LIVE BLOG: Lancashire v Essex, Day Four
The latest news from the fourth day of our LV= County Championship match against Essex at Stanley Park, Blackpool.
6.12pm ESSEX WIN BY 46 RUNS
Lancashire 2nd inns 383 all out.
Agony! Rob Jones is caught at leg slip for 111 by Dan Lawrence off Doug Bracewell with 10 balls left.
A disappointing result for Lancashire but a great day's cricket.
6.10pm
Will Williams survives! Maiden over.
Rob Jones now facing Doug Bracewell with 2 overs left.
6.08pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 383-9, Jones 111 Williams 0. 18 balls remain
Rob Jones glances Bracewell for four but can't keep the strike.
Will Williams to face Simon Harmer.
6.04pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 379-9, Jones 107 Williams 0. 24 balls remain
Rob Jones gets a single off the last ball of the over and will now face Doug Bracewell.
6.00pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 378-9, Jones 106 Williams 0. 30 balls remain
Lancashire not taking easy singles now as they are intent on surviving these last few overs.
Simon Harmer returns to the Essex attack.
5.51pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 377-9, Jones 105 Williams 0 require 53 to win off min.6 overs
Rob Jones and Will Williams have 36 balls to survive.
5.44pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 376-9, Jones 104 Williams 0 require 54 to win off min.7.2 overs
Tom Bailey has been dropped! Paul Walter drops a skied catch at midwicket.
But two balls later Simon Harmer makes no mistake taking an excellent diving catch to dismiss Bailey off Bracewell for 8.
5.37pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 373-8, Jones 102 Bailey 7 require 57 to win off min.8 overs
Doug Bracewell is coming into the Essex replacing Jamie Porter.
5.30pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 370-8, Jones 100 Bailey 6 require 60 to win off min.9 overs
Bailey does well to keep out a ball from Porter that keeps low.
HUNDRED FOR ROB JONES!
A third first-class century for Rob! Well played Jonesy. 149 balls, 11 fours, 2 sixes.
5.23pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 360-8, Jones 96 Bailey 0 require 70 to win off min.11 overs
Jack Blatherwick has gone, caught and bowled by Jamie Porter for 1.
5.19pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 360-7, Jones 96 Blatherwick 1 require 70 to win off min.12 overs
Another twist in this game as Tom Hartley edges behind off Sam Cook for 17
5.06pm, POWER CUT AT BLACKPOOL
Lancashire 2nd inns 353-6, Jones 90 Hartley 17 require 77 to win off min.14 overs
Unfortunately we are having more power issues affecting LancsTV and the online commentary. We are trying to fix the problem as quickly as possible.
50 partnership between Rob Jones and Tom Hartley who have been excellent this afternoon.
And Rob Jones flashes hard at Sam Cook with the edge flying to third man boundary before driving the next ball past mid-off for four more!
5.02pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 341-6, Jones 79 Hartley 17 require 89 to win off min.16 overs
The start of the final hour, with Essex also taking the second new ball.
Sam Cook is back into the attack after Rob Jones took back-to-back fours off Simon Harmer.
And Jamie Porter is going to be sharing the new ball.
4.50pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 319-6, Jones 68 Hartley 6 require 111 to win off min.20 overs
Four overs away from the new ball and the final, crucial, part of this match.
4.40pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 315-6, Jones 65 Hartley 5 require 115 to win off min.23 overs
SIX! Another ball is lost over the midwicket boundary wall as Rob Jones slog sweeps Matt Critchley for six.
4.20pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 294-6, Jones 50 Hartley 0 require 136 to win off min.27 overs
Colin de Grandhomme has gone for 9 after pulling a short ball from Paul Walter to Jamie Porter at long leg.
4.16pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 290-5, Jones 50 de Grandhomme 9 require 140 to win off min.28 overs
Rob Jones drives Matt Critchley to the long-off boundary for his sixth four to reach his fifty off 98 balls (plus 1 six!).
4.06pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 279-5, Jones 43 de Grandhomme 0 require 151 to win off min.30.5 overs
Phil Salt has gone for 41, caught at backward short leg after top edging a sweep off Matt Critchley.
The first post-tea blow has been struck by the visitors.
4.00pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 274-4, Jones 43 Salt 40, require 156 to win off min.32 overs
Here we go, the final session with Lancashire needing 156 and Essex needing six wickets.
Who will prevail? We are about to find out.
3.40pm, TEA Day 4
Lancashire 2nd inns 274-4, Jones 43 Salt 40, require 156 to win off min.32 overs
That has been a great effort by Rob Jones and Phil Salt who have added 79 runs for this wicket to keep Lancashire in with a shout in this game.
Essex will have use of a new ball for 16 of the remaining 32 overs and we have seen already how influential the new ball has been in this match.
So, incredibly all three results remain possible and this game is bubbling up nicely towards a potentially thrilling finish.
3.20pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 260-4, Jones 41 Salt 34, require 170 to win off min.36 overs
This game looks to be building up to a great finish. We are pretty much up with the over rate so it seems unlikely any more than the minimum will be bowled unless Essex squeeze in more overs off the spinners.
