Lancashire's hopes of beating Hampshire inside three days were tarnished by the persistent and heavy rain that fell on the third day of their Specsavers County Championship match at Old Trafford.
The Red Rose made the perfect start when James Anderson (2-10) removed Michael Carberry with his fifth ball of the day, as the Hampshire opener was judged to have edged behind to a tumbling Alex Davies, suggesting that the ball had clipped his thigh pad as he begrudgingly left the field.
However, after this early breakthrough in the second over of the day, it was Hampshire who took control, reaching 76/2 at lunch and indeed close of play, in spite of testing overcast conditions and a particularly hostile spell of bowling from Neil Wagner.
James Vince (39*) and Will Smith (13*) applied tremendous patience to aid Hampshire's cause, adding an unbeaten partnership worth 53 runs before the rain started to fall during the lunch interval. The ground staff started to mop up at 5pm, but when the rain returned, it signalled an end to a frustrating day for Lancashire, who will need to take eight more wickets to record their second Championship tomorrow.
Having been bowled out for 109 in their first innings, Hampshire conceded a huge first-innings deficit of 347 runs to the home side yesterday, as Lancashire reached 456 all out courtesy of a career-best 137 from Luke Procter.
Resuming on 22/1, Carberry (16) attracted a small but noticeable deviation from Anderson, forcing Davies to take a smart tumbling catch to his left, much to the Hampshire batsman's frustration, as he made a point of dragging himself back to the changing rooms in a dispirited fashion. Anderson continued to show promise during an economical spell, but captain Vince was keen to make a point after being run out by the quick thinking of his Lancashire counterpart, Steven Croft, in the first innings.
Hoping to make his case for selection against Sri Lanka in the upcoming Test series, Vince stood strong and defied Anderson, who is playing in his final game for Lancashire before leaving for international duties. Vince was patient and determined in equal measure, while Smith seemed merely patient. It took Smith 43 deliveries to score his first run, although he did offer a sharp return catch to Kyle Jarvis, one that the Zimbabwean fast bowler got both hands to, but failed to hold on to.
Despite the turgid and necessary nature to Hampshire's approach, the morning session provided entertaining viewing when Wagner came into the attack, as the New Zealand paceman sought to end Hampshire's resistance. Unable to extract as much swing as he would have desired, Wagner opted for a much more hostile approach, dropping shorter and forcing Vince in particular to play his shots.
The approach that had been so successful for Tino Best, who took five wickets to help Hampshire recover on Day Two, did nothing for Lancashire in terms of finding a breakthrough and with rain forcing every other game in the country to be delayed, it was only a matter of time before it arrived in Manchester.
Simon Kerrigan came into the attack, hoping to inspire a Hampshire capitulation on his 27th birthday, but Vince and Smith stood firm, bringing up the fifty-partnership moments before the lunch interval when Vince hooked Wagner for six. Not long had passed after the players had left the field, with Hampshire on 76/2, when the rain started to fall.
Initially light rain turned heavier and persistent and soon enough all of the covers were called into action, as Hampshire looked on from the dressing room, knowing that they had done enough in the morning session to continue their pursuit of salvaging a draw from the wreckage of being dismissed for 109 in their first innings.
With Hampshire still trailing by 271 runs, Lancashire will be optimistic about their chances of taking eight wickets tomorrow, with a vastly-improved forecast suggesting that Hampshire will have to bat all day to save the draw, even after two sessions were forfeited to the bad weather today.
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