MATCH REPORT: Wells century gives Lancs hope
Today's match report presented by C&C Insurance Brokers
The outcome of this Rothesay County Championship match remains uncertain after three days with Glamorgan, having dominated most of the second day and the first two sessions of the third, still favourites after setting Lancashire a victory target of 473 runs from 147 runs.
Some swashbuckling batting by the Red Rose top order in the final session, led by Luke Wells’ brilliant 102 has knocked 226 runs off the target for the loss of five wickets to give the hosts some hope of chasing that down tomorrow when they will need a further 247 runs off a minimum of 96 overs.
Starting the day on 95-2 in their second innings and 219 runs ahead, Glamorgan duo Sam Northeast and Kiran Carlson proceeded cautiously through the first hour of the morning, intent on building the lead, before playing a more expansive game once they had settled in.
The Red Rose attack bowled a good line and length to stifle the run scoring, but it quickly became apparent that the nature of the wicket had changed with a more placid pitch offering far less assistance to both seamers and spinners than it had across the first two days.
Carlson, in particular, targeted their first innings tormentor Chris Green when the off spinner was brought on after fifty minutes of play, taking 15 from one over as the Glamorgan duo upped the scoring tempo.
Carlson’s second six brought up the 150 partnership and took the lead beyond 300 as the Glamorgan pair continued to dominate proceedings, reaching lunch on 239-2 and 363 runs ahead.
Wickets starting falling after the break with Carlson, having reached his century off 120 balls just before lunch, out for 105 to the second ball of the afternoon when playing back to Wells and plumb lbw, to end a 215-run partnership that had cemented the visitors’ control of the game.
Colin Ingram helped Northeast maintain the momentum with a brisk 34 until stumped by Phil Salt off Wells and Northeast, who had earlier reached his 34th first-class century off 183 balls, was well caught by sub fielder Jack Blatherwick on the midwicket boundary off Green for 132.
Green claimed two further wickets, to have nine in the match, as the visitors hit out with the declaration looming and that arrived midway through the day at 348-7 setting Lancashire the mammoth task of scoring what would be a record for the county of 473 runs to win from 147 overs-the third highest target set in a first-class game at Emirates Old Trafford behind the 547 Lancashire set Middlesex in 1994 and the 492 Surrey set Lancashire in 2015.
Phil Salt, pushed up to open, edged James Harris to Ingram at first slip for 1, but Keaton Jennings and Wells-coming in at number three-settled into a good partnership with Jennings passing 6,000 first-class runs for Lancashire when reaching 27.
But having taken their stand to 72 runs, Jennings fell to a bat/pad catch by Asa Tribe at short leg off Mason Crane for 33.
Wells reached his half century off 63 balls with a lofted drive for four off Crane having earlier pulled Ned Leonard for six over backward square leg and he was joined in a rip-roaring partnership of 82 off 65 balls by Josh Bohannon.
The pair attacked to great effect with Crane, so deadly in the first innings, taken for 58 in seven overs and Asitha Fernando hammered for three consecutive fours by Bohannon.
Fernando hit back by having Bohannon caught behind for 29 but Wells continued to play his shots, going to his century from 112 balls in style by hitting Harris for six off the back foot over long-on.
But Harris produced what may prove to be a decisive blow by taking a smart catch low down off his own bowling to dismiss Wells for 102 late in the day.
Ben Kellaway added to that by bowling Matty Hurst for 11 with a lovely turning delivery but Marcus Harris (24 not out) and nightwatchman Tom Bailey (9 not out) negotiated the remaining overs to reach the close on 226-5.
“Pleased to get a hundred, but pretty frustrated not just at my dismissal, but just where we are in the game,” was Luke Wells reaction at the close.
“Obviously it was a disappointing first innings from us,” he said. “We didn't cope with the turning conditions, and there was a few soft dismissals.
“Going into this fourth innings chase we felt that we could do something special.
“There was a really positive chat between Jimmy and Crofty about two or three guys do something really special and we can get over the line. Which is a great mindset to have, because I always feel that you play better when you're looking at the positive outcome of what can go right as opposed to what can go wrong.
“I really did feel when we were developing some partnerships, me and Keats and then me and Bosh as well, that if we got to the stumps three or four down and if me and Harris were in overnight, they would feel they're still on top of the game, but they would be a little bit worried in the back of their mind that we're going to have to get these guys out because we were scoring at a rate.
“So it meant we were always in the game if we didn't get out.
But, you know, equally that comes with some risks when you play like that and unfortunately it didn't go well overall.
“I still believe we are capable of winning this game. I mean, Greenie's been superhuman for us so far. We saw Tommy Hartley get a century last week in reasonably turning conditions as well at Cheltenham. I think Balders is due a score as well. Bales played some shots there and Harry as well has been remarkable for us this year.
“So we feel like we're capable of chasing these scores down. It's obviously not in our favour. Odds suggest it might not happen, but we believe that we can get it and we'll just have to see what happens.”
Ken Grime
Photos: Luke Adams & Dan Adams
