Lancashire Second XI clinch three-day win against Sussex to go top
An unbeaten century by George Bell and 90 not out from Arav Shetty helped Lancashire clinch a convincing eight-wicket victory against Sussex and go top of the Second XI Championship Group 1 table.
Earlier, three wickets by Charlie Barnard led a good bowling performance that had seen the hosts bowled out for 231 to set up a target that the batters chased down with a day to spare.
Sussex began the third morning on 55-2 leading by 55 runs and skipper Charlie Tear and Nico Reifer made good progress with a partnership of 52 before Tear played an ill-advised reverse sweep against Tom Hartley and was bowled for 40.
Henry Rogers was bowled by Ollie Sutton for 18 in the run up to lunch and the hosts suffered a double blow on 166 early in the afternoon when Barnard had Reifer well caught at slip by Shetty for 54 and Louie Lawrence pulled Sutton to wicketkeeper Bell for 16.
Frankie Cripps and Bertie Foreman added 37 runs for the seventh wicket but Barnard’s dismissal of Foreman for 20 saw the last four wickets fall for 28 in the space of 37 balls with Jack Blatherwick taking two and Barnard (3-59) wrapping up the Sussex innings for 231 with Cripps left unbeaten on 37.
That left Lancashire with a target of 235 to win with a day and 41 overs in which to achieve it – but the fourth day was not required.
Harry Singh (4) and Kesh Fonseka (26) both fell to Moore to leave Lancashire on 59-2 but Bell and Shetty took charge from that point with a magnificent match-clinching partnership of 176 in 26.1 overs.
The pair raced to their target at quicker than a run per ball, Shetty hitting Archie Lenham for a six to add to his 13 fours with his unbeaten 90 coming from 92 balls.
Bell – who hit an unbeaten 284 against Worcestershire last week – continued his outstanding form with a scintillating 111 off just 84 balls, hitting one six off spinner Troy Henry along with 14 fours.
The win takes Lancashire top of the Group 1 table after two games.
TEAMS
Lancashire: Harry Singh, Kesh Fonseka, George Bell (wkt), Arav Shetty, Henry Murray, Rian Maisuria, Ollie Sutton, Jack Blatherwick, Charlie Barnard, Will Williams (capt), Tom Hartley, Joe Chapple.
Sussex: George Thomas, Charlie Tear (capt/wkt), Zach Lion-Cachet, Nico Reifer, Henry Rogers, Louie Lawrence, Frankie Cripps, Bertie Foreman, Archie Lenham, Troy Henry, Ollie Moore, Nantes Oosthuizen.