bat incredibly
deep with Davies coming in at number eight and then Jordan Clark, who was the
final batsman to make fifty on Day Two, coming in after him. Tom Bailey was
also a useful tail-ender although the Lancashire faithful are more than aware
of his capabilities with the bat.
Davies and Clark (51) added a further 65
runs to the total as the pair exhibited conflicting approaches to the game.
Although both batsmen were guilty of playing defensively, Clark eventually
opened up his shoulders as he hit eight fours on the way to registering fifty
in just 63 balls.
The Lancashire wicket keeper eventually
fell for 29 when he was caught and bowled by Johann Myburgh, who had spent most
of the evening session delivering innocuous off-spin, but he managed to get one
to stick in the pitch as Davies offered a straightforward return catch with
Lancashire progressing to 449/8.
Bailey added an eye-catching 24 as he hit
three fours and also a six from Jamie Overton, although he was removed the very
next delivery after his extravagant shot over deep backward square leg when he feathered
an edge through to Alex Barrow.
Simon Kerrigan added 15 in eight balls
including yet another six for Lancashire, but Clark failed to ensure that the
visitors reached the 500-mark as he top-edged Jim Allenby behind to Barrow as Lancashire
were all out for 499 with a lead of 291 runs.
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