SECOND XI MATCH REPORT: Perera stands firm as Essex close in on victory
Sav Perera scored an excellent unbeaten 72 on his Lancashire second team debut to hold up an Essex victory bid on the third day of this Second XI Championship match at Billericay.
After dominating most of the game over the first two days, the hosts declared their second innings at lunch giving themselves five sessions in which to take the ten wickets needed for victory after setting their visitors a target of 547 runs in 155 overs. By the close Lancashire had reached 186 for six.
The declaration came after the home side had built on their overnight position of 127 for two, led by skipper Noah Thain who made an excellent 92 before he lofted Arav Shetty to Harry Birkman at long-off. Shetty also accounted for Jamal Richards (caught behind for 46) and Ali Zeb (bowled for 20) on his way to Championship best figures of 4 for 62 before Thain called a halt with Essex 266 for six at lunch.
Lancashire made another poor start in their second innings losing Harry Singh caught behind for 10 off Richards who then bowled George Bell via an inside edge for 13 after the batsman had hit him for three fours in one over. Shetty became the eighth victim of the match for wicketkeeper Simon Fernandes and the third wicket in an 18-ball spell of three for 19 by Richards that left the Red Rose side 42 for three.
Rocky Flintoff hit three fours in making 16 before edging a drive off Luke Georgeson to second slip, but Josh Boyden dug in alongside Perera to reach tea on 94 for four and then post a fifty partnership from 104 balls after the break.
Boyden’s day ended prematurely when the left hander retired on 41 after being hit for the third time and replaced in the batting line up by no.12 Louis Backhouse as a concussion substitute.
Newman bowled Joe Moores for 2 and had Birkman caught at midwicket for 6 to leave Lancashire 160 for six but all the while left hand opener Perera battled away determinedly at the other end, reaching his half century from 96 balls and batting for four and a half hours to reach the close on 72 off 143 balls, with James Dunn 3 not out.
Going into the final day, Essex need four more wickets and Lancashire 361 runs.
TEAMS
ESSEX: Nick Browne, Feroze Khushi, Tom Westley, Noah Thain (capt), Jamal Richards, Luke Georgeson, Ali Zeb, Simon Fernandes (wkt), Jamie Porter, Nav Dwivedi, Aum Patel, Alex Gosling.
Essex substitutes Areeb Rashid for Tom Westley, CP Newman for Jamie Porter (start of day 3).
LANCASHIRE: Harry Singh, Sav Perera, George Bell (wkt), Arav Shetty, Rocky Flintoff, Josh Boyden, Will Williams (capt), Joe Moores, Harry Birkman, James Dunn, Haider Hussain, Louis Backhouse.
Lancashire substitute: Uday Modhwadia for Will Williams (after Lancashire first innings, day 2).
Concussion batting substitute: Louis Backhouse for Josh Boyden (Lancashire second innings).