Lancashire Vs. Yorkshire FLt20.

Lancashire annihilate roses rivals to go top.

Tom Smith was awarded man of the match for his
score of 42  and figures of 2-21.

Lancashire have gone top of the North Group after achieving an astonishing victory over their rivals Yorkshire, winning by 8 wickets, with a whopping 9 overs still to bowl. After the two sides had tied in a thrilling encounter at Headingley, this match was comparatively embarrassing for Yorkshire, who now sit bottom of the group.

Stephen Moore (66*) hit his third FLt20 half century of the season, racing to this milestone from 27 balls, and was supported magnificently by his opening partner Tom Smith who smashed 42, before he was stumped attempting to register a fourth six and was rightly awarded man of the match after he had earlier achieved figures of 2-21.

The hosts had managed to restrict Yorkshire to a disappointing total of 124-8 and they were embarrassed by Lancashire, who smashed 18 fours and 4 sixes in the 11 overs it took to
knock-off this inadequate score.

Adam Lyth's 32 from 24 balls proved to be the only sign of Yorkshire finding their feet, with Yorkshire achieving a minor 23 runs from the power play. By the same stage the home team had accelerated to 67, displaying the ruthless nature of Moore and Smith.

Other minor contributions from Gary Ballance (28) and Richard Pyrah (20) proved to be useful, but the visitors had severely under-achieved, after they had won the toss and chose to bat. The former fell in superb style, as stand-in captain Steven Croft pulled-off a stunning one-handed diving catch on the long-on boundary.

In a match of such ferocity from the Lancashire batsmen, it can be easy for the bowlers to lose credit, but there is no doubt that they played a huge role in this victory. Four of the Lightning's bowlers achieved economy rates below 6 runs per over, with Mitch McClenaghan (2-19) the pick of the bowlers.  

Lancashire were also helped out by some poor judgement on Yorkshire's part, as Adil Rashid and Azeem Rafiq were both run out in a comical manner that became part of the unbelievable atmosphere at Emirates Old Trafford.

Yorkshire finally ended the opening partnership, which had amassed 88 runs inside 8 overs and enjoyed further success when Ashwell Prince was out for a second-ball duck.

But this proved to be a high point  in an otherwise forgettable evening for Yorkshire, as Karl Brown smashed an unbeaten19 from 7 balls to assist Moore. Having already hit 12 fours, the Lancashire opener finished the match in the best possible way, lofting the ball back over the bowlers head in to the pavilion for six.

Photos from Leicestershire t20.

Leicestershire Vs. Lancashire FLt20.

McClenaghan boundary gives Lancs tie.

McClenaghan took 2-29 before hitting a
four off the final ball to tie the match.

In a heated encounter at Grace Road, Lancashire managed to salvage their second tie of the FLt20 campaign, thanks to a last ball thriller, which saw Mitchell McClenaghan paddle the ball to the vacant long-leg boundary.

Facing bottom of the table, many expected Lancashire to win today, but a point will do no harm to their qualification prospects, with Nottinghamshire losing to Derbyshire, resulting in run rate separating Lancs and Notts at the top.

After hitting 84 in the reverse fixture, Greg Smith replicated his fine form against the Lightning, leading the innings with a brisk 45. This lone effort stood out amongst the other Leicestershire efforts, with captain Josh Cobb out for an 8-ball duck.

Bangladesh international, Shakib Al Hasan, added 23 from 16 balls as the Foxes battled their way towards a semi-competitive score. The lancashire spinners, Arron Lilley and Simon Kerrigan proved to be as economical as ever, with neither affording more than a run-a-ball.

Kabir Ali (3-23) also proved to be a key figure in the match, taking the vital wicket of Rob Taylor, who smashed 29 off 15 deliveries, including 3 sixes, to help the Foxes post 139-9.

Lancashire's response began in a manner which suggested that Leicestershire had under-achieved, as the visitors hit 48 runs in the power play overs. Stephen Moore hit a quick-fire 20, but runs proved to be difficult to acquire for the remainder of the innings, with many batsmen falling after making starts.

There can be no doubt that Taylor earned the man of the match today, as he finished with figures of 4-23 after he had hit Leicestershire back in to the match earlier in the evening. The loss of wickets at regular intervals and an ever-increasing run rate hit Lancashire hard, who soon faced a daunting task in a match they could not afford to lose.

The efforts of Gareth Cross (28) proved valuable, but he was unable to see enough of the strike to make good of his hard-hitting approach. His departure on the penultimate delivery left Lancashire needing 5 to win, with the hosts in the ascendancy.

It therefore took the nerves of an international player to pick one of the few gaps available, as McClenaghan defied his number eleven status to snatch a tie with a cool four off the final ball.

Lancashire ready for Foxes clash.

Spinner Arron Lilley is enjoying his role in
Lancashire's t20 success.

Lancashire 14-man squad for t20 match versus Leicestershire: 

Glen Chapple (captain), Karl Brown, Jordan Clark, Steven Croft, Gareth Cross (wkt), Kyle Hogg, Kabir Ali, Simon Katich, Simon Kerrigan, Arron Lilley, Mitchell McClenaghan, Stephen Moore, Ashwell Prince, Tom Smith.

