LIVE BLOG: Lancashire v Middlesex, Day Two
Latest news from the second day of the LV= County Championship match at Emirates Old Trafford.
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5.50pm, CLOSE Day 2
Lancashire 1st inns 132-3 (42 overs) Wells 65 Vilas 23, trail by 62 runs.
The light has continued to worsen and that has ended play for today with Lancashire in a good position going into the third day, behind by 62 with seven wickets in hand.
5.45pm
Lancashire 1st inns 127-3 (41 overs) Wells 61 Vilas 22, trail by 67 runs.
Play resumes with spin from Jayant Yadav and Josh de Caires with the light deteriorating in the last few minutes. I think play would halt if any quick bowler was going to be brought on.
But Middlesex need wickets and points in their battle to stay up, so it looks as if we will have 11.2 overs of spin to finish today.
5.05pm, PLAY TO RESTART AT 5.40PM
Lancashire 1st inns 125-3 (38.4 overs) Wells 60 Vilas 21, trail by 69 runs.
Good news, the covers are coming off and so long as there is no rain and the light remains good play will recommence at 5.40pm with 11.2 overs to be bowled.
5.00pm, BAD LIGHT DELAY
Lancashire 1st inns 125-3 (38.4 overs) Wells 60 Vilas 21, trail by 69 runs.
The rain has stopped and the umpires are out in the middle with the groundstaff, but it looks like the light isn't good enough to restart at the moment.
4.15pm, RAIN DELAY
Lancashire 1st inns 125-3 (38.4 overs) Wells 60 Vilas 21, trail by 69 runs.
Rain has arrived and we now have all the covers on.
4.04pm, BAD LIGHT DELAY
Lancashire 1st inns 125-3 (38.4 overs) Wells 60 Vilas 21, trail by 69 runs.
The umpires take another light reading mid over and take the players off.
3.55pm
Lancashire 1st inns 120-3 (37 overs) Wells 59 Vilas 17, trail by 74 runs.
It has been a quiet start to the last session of day two with play continuing under the floodlights as the clouds gather once again.
The umpires are taking meter readings at regular intervals.
Dane Vilas drove a full toss from de Caires through cover for four off the first ball after the tea interval and he has scored all six runs since the resumption.
3.25pm, TEA Day 2
Lancashire 1st inns 114-3 (35 overs) Wells 59 Vilas 11, trail by 80 runs.
Middlesex operating with spin at both ends which is helping with the over rate as we still have 40 overs to be bowled after the break.
Dane Vilas has helped Luke Wells steady matters after that flurry of wickets and Lancashire are now 80 runs behind.
3.00pm
Lancashire 1st inns 96-3 (27.5 overs) Wells 53 Vilas 0, trail by 98 runs.
Phil Salt is bowled first ball by Josh de Caires, so that's three wickets gone for 16 in the last 15 minutes.
2.56pm
Lancashire 1st inns 93-2 (27 overs) Wells 50 Salt 0, trail by 101 runs.
Jayant Yadav strikes with his first Middlesex wicket.
Josh Bohannon plays back and is bowled by a big spinning delivery for 7.
2.50pm
Lancashire 1st inns 86-1 (25 overs) Wells 50 Bohannon 0, trail by 108 runs.
Luke Wells drives Yadav for four before getting the 2 runs he needed to reach his half century.
Well batted Wellsy! His fifty came off 65 balls with 11 fours.
2.45pm
Lancashire 1st inns 80-1 (24.1 overs) Wells 44 Bohannon 0, trail by 114 runs.
Would you believe it, Josh de Caires strikes with his ball trapping Keaton Jennings lbw for 29.
That's a much needed breakthrough for the visitors.
We've had a nice battle developing since Jayany Yadav was introduced into the attack, with Luke Wells lofting the off spinner for four and then edged just past slip for four more.
The Lancashire batters clearly looking to not let Yadav settle here.
