MATCH REPORT Century making trio put Lancs in a strong position
Fine centuries by Luke Wells, Josh Bohannon and Phil Salt led an astonishing and rapid Lancashire response against Northamptonshire to keep Red Rose hopes alive in this rain-hit LV= Insurance County Championship match.
Despite play not starting until 2pm, Lancashire scored 377 runs in 67 overs with Salt smashing a 75-ball century, to reach 498 for seven by the close and lead by 156 runs going into the final day of the match with renewed hope of forcing a result.
A quest for quick runs and a first innings lead was Lancashire’s stated aim going into the third day of this game and Wells and Bohannon delivered with an emphatic partnership once play started late after lunch following morning rain.
The pair signalled intent from the start, taking three off the first ball of the day as Lancashire resumed their first innings on 121 for one, and they doubled that total in the first 25 overs as Northamptonshire struggled to gain any sort of control.
Wells continued to play in enterprising fashion, surviving a drop by wicketkeeper Lewis Mc Manus when he had made 85, on his way to passing 2,000 runs for the Red Rose at an average of 40.80 and reaching his 23rd first-class century and fifth ‘ton’ for Lancashire.
Bohannon, who timed the ball beautifully throughout his innings, hit a straight six off Zaib during his eighth first-class century that arrived from 143 balls soon after tea.
By then, Wells had departed for a brilliant 119 after edging a drive off Jack White to Ricardo Vasconcelos at first slip to end a 142-run partnership in 31 overs with Bohannon.
But the fireworks of the day were provided by an amazing innings by Salt who destroyed the visitors attack during the evening session with a ferocious assault that took Lancashire racing past Northamptonshire’s first innings 342 all out.
Salt took 35 balls to reach his half century - helping Bohannon add another century partnership, the third of the innings – and going on to make one of the fastest centuries of the season from 75 balls that included three straight sixes, the last taking Salt to three figures in appropriate style.
Bohannon fell to an outstanding one-handed catch by Ricardo Vasconcelos at first slip off White for 128 having added 126 for the third wicket with Salt who perished for 105 (3 sixes, 11 fours) when caught on the backward square leg boundary attempting to go big once more against White.
George Bell (15), Steven Croft (25) and Tom Bailey (6) perished hitting out over the closing overs of a remarkable day that ended at 7pm with George Balderson (22 not out) and Tom Hartley (5 not out) at the crease.
Josh Bohannon hailed “a pretty special” innings by Phil Salt.
“It was a tricky pitch to come in and play like he did,” added Bohannon.
“Some of the shots he played, especially to their best bowlers, were incredible. I told him ‘I feel like you are playing on a different pitch’.
“It was one of the best innings I’ve seen. I was at the other end in awe of some of things he was doing.”
“That partnership, in terms of when it happened (after tea), was great for the team and important because of the position it has put us in the game. It adds value to the way Phil played.”
“I’d say it was one of my best innings,” was Phil Salt’s assessment.
“From the position we were in, we had to put our foot down in that last session. We were trying to go at fives and sixes and above for a period, which isn’t easy on that wicket.
“There was a period of about five overs where we didn’t have a dot ball.
“On a tough wicket where the ball is going up and down, I think they are the sort of important moments in the game.”
Lancashire have a lead of 156 going into the final day and Salt said:
“I think we will go on for twenty, thirty minutes tomorrow.
“Hopefully the pitch will break up even more. It’s noticeably deteriorated today, especially the little patch at the Brian Statham end. The plates are moving around quite a lot.
“Hopefully we can get around 200 ahead.”
“I think we are in a really strong position going into tomorrow.”
Ken Grime
Photos: Barry Mitchell & Luke Adams
