SECOND XI REPORT: Shetty stars in drawn match with Glamorgan
Arav Shetty hit a century and took four wickets as Lancashire came within two wickets of victory against Glamorgan before the game at Aigburth ended in a draw.
The twenty-year-old all rounder made an unbeaten 100 as Lancashire declared their second innings on 212 for nine, setting Glamorgan a target of 306 from 66 overs.
Three wickets by Ollie Sutton halted a promising reply by the visitors before Shetty’s contribution took Lancashire close with Glamorgan on 219 for eight at the close of an enthralling game.
Lancashire started the day on 68 for one in their second innings with a lead of 161 runs with Shetty and Sutton extending their second wicket partnership to 112 runs, Shetty reaching his fifty from 74 balls, before Sutton departed for 45 – the first of five wickets for Tom Bevan who finished with 5 for 55.
Wickets fell steadily from that point as Lancashire pushed on towards a declaration with Mitch Stanley hitting a six and 3 fours in an 11-ball cameo of 23 that added 35 with Shetty for the ninth wicket in 19 balls.
Shetty took only 49 balls to go from fifty to his first Red Rose hundred (123 balls, 11 fours) on the stroke of lunch with Lancashire declaring at the interval.
Sutton struck in the third over of the Glamorgan run chase trapping left hander Ed Byrom lbw for 7, but partnerships of 63 between Callum Nicholls and Bevan for the second wicket and 98 by Bevan and Billy Root kept the visitors on course at 177 for two, with 129 runs required from the final 20 overs.
Left arm spinner Charlie Barnard had earlier accounted for Nicholls cutting to Stanley at gully for 49, and Sutton returned to take two wickets in two balls to send back Bevan lbw for 66 and Alex Horton caught behind first ball after glancing a leg side pull to wicketkeeper Jack Carney.
The visitors were firmly on the back foot once Shetty bowled Root for 52 with half the side gone for 188 and the off spinner inflicted further damage by bowling both Henry Hurle (21) and Tom Norton (5) to leave Glamorgan 213 for seven with 47 balls remaining.
With fielders camped around the batters, Ben Morris and Jamie McIlroy defied the dual spin attack of Shetty and Barnard until the former trapped Morris lbw for a duck with eight balls left but that proved to be the only Red Rose success as Glamorgan held on to seal the draw.
TEAMS
Lancashire: Harry Singh (capt), Kesh Fonseka, Rian Maisuria, Arav Shetty, Ollie Sutton, Jack Carney (wkt), Joe Chapple, Josh Boyden, Adnan Miakhel, Charlie Barnard, Mitchell Stanley, Jack Blatherwick.
Team changes: Archie Davies replaced Jack Blatherwick at the end of day 1. George Harris and Tom Aspinwall replaced Archie Davies and Harry Singh at the start of day 3.
Glamorgan: Will Smale (capt/wkt), Tom Bevan, Billy Root, Henry Hurle, Alex Horton, Tom Norton, Jamie McIlroy, Ben Morris, Ed Byrom, Callum Nicholls, Joe Davies, Romano Franco.
Team change: Alex Horton replaced Will Smale as Wicketkeeper at the start of the Lancashire second innings.