SECOND XI REPORT: Lancashire take charge as Worcestershire follow-on
Arav Shetty took five wickets as Lancashire strengthened their grip on this Second XI Championship Group 1 match after bowling Worcestershire out for 277 on the third day at Southport & Birkdale Cricket Club and having the visitors on 158-3 in their second innings and still trailing by 72 runs at stumps.
Resuming their first innings on 148-3, Worcestershire suffered two early losses when Rob Jones on 27 was adjudged to have glanced a leg side Ollie Sutton delivery to wicketkeeper George Bell while Seth Essenhigh gave Bell a more regulation catch off Josh Boyden for 10.
Jack Home and Ben Allison combined for the highest partnership of the innings when adding 61 inside 18 overs until Charlie Barnard struck twice in quick succession, trapping Home lbw sweeping for 40 and bowling Ben Gibbon for 1. The left arm spinner finished with 3-86 when Toby Cox slogged him to Rocky Flintoff at deep midwicket for 12.
Shetty, who struck with a wicket from the last ball of day two, took the first of his five today by holding onto a juggling catch off his own bowling to dismiss Allison for 39 before ending the Worcestershire innings when Harry Darley chipped to mid-on for 6 as the visitors lost their last five wickets for 32 runs.
Following-on 230 runs behind, Rehann Edavalath and Henry Nicholls began in positive fashion with both openers reaching half centuries in a 90-run partnership inside 24 overs.
It was off spinner Shetty who made the breakthrough, turning one past the defensive push of Edavalath to bowl the Worcestershire skipper for 50.
Shetty (3-37) then made it five wickets in the day – and six in the match – by trapping Jones lbw for 15 and having Essenhigh taken via an edge at slip by Harry Singh for 3.
Nicholls remains on 70 not out alongside Home (9 not out) going into tomorrow’s final day.
TEAMS
Lancashire: Harry Singh, Kesh Fonseka, Rocky Flintoff, George Bell (wkt), Arav Shetty, George Balderson (capt), Tom Bailey, Ollie Sutton, Josh Boyden, Charlie Barnard, Will Williams, Mitch Stanley.
Substitutes at start of day 3: Joe Moores, Joe Chapple & Hassan Mughal replaced George Balderson, Will Williams & Tom Bailey. Harry Singh took over as captain from George Balderson.
Worcestershire: Isaac Mohammed, Rehann Edavalath (capt), Henry Nicholls, Seth Essenhigh (wkt), Jack Home, Ben Allison, Rob Jones, Ben Gibbon, Toby Cox, Harry Darley, Yadvinder Singh, Thilan Walallawita.
Substitute at start of day 3: Finlay Goodman for Isaac Mohammed.