Hameed wins Player of the Year Award for Lancashire

Teenager Haseeb Hameed capped a remarkable summer with Lancashire by receiving the Player of the Year Award at the club's annual dinner on Thursday night.

The 19-year-old opening batsman, who is set to make his England debut against Bangladesh this winter, enjoyed an incredible campaign with the Red Rose, scoring 1,198 runs at an average of nearly 50. Hameed was named the Young Cricketer of the Year at the Asian Cricket Awards earlier this week, but missed out on the equivalent award at the PCA dinner to Ben Duckett.

Hameed could be the only person to represent Lancashire against Bangladesh in the Test series next month, with James Anderson being ruled out of the tour due to a reoccurring injury to his shoulder. Jos Buttler will captain the side in the ODI series, but there is no guarantee that he will feature in the longer format, either instead of or alongside Jonny Bairstow.

After grabbing the attention of the international selectors from a very early stage in his career, Hameed validated his temperament and consistency against Division One opposition this summer. Centuries in both innings against former county champions Yorkshire demonstrated the two sides to his game and he followed that up by becoming the youngest Lancashire player to receive a county cap since the war.

Rob Jones won the Champagne Moment of the Year Award for his century celebration against Middlesex.

In a disappointing season for Lancashire in all formats, Hameed's emergence at the top of the order will be considered one of the shining lights in an otherwise frustrating campaign for Ashley Giles' side. Two other recipients from the gala dinner were Liam Livingstone and Rob Jones, who - like Hameed - have also come through the Lancashire establishment in a consolidating season.

Livingstone, who made 70 on his first-class debut, went on to score a century against Somerset at Taunton in the next match, with his season haul of 815 runs in four-day cricket and eye-catching displays in white-ball cricket earning him the Young Player of the Year Award. Jones, meanwhile, received the Champagne Moment of the Year Award for his century celebration against champions Middlesex in the final home game of the season.

A potentially match-saving hundred was celebrated by Jones - playing in only his third first-class match for Lancashire - with a flurry of punches towards the dressing room. Veteran Alviro Petersen, who made Lancashire's highest ever score in the Twenty20 format of 103 not out against Leicestershire, was given the One-Day Award, while Kyle Jarvis was rewarded for claiming over 50 wickets in red-ball cricket with the Championship Player of the Year Award.

Buck leaves Lancashire for Northamptonshire

Fast bowler Nathan Buck has decided to join Northamptonshire on a three-year deal after leaving Lancashire at the end of the 2016 season.

The former Leicestershire seamer joined Lancashire in September 2014, but he spent most of his first full season with the club on the sidelines due to injury. Buck, 25, took 12 wickets in the NatWest T20 Blast for the Red Rose county this summer at an average of 17.17 and he played a key part in both one-day competitions.

However, with one year left on his contract, Buck and Lancashire have mutually agreed to part company. Head Coach and Director of Cricket, Ashley Giles, said: "I would like to thank Nathan for his efforts over the past two years and wish him well for the future."

Buck featured in three County Championship matches this season, but only managed to take two wickets at an average of 105.00, as Lancashire narrowly avoided relegation from Division One. His performances in the One-Day Cup were much more impressive, with his eight scalps in the 50-over contest coming at 26.75.

Durham spare Lancashire blushes after Warwickshire defeat

Lancashire avoided relegation on the final day of the season despite suffering a hefty defeat against Warwickshire at Edgabston by 237 runs.

The Red Rose county were indebted to Durham, who beat Hampshire by six wickets at Southampton, which allowed Lancashire to survive their third successive relegation by the slim margin of 10 points. Lancashire were bowled out for just 109 in their second innings, having been dismissed for 152 first time around, but Surrey-bound Durham duo Mark Stoneman (137) and Scott Borthwick (88) guided their side to victory in their final appearances for the county to relegate Hampshire by chasing 296.

Overnight batsman and nightwatchman Simon Kerrigan (10) batted longer than any other Lancashire player, surviving nearly two and a half hours and 117 balls, but the visitors suffered a massive defeat to leave them with an uncomfortable wait before the end of the Hampshire v Durham match. Riki Clarke (4-20) and Jeetan Patel (3-46) were the chief destroyers for Warwickshire, as they secured their first win at home all season to maintain their first-division status.

Warwickshire showed all of their experience against a relatively young and inexperienced Lancashire side, with the visitors coming into the final day of the season on 28/3 chasing a mammoth target of 347. A miraculous victory on the final day, or even a draw, would have been enough for Lancashire to secure their place in Division One for another season, but their fifth defeat of the season meant that eyes turned to events in Southampton.