2.10pm
Lancashire 1st inns 51-0 (14 overs) Wells 31 Jennings 13, trail by 143 runs.
Luke Wells is striking the ball well today. He's driven superbly either side of the wicket, the latest one straight back past Roland-Jones for his 7th four that also brings up the fifty partnership.
Ethan Bamber is now coming in for his eighth over and he's bowled superbly, with figures of 0-7 so far and a touch unlucky not to have taken a wicket.
1.41pm
Lancashire 1st inns 29-0 (8 overs) Wells 18 Jennings 5, trail by 165 runs.
If you are going to flash, flash hard, or so the saying goes and Luke Wells has just done that edging high over third slip for four off Ryan Higgins.
But he then gets a much more authentic boundary by driving Higgins through midwicket for four.
Keaton Jennings has played watchfully so far, but he too drives Higgins to midwicket for the first four of his innings.
Good early progress by these two.
1.13pm
Lancashire 1st inns 2-0 (1 over) Wells 1 Jennings 1, trail by 192 runs.
We have much brighter weather at Emirates Old Trafford as play gets under way after lunch.
Ethan Bamber and Ryan Higgins are sharing the new ball for the visitors.
12.30pm, LUNCH Day 2
Lunch has been taken early at 12.30pm with 5 overs lost.
The afternoon & evening sessions will now be 2hrs 15mins each with tea at 3.25pm.
Some news from Middlesex:
This morning Max Holden was struck in the head in pre-match warm-ups and has since been diagnosed as suffering from mild concussion.
The ECB have sanctioned the use of a concussion substitute and Stephen Eskinazi will bat in Holden’s place in Middlesex’s second innings.
12.15pm, RAIN DELAY
Lancashire are unable to start their innings as the rain has indeed arrived, and with all the covers on, a restart before lunch (at 12.40pm) must be in doubt.
12.00pm
Middlesex 194 all out (79.5 overs)
Sam Robson's excellent 345 minute innings comes to a close as he is bowled by Luke Wells.
But after such a shocking start the visitors will feel a bit better having got close to 200.
It has got darker in the last few minutes, suggesting some rain might not be too far away.
11.25
Middlesex 174-9 (70.1 overs) Robson 74 Bamber 0
Luke Wood makes that breakthrough I just referenced when Toby Roland-Jones hooks a bouncer and is caught right on the boundary edge at fine leg by Luke Wells for 26.
The Middlesex skipper had helped add 44 runs for the ninth wicket.
11.15
Middlesex 173-8 (69 overs) Robson 73 Roland-Jones 26
This will have been just the start Middlesex would have been hoping for this morning with Sam Robson and Toby Roland-Jones scoring at a reasonably quick rate and frustrating Lancashire's attempts to take these last two wickets.
They've succeeded in getting the field spread too.
With the seam bowlers not having broken through, Luke Wells has now joined the attack.
10.55
Middlesex 152-8 (64 overs) Robson 63 Roland-Jones 16
Sam Robson and Toby Roland-Jones have started the day with a flurry of boundaries as Lancashire bowl to attacking fields as they try to wrap up this innings.
10.33
Middlesex 136-8 (59 overs) Robson 56 Roland-Jones 6
Toby Roland-Jones crunches a four to deep point to get the second day up and running.
We have nice, bright conditions at the start of play.
9.30am
Good morning from Emirates Old Trafford ahead the second day our LV= Insurance County Championship match against Middlesex.
Weather and ground conditions are good and we are readying ourselves for a 10.30am start when Middlesex will resume their first innings on 132 for eight with Sam Robson 56* & Toby Roland-Jones 2*.
With only 58 overs bowled yesterday we will have an additional 30 minutes/8 overs added to today and tomorrow’s play.
Lunch will be at 12.40pm and tea 3.30pm with the close scheduled for 6pm or when 104 overs have been bowled.
Lancashire enjoyed by far the better of the first day and you can read our match report by clicking on the button below.