MATCH REPORT Lancashire dominate opening day against Hampshire
Lancashire produced an excellent effort with the bat and ball to skittle Hampshire for 142 before the Red Rose batters then achieved near parity with an attacking display to close on 139-1 in a fast-moving opening day of this LV= Insurance County Championship match at Southport.
Tom Bailey and Will Williams took three wickets apiece as Hampshire were bowled out by tea with only a fifty partnership for the eighth wicket between Keith Barker and Mason Crane preventing an absolute rout.
Phil Salt and George Balderson then replied with a century opening partnership to put Lancashire firmly on top just three runs behind with nine first innings wickets in hand at stumps.
Salt was into his stride early on-driving the second ball of the Lancashire innings off Keith Barker for four but dropped at second slip two balls later – a missed chance Hampshire would go on to rue – before hammering the next ball off the back foot for four through cover to complete an eventful start to Red Rose reply.
Balderson too struck early boundaries as the pair raced away, posting their fifty partnership by the tenth over and aided by some wayward bowling from the visitors.
Salt was the early aggressor and the first to reach his half century from 58 balls (with 8 fours) while Balderson struck 12 boundaries in his half-century before being bowled for 51 by left-arm spinner Liam Dawson.
Josh Bohannon survived a nasty looking blow on the hand to reach the close on 12 alongside Salt, opening for the first time in a Lancashire first-class match, whose positive and bright innings of 76 not out has helped put Lancashire in a very strong position going into the second day.
At the start of the day Bailey, Williams and Jack Blatherwick set the tone of the Hampshire innings with some accurate, probing spells after Dane Vilas had put Hampshire in to bat on a hot and humid day at Trafalgar Road.
Joe Weatherley drove the second ball of the day for four, but such was the accuracy of Bailey and Williams, the next boundary – another Weatherley drive, this time through cover – only arrived in the 12th over.
By then Fletcha Middleton had departed for an eight-ball duck after edging behind off Williams and he was soon followed back by Weatherley for 15 courtesy of a fine catch by George Bell, low down, at gully off Bailey.
James Vince twice drove Balderson for four to move the score along, but the Hampshire skipper lost partner Nick Gubbins lbw for 12 to Blatherwick who backed up the opening attack superbly with his 12.4 overs across the day realising 2-25.
Vince was then bowled by a beauty from Williams for 15 off the last delivery before lunch, the ball nipping back to hit off stump and leave Hampshire 57-4.
And the visitors’ gloom deepened straight after the interval as three more wickets fell for 19 runs in six overs.
Wicketkeeper Ben Brown top edged a pull off Bailey that lobed up to Bohannon at square leg for 6, Felix Organ nicked behind for 2 attempting to pull Williams and Dawson edged Bailey to Tom Hartley at third slip for 9 to have Hampshire deep in trouble on 76-7.
Barker and Crane rallied the visitors with an excellent counter-attacking partnership of 58, although Barker on 4 survived a caught and bowled chance off Williams that saw the bowler temporarily leave the field after cutting his knee while attempting the catch.
Crane provided great support while Barker counter attacked effectively, hitting six fours to take the visitors total racing into three figures.
Having reached 44 with a towering straight six off Hartley, the bowler hit back immediately turning the ball past Barker’s attempted drive to hit the stumps.
And from there the innings subsided quickly, Kyle Abbott caught for 2 by Williams running back at mid-off and taking a nicely judged catch over his head from Hartley and Crane last out for 18 after cross batting Blatherwick to Bailey at mid-on.
“To knock them over for 142 and be one down overnight and just three behind is the sort of thing you really picture at the start of the day and hope for the best,” said Will Williams.
“Tom’s a quality bowler and he showed his class today,” added Williams assessing the great start he made with Bailey in the morning.
“The way he bowled, and also Jack (Blatherwick) coming into the team was really pleasing to see as well. He asked some great questions of their batters.
Williams grinned when asked about the great delivery he sent down to James Vince just before lunch.
“Me and Dane were trying to get Brown on strike and pushed the field back,” he admitted. “So I was trying to tip him into taking a single earlier in the over.
“It didn’t happen so with one ball to go I thought I’d try something and lucky enough it came off.”
“I probably won’t bowl too many better balls than that one!” he added.
And Williams isn’t looking too far ahead as far as this game is concerned.
“It’s one day of four, so there’s still a lot of hard work to do,” he said. “We’ll take it one over at a time and not look too far ahead.
“There’s a little bit of bounce (in the wicket) and the ball did swing around a bit.
“They’re a quality bowling attack with the skills to utilise what the pitch has to offer. So we have to be wary of they may bring tomorrow.”
Ken Grime
Photos: George Franks, Luke Adams, Dan Adams.