Hampshire set Durham 296 to win, knowing that only a victory would keep them up, declaring on 245/9 before lunch. Durham, who were already safe from relegation, were ruthless in their pursuit, with Stoneman's century and 88 from Borthwick leaving Durham supporters with conflicting emotions, due to the fact that both players will be playing first-class cricket at The Oval next summer.

Kerrigan and Haseeb Hameed started the day with promise, denying Warwickshire a breakthrough until nearly an hour had passed, but key wickets continued to fall and by lunch Lancashire's cause became nigh on impossible. The patient and resilient approach demonstrated by Hameed (27) all season made the 19-year-old opener a crucial scalp for Warwickshire and when he edged Chris Wright to Clarke at second slip, the reaction shown by fans and fielders alike demonstrated their relief. 

Crucial innings from Steven Croft against the likes of Nottinghamshire and Hampshire earned Lancashire valuable draws in the latter stages of this season, but he was unable to contribute another gritty knock for his side, nudging Clarke's first ball of the day to Sam Hain at short-leg for 1. With the captain and teenage Test opener in waiting both in the pavilion, a dejected Lancashire were left with an unenviable task and a relentless Warwickshire capitalised on their despondency to claim the last five wickets shortly after lunch.

While Kerrigan reached a century of deliveries, Liam Livingstone (7) edged Patel to Jonathan Trott at slip, as Lancashire reached lunch on 72/6. Kiwi spinner Patel struck either side of lunch, taking his season tally to 69 scalps with the wicket of Kerrigan, with his resilient rearguard coming to an end after 142 minutes at the crease. The nightwatchman feathered Patel to Clarke at slip at 73/7 shortly after the resumption and Jordan Clark followed when he was bowled by Rikki Clarke for 8.

Clarke wrapped up the innings by removing Tom Bailey (1) and Kyle Jarvis (4) to finish with four wickets, but not before Arron Lilley hit four boundaries and a six off Patel in an unbeaten run-a-ball 27 to take Lancashire beyond 100. Lilley finished the innings as Lancashire's joint top-scorer with Hameed and the tenth wicket worth 26 runs proved to be the highest of the second innings. 

Lancashire fell to 83/9 when Bailey was bowled for 1 by Clarke, who then had Jarvis held by Ian Westwood at short-leg to end proceedings and confirm Warwickshire's safety with a resounding victory. A potentially nervous wait for Lancashire was relatively comfortable, due to the efforts of Stoneman and Borthwick, as Durham wrapped up a six-wicket win to end the season on a high.

Lancashire destiny resting with Durham heading into final day

Lancashire's Division One safety will likely be decided by the outcome of Durham's visit to Hampshire after the Red Rose endured another tough day at Edgbaston against fellow relegation contenders Warwickshire.

The visitors slumped to 28/3, chasing a fourth-innings target of 347, after Warwickshire declared their second innings on 279/7. Warwickshire, who have not won at home all season in four-day cricket, look well set to end that drought after claiming three late wickets in 18 overs before close of play, while Lancashire are on course to end the season without a win away from Old Trafford in the County Championship.

Lancashire, who are hoping to avoid the ignominy of three successive relegations, will be hoping that Durham can continue their impressive recovery against Hampshire at Southampton, with either a draw or a Durham win preventing the Red Rose from joining Nottinghamshire in the second division. 

After avoiding the follow-on, Durham rallied to fall 50 runs short of Hampshire's first-innings total of 411, with Michael Richardson left stranded on 99 not out when his side were eventually bowled out for 361. Hampshire then fell to 176/7 in their second innings attempting to set Durham a target on the final day, with the hosts leading by 226 runs at the Ageas Bowl. 

Warwickshire resumed on 12/0, having already extended their first-innings lead from 67 to 79 on the second evening, with Tom Bailey (1-62) striking an early breakthrough in the fourth over of the day when he had Alex Mellor (6) out lbw offering no shot. Ian Westwood and Jonathan Trott recovered from this early blip by recording only the second fifty-partnership of the match, as Warwickshire started to take their lead into a dangerous territory for Lancashire, who were dismissed for 152 in their first innings.

Two boundaries in the space of three balls from Trott (42) brought up the fifty-partnership in just 67 deliveries, before Jordan Clark (1-30) ended their stand with his fourth ball of the day. Overnight batsman Westwood departed for 34 in the same way as his opening partner, offering no stroke to Clark having been hit on the knee role in front of middle stump, as Warwickshire progressed to 74/2.