Over a week has gone by since Lancashire's last FLt20 match, but with the Lightning pushing for first place, their trip to Leicester will prove to be a vital match in the North Group.

Having won their last three matches, all at Emirates Old Trafford, an away trip should test Lancashire's abilities, after they tied their last away match against none other than the Yorkshire Vikings, Lancashire's next opponents in the campaign.

Lancashire will fancy their chances, with Leicestershire Foxes rooted to the bottom of the table, with qualification seeming to be a futile goal. This has been an abnormally poor performance from Leicestershire, who are renowned for having one of the best domestic t20 records since this format emerged ten years ago.

Also pushing for qualification, Nottinghamshire Outlaws are visited by Derbyshire Falcons, and if they fail to win Lancashire could recapture first place, which they had recently lost due to the Outlaws' number of games in hand.

Despite the injury to Stephen Parry, Lancashire's spinners have been a vital part of their current t20 success. “With the record we have had in the last few weeks, any team would be confident,” said off-spinner Lilley (pictured above). “We have had a big few weeks in that competition. We have had a lot of games in a short space of time and won them all.

Predictions:

Key Players: 

Greg Smith scored 84 at E.O.T.

Leicestershire: Greg Smith struck a magnificent 84 at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture under testing conditions. Although he was unable to clinch victory for Leicestershire his innings proved to be the highlight of the match and he will be out to repeat this performance.

Lancashire: No one player has stood out in Lancashire's triumph's this season, with rounded contributions playing a huge role in all they have done so far. However the consistency of Simon Katich in all three formats ensures that he will be one-to-watch.

Simon Katich averages 62.25 in
this seasons FLt20.

Result: It is hard to bet against Lancashire winning tomorrow. In every match this season they have batted well and the bowlers have proved to be more than capable of defending the efforts of the batsmen.

Lancashire will also understand the importance of tomorrow's match, where as Leicestershire's campaign is virtually over.

If complacency settles in early for Leicestershire then the match could be easy for Lancashire.

Photos from final day of Glamorgan match.

Luke Procter added 22 to his
overnight score of 53.

Procter hit 75 including 8 fours.

Procter was eventually bowled by Nathan McCullum.

Kyle Hogg made just 1 before he was out LBW to McCullum.

Glen Chapple added 31 from 28 balls.

Lancashire passing 500.

Gareth Cross made the fifth 50 of the innings.

Chapple was stumped by Mark Wallace.

McCullum finished with 5-191.

Arron Lilley batted with confidence in his debut first class innings.

McCullum makes a despairing dive.

Cross reaches fifty.

Lilley was nearly run out.

Cross hit 3 fours and a six.

But he to was stumped by Wallace.

Lilley made an unbeaten 35 on debut.

Kerrigan attempts to hit McCullum for six.

But was caught by Alex Jones.

Kerrigan took 5-53 in Glamorgan's second innings.

The wicket of Murray Goodwin was
key after he had hit 194 previously.

Andrea Agathangelou catches William Bragg.

McCullum finished on 35 not out as he and
Gareth Rees drew the match.

Rees hit an unbeaten 107 to lead
Glamorgan's innings.

Lancashire Vs. Glamorgan LVCC day four.

Kerrigan magic unable to earn Lancs win.

Kerrigan took 5-53 in the second innings
but he could not force a result.

Simon Kerrigan finished with match figures of 12-252, as the final day of Lancashire’s draw with Glamorgan proved to be closer than first thought, despite the players shaking hands early.

Glamorgan’s defiance came in the form of Gareth Rees whose unbeaten 107 saw off any chances of a repeat of Colwyn Bay.

The left-arm spinner is now Lancashire’s leading wicket taker so far in this seasons County Championship, with 44 dismissals in 10 matches, narrowly leading his team mates Kyle Hogg (35) and Glen Chapple (41).

At the start of the final day an early finish was the prevailing opinion, and although this turned out to be the case, the match took an unexpected twist, thanks to Kerrigan’s ongoing form.

Glamorgan were reduced to 98-5 in their second innings, as Kerrigan took 4 wickets in 15 balls, but the visitors managed to battle against the odds to earn a draw.

Rees continued his fine form, leading Glamorgan’s innings with his second 50 of the game and he finished unbeaten alongside former Lancashire all-rounder, Nathan McCullum (35*).

Rees continued to resist the Lancashire onslaught, as he watched several wickets fall. These included the valuable removal of Murray Goodwin (10) who had fallen short of a double hundred in the first innings and Jim Allenby, whose 92 was followed by a first-ball duck when he was bowled by Kerrigan, who took all five second innings wickets.

The hosts strong performance with the bat had given them an imposing total of 567 all out, a record versus Glamorgan, and with a lead of 93 anything was possible, but time proved to be against them.

Luke Procter had earlier added 22 to his overnight score of 53, before he was bowled by McCullum, but Lancashire’s middle-lower order batsmen proved useful in extending the lead further.

Gareth Cross became the fifth Lancashire player to reach 50 and eventually fell for 64 and captain Chapple added an entertaining 31, with both men stumped off the bowling of Dean Cosker (3-133).

Debutant Arron Lilley played with the confidence of Chapple, despite his tender age, and made an impressive 35 not out, with Kerrigan the last man out to Kiwi McCullum, who took 5-191.