2NDXI T20 MATCH REPORT: Double defeat for Lancs against Leics
The Second Eleven ended their T20 campaign with two defeats against Leicestershire, losing by five wickets and by 41 runs at Westhoughton to finish third in the North Group.
Match 1
Leicestershire won the first game by five wickets of this North Group clash after chasing down Lancashire’s below-par 145-7 to severely dent Red Rose hopes of a Finals Day berth.
The Lancashire innings started promisingly with George Lavelle striking five boundaries in making 29 before falling to a great diving catch by Sol Budinger at cover for 29.
He was one of three early wickets to fall after Matt Salisbury had trapped both Cian Dickinson and Matty Hurst lbw with Lancashire taking 36-3 from the powerplay.
Tom Aspinwall, who had hit the last ball of the powerplay for six, was bowled by Harris Sullivan for 12 but Arav Shetty and Kesh Fonseka rebuilt with a good 46-run partnership.
Salisbury (4-29) returned to dismiss both Fonseka for 20 and Jack Morley from consecutive deliveries, but Shetty – who remained unbeaten on 44 off 41 balls – and Jack Carney (24) hit out effectively to add 47 valuable runs off the final 27 balls to take Lancashire to 145-7.
Aspinwall made two early strikes, bowling Harry Swindells for 8 and inducing a false shot from Budinger to take a catch off his own bowling that had the visitors 26-2 midway through the fourth over of their reply.
Tom Scriven upped the tempo with two sixes but was run out for 21 when sent back after attempting a quick single to leave Leicestershire on 66-3 in the 8th over but Sam Evans with 36 off 27 balls took the Foxes steadily on towards their target.
Evans gave a return catch to off spinner Shetty with 50 required from 9 overs but Zen Malik, with an unbeaten 33, and Sam Wood made 40 of those before Wood edged a pull off Aspinwall (3-22) to wicketkeeper Hurst for 16.
Malik and Will Davis then eased their way to the target with eight balls to spare.
One bright note was the sight of left-arm seamer Josh Boyden, who took three wickets for Wigan last Saturday in his first game after a lengthy injury layoff, making his return to the team.
Match 2
Leicestershire made it two wins from two to end Lancashire's interest in the competition with a good all-round display, setting a challenging total that they easily defended.
Having elected to bat, the visitors made steady progress to reach halfway on 67-3 having lost both Budinger for 7 and Swindells for 12 to catches by Boyden off Aspinwall and Watson respectively, while Morley next bowled Scriven for 22, with the batter fatally playing back.
Malik’s attempt to hit Shetty high over midwicket landed in the hands of Charlie Barnard and, having made 21 off 17 balls, Wood perished in similar fashion caught by Carney off left arm spinner Barnard with the visitors 111-5 in the 16th over.
Some big hitting by Davis (45) and Evans (45) added 58 off the final 28 balls, the flow of runs stemmed only by four wickets falling in a frantic 20th over that included a run out and left Aspinwall with figures of 4-28, the Foxes closing on 169-9.
Hurst and Fonseka made a bright start in the Lancashire reply, despite the early loss of Shetty for 2, the pair adding 45 for the second wicket in 4 overs but both out in quick succession – Hurst for 25 after a running mix-up and Fonseka for 28 caught at backward point off leg spinner Uttam Ranji.
Dickinson sliced left arm spinner Harvey Jupp to backward point and Carney edged Ramji behind, both for 1, as Lancashire quickly slumped to 66-5 in the 10th over.
Aspinwall and Watson added a run-a-ball 30 until Aspinwall was caught on the midwicket boundary off Davis for 18 and Watson was bowled by Scriven for 19, and from there Leicestershire coasted home with Lancashire closing well short of their target on 128-9.
Ken Grime