Arron Lilley then had Trott bowled with the second ball of his spell in the final over before lunch, ripping the ball between bat and pad to knock out the off-stump. Regular boundaries for Ian Bell and Sam Hain ensured that Warwickshire continued to build a sizeable lead, as they added a further 38 runs for the fourth wicket.

Kyle Jarvis (1-50) broke the partnership when he had Bell bowled for 31, but with multiple Warwickshire batsman making contributions, Lancashire were facing a daunting prospect when their turn to bat arrived. Lilley (3-56) trapped Hain lbw for 30, as another of Warwickshire's batsmen failed to offer a shot, before Rikki Clarke was also struck on the pad by Simon Kerrigan (1-55) for 20.

Keith Barker (23) handed Lilley his third victim when he became the fifth lbw casualty of the innings, the final wicket to fall in Warwickshire's second innings at 234/7. Tim Ambrose top-scored for Warwickshire with an unbeaten 59, reaching his half-century in 103 balls, as he found solid company in Jeetan Patel. The Kiwi off-spinner enjoyed a late cameo of 23, hitting both Lancashire spinners for straight sixes after Steven Croft failed to gather the ball for a stumping off Lilley.

This late hitting allowed Warwickshire to declare on 279/7 with a lead of 346 runs and Lancashire's efforts before close of play meant that the hosts would enter the fourth day with a strong chance of victory. Rob Jones fell in the third over of the run-chase when he was wrapped on the pads by Barker (1-11) and Lancashire slipped to 26/3 in the closing stages of the day when Luke Procter (7) and Karl Brown (4) followed to a buoyant Warwickshire bowling attack.

Patel (1-13) had Procter lbw in the tenth over and Brown recorded another single-figure score, edging behind to Ambrose off Chris Wright (1-2). Lancashire will start the final day of the season on 28/3, with Haseeb Hameed (11*) and nightwatchman Simon Kerrigan (0*) at the crease, but the Red Rose will be depending on Durham to do them a favour. 

Lancashire safety in question after Edgasbton capitulation

Lancashire's Division One status is hanging in the balance after they were dismissed for 152 by Warwickshire on the second day of their visit to Edgbaston, in what could prove to be a winner takes all clash.

Keith Barker (4-30) led the Lancashire demolition to hand Warwickshire a handy first-innings lead of 67 in a low-scoring affair at the bottom of the first division, after the hosts were bowled out for 219 on the first day by the visitors. Captain Steven Croft top-scored with 45, sharing 55 runs with Jordan Clark (34) to help Lancashire recover from falling to 35/0 to 39/4 in the morning session, but batting continued to be difficult for the Red Rose.

Bad light and heavy rain saw the final session of the day washed out, but Lancashire will now be keeping an eye on events at Southampton, as Hampshire pursue victory against a Durham side who are already safe from the prospect of relegation. Should Lancashire lose, they would need Durham to hold on for a draw and they will start tomorrow needing 19 more runs to avoid the follow-on after Hampshire scored 411 in their first innings.

Overnight batsmen, Haseeb Hameed and Rob Jones, survived nine overs prior to the close on the first day and Lancashire were 15 minutes away from surviving the first hour of the second day unscathed, but a damaging spell left them on the back-foot. Hameed (17) was first to fall and the first of three Lancashire players to be out lbw, as Rikki Clarke (1-24) trapped the teenager in front attempting to play into the leg-side.

Having batted nearly 19 overs without losing a wicket, Lancashire lost both opening batsmen in the space of five balls, as Jones (8) fell in the next over to Chris Wright when he too was struck on the pad. Wright struck again at the start of his next over to remove Karl Brown (1) cheaply at 37/3 - the third lbw decision in 14 deliveries - and Luke Procter (1) followed soon after, driving and edging Barker behind to Tim Ambrose.

Croft and Liam Livingstone were able to pull Lancashire away from trouble with a positive partnership and Livingstone's temperament in particular was well suited to the situation. A series of purposeful strokes saw Lancashire recover to 79/4 on the verge of lunch, but the pair were unable to reach lunch before the fifth wicket arrived.

Livingstone's counterpunch and a sequence of well executed sweeps from Croft kept the scoreboard moving in the right direction, but Livingstone was forced to leave the field at lunch in a contentious manner after slapping Oliver Hannon-Dalby to Barker at mid-wicket, as he fell for 21 two balls before lunch was due to be taken.

Croft and Clark added a crucial stand worth 55 runs in 18 overs after the resumption, as Lancashire attempted to reduce the deficit, but Warwickshire made the most of their promising display in the morning session by ultimately claiming a hefty lead in a low-scoring contest. Clark punished anything that was overpitched from Barker, while Croft continued to favour sweeping against Jeetan Patel (2-42).