But the combined bowling figures for spinners in this match aren't great.
For the moment Tom Westley has Sam Cook and Doug Bracewell operating.
3.00pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 242-4, Jones 31 Salt 28, require 188 to win off min.41 overs
Great shot by Rob Jones who hammers Simon Harmer for a straight six!
2.40pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 214-4, Jones 14 Salt 16, require 216 to win off min.48 overs
Halfway through the overs, with half of the runs scored! Rob Jones and Phil Salt going along steadily at the moment, not taking many risks.
2.15pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 194-4, Jones 12 Salt 0, require 236 to win off min.54 overs
Josh Bohannon has gone for 68 after top edging a pull off Paul Walter that is caught by Jamie Porter at fine leg.
1.49pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 169-3, Bohannon 51 Jones 4, require 261 to win off min.59 overs
Josh Bohannon goes to his fifty off 55 balls inc 3 sixes and 4 fours!
1.49pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 161-3, Bohannon 41 Jones 0, require 269 to win off min.61 overs
Critchley has two wickets in the over after bowling Dane Vilas fifth ball for 0.
1.48pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 161-2, Bohannon 41 Vilas 0, require 269 to win off min.61.5 overs
Oh no! Luke Wells is out for 75 after cutting Matt Critchley to backward point where Paul Walter pulls off a great diving catch.
1.45pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 161-1, Wells 75 Bohannon 41, require 269 to win off min.62 overs
Luke Wells hammers a full toss from Matt Critchley four while Josh Bohannon has hit Simon Harmer for a straight six to get us up and running quickly after lunch.
1.00pm, LUNCH Day 4
Lancashire 2nd inns 140-1, Wells 69 Bohannon 32, require 290 to win off min.64 overs
That has been an excellent session by Lancashire with Wells and Bohannon going well in a partnership that has added 82 runs so far.
12.48pm POWER RESTORED AT BLACKPOOL (see 12.07pm post below)
Lancashire 2nd inns 129-1, Wells 65 Bohannon 26, require 301 to win off min.69 overs
I'm pleased to say the power is back on at Blackpool so the live stream is up and running but with some limits on the availability of all the cameras.
Meanwhile we've just had to take evasive action in the media tent as Luke Wells has hammered a four off Simon Harmer into the tent and followed it with a straight six just to our right!
Not a time to take your eyes off the ball......
12.37pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 111-1, Wells 54 Bohannon 19, require 317 to win off min.70 overs
Luke Wells square cuts Sam Cook for four to reach his fifty from 83 balls with one six and eight fours.
12.26pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 101-1, Wells 44 Bohannon 19, require 329 to win off min.73 overs
Josh Bohannon has also driven Simon Harmer six as Lancashire reach three figures.
Meanwhile work continues to restore the power at the ground which is affecting the LancsTV live stream and online commentary.
12.16pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 86-1, Wells 43 Bohannon 9, require 346 to win off min.76 overs
A couple of nicely timed boundaries by Luke Wells taken from that over by Sam Cook.
12.10pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 69-1, Wells 34 Bohannon 7, require 361 to win off min.77 overs
12.07pm POWER CUT AT BLACKPOOL
Lancashire 2nd inns 58-1, Wells 20 Bohannon 0, require 372 to win off min.80 overs
For those of you watching the LancsTV live stream, I'm afraid there has been a power cut at Blackpool.
We are working to rectify the problem as soon as possible.
12.00pm
Lancashire 2nd inns 58-1, Wells 20 Bohannon 0, require 372 to win off min.80 overs
Essex have that breakthrough thanks to a flying catch to his left by wicketkeeper Will Buttleman after Keaton Jennings, on 30, had flashed hard at a short, wide delivery from Doug Bracewell but nicked a top edge behind.
11.40am
Lancashire 2nd inns 33-0, Wells 6 Jennings 25, require 397 to win off min.85 overs
Eleven overs of the day have been completed with Essex still looking for their first wicket.
Tom Westley turns to the spin of Simon Harmer who starts with a maiden bowling from the South End.
11.28am
Lancashire 2nd inns 26-0, Wells 6 Jennings 18, require 404 to win off min.89 overs
So far, so good for Lancashire although Luke Wells has had an escape, dropped on 3 at second slip off Sam Cook.
11.08am
Lancashire 2nd inns 6-0, Wells 1 Jennings 5, require 424 to win off min.94 overs
Keaton Jennings clips his first ball from Sam Cook to fine leg for four.
11.00am
Lancashire 2nd inns 0-0, Wells 0 Jennings 0, require 430 to win off min.96 overs
The fourth day gets under way in glorious sunshine with Jamie Porter bowling to Luke Wells.
10.40am
Essex have declared on 292 for eight setting Lancashire 430 to win from a minimum of 96 overs.
9.30am
Good morning from Blackpool where we have a sunny morning at Stanley Park ahead of the final day of this match with Essex.
Our visitors closed on 292 for eight with a lead of 429 runs and it would be a major surprise if they do not declare on that score before play resumes at 11am.
Our report from the previous day's play are on the button below.