Rob Jones (106*) became the youngest Lancashire player to carry his bat for 81 years with a maiden first-class century, as Division One leaders Middlesex lost their hold over the encounter at Emirates Old Trafford.
Jones - who batted for nearly seven hours - shared crucial partnerships with Liam Livingstone (53) and Tom Bailey to steer Lancashire beyond the follow-on after they had slipped to 6/4 and 32/5 on the second evening, with Simon Kerrigan taking his first-class tally above 300 wickets with a late flurry on the third day.
Livingstone and Jones extended their overnight partnership from 70 to 106, as Livingstone made his ninth fifty of the season, before Bailey made a career-best 53. Lancashire finished on 259 with two valuable batting points and if they are able to draw this match, it will mean that they start the final game of the season against Warwickshire with a six-point lead over the Edgbaston outfit.
However, Lancashire will now be hoping that they can go on to achieve a miraculous comeback after Kerrigan's antics in the evening session, with the left-arm spinner taking his match haul to seven wickets after claiming three wickets in his first six overs, with Middlesex closing on 72/4 with a 140-run lead.
Lancashire resumed their first innings on 102/5, as the heavy rain from yesterday evening was soaked up by the excellent drainage at Old Trafford. A special day for Jones started with him bringing up a maiden first-class fifty in 151 deliveries, as he and Livingstone added a hundred-partnership in 235 balls to lead Lancashire towards the follow-on target of 178.
Livingstone's naturally free-scoring approach allowed the defiant Jones to continue with his more attritional approach, as he achieved his ninth score of fifty or more this season with eight boundaries in 117 balls. The ball after reaching his half-century, Livingstone tried to repeat the shot that took him to fifty, attempting to guide the ball along the floor through the slips, but a quicker delivery from Steven Finn (4-71) caught the edge and flew to Ollie Rayner at second slip.
Having added 106 runs with Jones for the sixth wicket, Lancashire were still 40 runs shy of avoiding the follow-on, but another vital stand with Bailey ensured that the hosts made Middlesex bat again. Jones deferred from his patient approach on his way towards three-figures, lofting Rayner back over his head for the first of two maximums, although his second six proved to be more memorable.
By the time lunch arrived, Jones and Bailey had already added 30 runs for the seventh wicket and their overall partnership worth 92 runs confirmed a tremendous rally from Lancashire after a devastating top-order collapse left them facing a potential innings defeat. Despite taking the new ball, Middlesex were unable to take four wickets before Lancashire could reach 178, with Jones and Bailey adding a fifty-partnership in 184 deliveries.
Lancashire's first batting point meant that Ashley Giles' side moved above Warwickshire in the table by virtue of number of wins, a huge advantage given that the sides meet in the final round of matches. Bailey injected a surge of runs with two successive boundaries off Tim Murtagh, twice pulling the Irishman to the fence on his way to a maiden first-class fifty and a new career-best score.
He reached fifty in 125 balls with his eighth boundary, before Finn took two wickets in two balls to remove both Bailey and Kyle Jarvis (0). Rayner was once again called into question in the slips when Bailey edged Finn on 53, before Jarvis nicked a rising delivery to Nick Compton to gully for a golden duck.
Kerrigan survived the hat-trick ball and accompanied Jones on his way to a momentous century, one that the 20-year-old celebrated in memorable fashion. Jones, playing in only his third match for Lancashire, smashed Rayner for an even bigger six and he turned to the dressing room with euphoric delight, punching the air several times to show his joy.
Finn claimed his fourth victim when he had Kerrigan (10) trapped lbw shuffling across his stumps, while Rayner (1-62) ended the innings at 259 when he bowled Toby Lester for 1, leaving young Jones unbeaten on 106. Jones was the youngest player to carry his bat for Lancashire since Cyril Washbrook in 1935 against Worcestershire and his innings brought the home side back into contention despite surrendering a first-innings lead of 68.
Sam Robson made a purposeful start to the Middlesex second innings, hitting Bailey for two boundaries in the first over, but Jarvis (1-24) struck with his fourth ball of the innings to remove Nick Gubbins for a five-ball duck, with Livingstone holding on safely at first slip. For the rest of the day, Kerrigan continued to cause Middlesex problems with his left-arm spin, with the 27-year-old repeating his feat from the first innings by taking a wicket with his very first ball.
Kerrigan sent Robson (26) on his way with a plumb lbw appeal, forcing the opening batsman to play across his stumps and trapping him on the back pad to leave Middlesex on 36/2. Two days after renewing his contract at Old Trafford, Kerrigan enjoyed an evening session flurry, removing Compton (10) and Stephen Eskinazi in the same fashion to give Lancashire a slim chance of achieving victory on the final day against the Division One leaders.
Both Compton and Eskinazi (4) were trapped lbw in the space of four overs from Kerrigan, who at one stage had figures of 3 for 3 in 5.3 overs. Compton's departure handed Kerrigan 300 first-class scalps and the wicket of Eskinazi left Middlesex on 55/4 with a lead of only 123 runs. David Malan (20*) and John Simpson (7*) ensured no further losses before stumps, although Livingstone had a emphatic lbw appeal against Simpson turned down off the final ball of the day.
Yorkshire's ten-wicket defeat against Somerset means that Middlesex will almost certainly extend their slender lead at the top of the table ahead of their meeting with the Tykes in the final round of matches. It also means that Middlesex will be desperate not to lose tomorrow, but Lancashire will be vying for their first victory in nine attempts in their pursuit to avoid a third successive relegation from the first division.
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