They achieved a fifty-partnership in 95 balls, the highest partnership of the match so far, but the last five wickets fell of 18 runs. Barker claimed the first of three lower-order wickets to finish with 4-30, claiming the prized scalp of skipper Croft on 45 when he was bowled at 134/6.

Clark took the aggressive route by slapping Patel for a huge six over deep mid-wicket, but Arron Lilley fell two balls later attempting to replicate this shot, only to be bowled by the off-spinner for 4. Tom Bailey took four wickets of his own on the first day, but he was unable to inspire with the bat, as he followed soon after without scoring, prodding Patel's spin to Ian Bell at leg-slip, the third wicket to fall in five overs.

Barker then wrapped up the innings, taking his Championship tally to 58 wickets for the season, as he  bowled a defiant Clark for 34, before removing Kyle Jarvis (3) in the same manner. Warwickshire extended their first-innings lead from 67 to 79 runs before bad light brought a halt to proceedings, with heavy rain causing 33 overs to be lost at the end of the second day.

Bailey wickets put Lancashire in control against Warwickshire

Lancashire enjoyed a strong opening day to their visit to Edgbaston, as they bowled out Warwickshire for 219 to give them the upper hand in their fight to avoid relegation from Division One. 

Tom Bailey (4-52) played a key role in the Warwickshire demolition, while Kyle Jarvis (1-54) took his first-class tally to 50 wickets with the scalp of Ian Bell. Sam Hain (52) hit a vital half-century to give the hosts a respectable total, but Jordan Clark (3-20) continued to take key wickets, including former England batsman Jonathan Trott, as the Red Rose took a huge step towards avoiding three successive relegations.

The visitors then consolidated their advantage by reaching close of play unscathed on 14/0, knowing that a draw would be sufficient to secure their first-division status. Lancashire entered the final match of the season with a six-point cushion over Warwickshire and their second bonus point confirmed that a seven-point draw would deny the Bears the opportunity to overtake Lancashire, which would leave the Bears in a worrying position, especially if Hampshire hammer home their strong showing from the first day after they made 370/6 against Durham.

Lancashire made an excellent start to the day on a green surface in overcast conditions when Bailey struck with the fourth ball of the match, trapping Ian Westwood lbw for no score. Alex Mellor led the Warwickshire counterpunch with a series of well-timed drives down the ground during his eye-catching knock of 27, but his innings failed to develop into a long-term threat for Lancashire, as he edged a drive off Bailey to Liam Livingstone at first slip on 43/2.

Warwickshire were hopeful of a third-wicket revival between two of England's most successful batsmen in recent times and Bell and Trott certainly showed initial signs of their class with flowing shots through the covers. However, Trott - who reached 1,000 runs for the season for the seventh time in his career - started to get into a rut, particularly when Simon Kerrigan was introduced, and pressure started to build at both ends.

Kerrigan's sharp turn and Clark's variation kept both Bell and Trott (25) guessing and eventually an unplayable ball from Clark did for Trott, who edged an away-swinging delivery behind to Steven Croft after the experienced duo had added 37 runs together in an attritional partnership. Warwickshire's plight continued after lunch, although Bell looked to get his side moving after a sedated return from the interval, as he hit back-to-back boundaries off Bailey.

Bell threatened to take the match away from the visitors, but Jarvis secured 50 Championship wickets for the second season in a row when he had the Warwickshire captain out lbw for 37 with his third ball after lunch. After removing the home skipper, Jarvis then played an instrumental role in the field in the next over, running out Tim Ambrose for a four-ball duck to reduce Warwickshire to 105/5.

The Zimbabwean's direct-hit saw Ambrose fall comfortably shy of his ground, although the Warwickshire wicketkeeper was slow setting off for a single from the non-strikers end after Hain's call. It was therefore crucial that Hain kicked on after these two quick wickets, as he went on to achieve only his second fifty of the summer.

The last time that Hain reached a half-century, he converted it into 135 against Hampshire in July, but it was not the sort of day or pitch on which batsmen could easily prosper. Clark backed up the wicket of Trott by removing his namesake Rikki Clarke (16) with the third ball of a new spell, forcing the Warwickshire veteran to swivel in his crease towards the leg-side, only to find himself hit on the front pad dead in front of middle stump at 142/6.

