MATCH REPORT: Dawson’s day as Hampshire push home advantage
Liam Dawson made a superb century and took four wickets as Hampshire built a big advantage after two days of this Vitality County Championship clash at Emirates Old Trafford with Lancashire 193 for eight in their first innings trailing by 196 runs.
The morning session proved to be largely one of frustration for Lancashire as they struggled to take the final Hampshire wicket, the visitors having resumed their first innings on 230 for nine.
Dawson farmed the bowling expertly – Muhammad Abbas only faced 32 balls during their 20 over alliance – and chose his moments to strike the ball cleanly and effectively, adding four more sixes to the one he hit at the end of day one, plus 8 fours.
The Hampshire all-rounder reached his century off 173 balls and his superb innings was a real boost to a Hampshire side who were disappointed by their first day performance with the bat.
It took 78 minutes before Abbas sliced Luke Wells to George Balderson at gully having contributed one run to a damaging last wicket partnership of 72 leaving Dawson unbeaten on 104 with Hampshire 389 all out.
Buoyed by that start the visitors struck with an early wicket when Wells inside edged onto his stumps off Abbott for six just before lunch.
Keaton Jennings and Josh Bohannon countered with an excellent, patient partnership of 90 from 32 overs through the afternoon on a good wicket and with the ball providing little assistance to the bowlers.
Both played with increasing assurance, Jennings reaching his half century from 113 balls and Bohannon passing the milestone of 5,000 runs in first-class cricket when reaching 30.
That forced Hampshire into keeping things tight with Dawson particularly effective from the James Anderson End and that finally paid dividends.
It was the left arm spinner who made the breakthrough just before the tea break, getting the verdict to send back Jennings lbw for 56 and accounting for Rocky Flintoff who top edged an attempted slog/sweep off his tenth delivery that went high to sub fielder Felix Organ at midwicket.
And matters as far as the Red Rose were concerned did not improve after tea as wickets tumbled.
Dawson struck again in the second over with Fletcha Middleton grabbing a bat/pad catch at silly mid-off to dismiss Matty Hurst for 4 before Josh Bohannon drove into the trap at short midwicket off John Turner after making a battling 43.
Turner then picked up a second courtesy of a great diving catch at gully by Toby Albert as Balderson drove at a swinging delivery for 7, meaning five wickets had fallen for 20 runs either side of tea to leave Lancashire struggling on 122 for six.
George Bell and Venkatesh Iyer steadied matters by adding 48 in 18 overs, Iyer whipping Abbott over square leg for six but falling to an outstanding catch on 27 when the left hander drove Abbott to cover where Fuller pulled off a sensational one-handed diving grab.
Appropriately it was Dawson, playing his 200th first-class match, who took the final wicket of the day from a marathon unchanged 28 over spell at the James Anderson End when Tom Hartley slogged to James Vince running back from mid-off for 2, the left arm spinner finishing with four for 46.
Bell is unbeaten on 33 alongside Tom Bailey (6 not out) and Lancashire have got a big battle on to stay in this game tomorrow.
Keaton Jennings pulled no punches at the end of a poor day for the Red Rose.
“It was very frustrating,” he admitted. “You walk off on day one where we’re really happy with that sort of score and then this morning we were fairly poor (with the ball). Then you get to 100 for one when you bat and then are 80 for seven in the last couple of hours.
“It’s hard to put your finger on exactly is wrong, whether it’s decision making – it’s one of those things.
“Guys need to look at themselves, nobody’s making excuses, but fundamentally you have to compete.
“First-class cricket is a tough place. There’s nothing given to you for free.
“You’ve got some fiercely competitive guys playing against us. Some international caps, an international bowling line-up and those are the challenges Division One cricket gives you.
“As a whole we try to make sure we blood young guys into the squad. We’ve had an older squad for a period of time and we’ve now got quite a lot of the young guys coming through at the same time.
“In one respect it is exciting for guys to be playing first team cricket but at the same they are finding out pretty quickly what the standards are required in order to compete against international cricketers.
“It’s tough. We had an average of 23 years last week and it’s not much older this week.
“So it’s for guys to learn quickly. We do have a dressing room that guys all learn quick and adapt. They’ve been honest, and stuck together and I take my hat off to them from that point of view.
“It’s about standing up when times get tough.
“When it all goes well, you crack on and bounce around each other. When things go poorly you need to come up with a plan and do it quickly.”
“You forget how young some of these lads are. They don’t have a heap of first class caps or the experience. What you do have is high quality that is going to learn and grow for the future.
“It’s a tough baptism of fire now, but it’s for those guys to learn quickly and develop even quicker.”
Ken Grime
Photos: Barry Mitchell
