Lancashire Second XI beat Army XI by 9 wickets
Lancashire Cricket Second XI cruised past an Army Cricket XI by nine wickets at Northern Cricket Club on Wednesday, with Jack Lees scoring an unbeaten century.
After winning the toss, Lancashire elected to bowl first, with first-teamers Will Williams and Tom Bailey opening up for the hosts.
Army openers Ross Diver (27) and Liam Fletcher (58) put on a 64-run partnership before Arav Shetty made the breakthrough, dismissing Diver.
Haider Hussain was the pick of the Lancashire bowlers, claiming four wickets, while Josh Boyden chipped in with two. Denson Narayan top-scored for the Army with an unbeaten 59, helping the visitors reach 200/9 from their 50 overs.
In reply, Jack Lees and Arav Shetty opened the batting for Lancashire and made a solid start. Both batters reached their half-centuries before Shetty was dismissed by Tom Shorthouse for 52.
George Bell then joined Lees at the crease, and the pair saw the hosts home comfortably. Bell finished unbeaten on 40, while Lees remained not out on 104 as Lancashire sealed victory with nine wickets in hand.
Lancashire Second XI vs MCC Young Cricketers
Earlier in the week, Lancashire Second XI faced MCC Young Cricketers (MCCYC) in two T20 friendly fixtures at Northern Cricket Club.
Lancashire won the opening game by nine runs, with Arav Shetty top-scoring with a composed 43 from 34 deliveries. There were useful contributions at the top of the order from Jack Lees (18) and Harry Singh (19), helping Lancashire post 125/8.
Ollie Sutton struck in the second over of the MCCYC’s reply, but opener Meadows led the resistance with a top score of 44. Williams, Sutton, and Shetty each claimed two wickets, while Boyden added one, as the MCCYC were restricted to 116/8 from their 20 overs, falling nine runs short.
In the second game, the MCC Young Cricketers bounced back strongly, securing a 54-run victory.
Lancashire won the toss and elected to bowl, with Will Williams striking with the first ball of the second over. However, the MCCYC built a commanding total through consistent contributions from the top and middle order, with Gorantla, Carney, and Ahmed all scoring 40. They closed their innings on 198/4.
In reply, Lancashire were bowled out for 142. Gennaro Reddy top-scored with a spirited 55, while Jack Lees added 30 at the top of the order.