Clark's second wicket in four overs confirmed two bonus points for Lancashire, a big step in their bid to avoid relegation and they continued to enjoy a strong showing with the ball after capitalising on the opportunity to put Warwickshire into bat. Hain reached tea on 46 after hitting three fours in the penultimate over of the session, progressing to fifty in 109 deliveries shortly after the resumption.

Hain and Keith Barker resisted Lancashire's post-tea onslaught with confidence, adding 40 runs for the seventh wicket either side of the break, but Luke Procter (1-39) claimed a deserved breakthrough at 182/7. The key wicket of Hain (52) came when he became the fourth Warwickshire batsman to be given out lbw, playing on the back foot to Procter, who was rewarded for his economical performance in the first session against the likes of Trott and Bell.

Barker (22) soon followed when he had his middle stump pegged back by Clark, who finished with figures of 3-20 from nine overs. Jeetan Patel (26) took Warwickshire beyond 200 with three quickfire boundaries in the 74th over, but Bailey returned with the second new ball to wrap up the innings with four wickets to his name.

After forcing Chris Wright (4) to edge behind, Bailey then had Patel held on the cover boundary by Haseeb Hameed, as he finished with 4-52. Hameed and Rob Jones (2*) then negated a potentially unnerving nine overs before the close in the fading light, although England-bound Hameed (4) was offered a life on 1 when he was shelled by Clarke at second slip with a routine edge off Barker in the fifth over.

Preview: Warwickshire v Lancashire - Specsavers CC

Lancashire will be without Alviro Petersen for their final match of the season, as they travel to Edgbaston for a vital meeting with Warwickshire.

Petersen, who has scored 1,134 Championship runs this season, has returned home to South Africa for personal reasons, leaving Lancashire with a hole to fill for Tuesday's trip to Birmingham, with both teams still relegation candidates heading into the final round of matches.

The Red Rose county enter this match on the back of a hard-fought draw against budding county champions Middlesex, with Rob Jones scoring a maiden first-class hundred to steer Lancashire to within 11 points of confirming their first-division status. 

The success of young Jones at the top of the order has been timely, especially now that Petersen has left the country, but the 20-year-old batsman picked a good time to register his first century for Lancashire when they found themselves 6/4 and 32/5 against a Middlesex side vying to upset Yorkshire's plans to record three successive County Championship titles.

Jones could also be facing a hefty responsibility next season after Lancashire's teenage opening batsman Haseeb Hameed was selected for the winter tour to Bangladesh in the same week that he received his County Cap. Warwickshire's absence in the last round of matches allowed Lancashire to take a valuable six-point lead over their upcoming opponents and Lancashire also have the added advantage of winning more matches over the course of the season.

With that in mind, both teams will be keen to extinguish any chances of joining Nottinghamshire in Division Two next summer, although Lancashire are without a win in their last 10 attempts in red-ball cricket. Matthew Parkinson claimed 5-49 on his Lancashire debut when the sides last met in June at Old Trafford, but a rearguard from Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott ensured that the match ended in a draw.

Buoyant from their One-Day Cup success against Surrey, the Bears will be hoping to record their first win since the start of July when they beat Surrey by ten wickets at Guildford inside three days. Dougie Brown's side might have been further away from the prospect of relegation had they been able to win at Taunton at the start of September, but they were unable to capitalise on bowling Somerset out for 95 in their first innings, as they suffered a 31-run defeat chasing 184 to win.

Warwickshire, who were champions back in 2012, are still not safe from relegation, although a victory against Lancashire would preserve their first-division status despite an indifferent season. Lancashire, meanwhile, would settle for a seven-point draw, as a maximum haul of 13 points for a draw would still see Warwickshire finish below Ashley Giles' side on virtue of games won.

In addition to Petersen's absence, Lancashire are also without Jos Buttler from their match against Middlesex, as the England ODI captain rests ahead of the tour to Bangaldesh and latterly India this winter. Varun Chopra, who was due to leave Warwickshire at the end of the season, has joined Essex earlier than expected, meaning that the Bears are without his experience at the top of the innings.

Warwickshire 13-man squad: Ian Bell (c), Tim Ambrose (wk), Keith Barker, Rikki Clarke, Sam Hain, Oliver Hannon-Dalby, Ateeq Javid, Alex Mellor, Jeetan Patel, Josh Poysden, Jonathan Trott, Chris Wright, Ian Westwood.

Lancashire 13-man squad: Steven Croft (c&wk), Tom Bailey, Nathan Buck, Jordan Clark, Haseeb Hameed, Kyle Jarvis, Rob Jones, Simon Kerrigan, Danny Lamb, Arron Lilley, Liam Livingstone, Luke Procter.