MATCH REPORT: Lancashire clinch six–wicket win against Kent in opening match at AO Farington Cricket Ground
Lancashire made a winning start in their new, second, home with a comfortable six wicket victory against Kent in the Metro Bank One Day Cup at a sunny, sold-out AO Farington Cricket Ground.
Matty Hurst made a patient half century while a 69-run fourth wicket partnership between Marcus Harris and Rocky Flintoff helped clinched the victory with 13 balls to spare as Lancashire finished on 227-4 in reply to Kent’s 223 all out.
Lancashire had produced a good bowling performance to restrict the visitors with three wickets for Mitch Stanley and two apiece for Tom Bailey, George Balderson and Jack Blatherwick.
The win is Lancashire second in three games and we return to AO Farington Cricket Ground on Thursday for the next game against Notts Outlaws.
Kent made a cautious start after being put in to bat and their early struggles were compounded by the loss of two early wickets.
The new Farington track displayed some occasional variations in bounce and gave some assistance to the new ball bowlers after being covered due to rain the run-up to this game,
Bailey, opening from the Lostock Hall End produced a wide off the first-ever ball bowled in competition at this ground, but he made amends by knocking back the stumps of Ben Dawkins for four with a ball that kept a touch low to claim the first-ever wicket at AO Farington.
Stanley, who bowled the first delivery on this ground last month in a Second XI friendly, opened from the Fowler Lane End and took an outstanding one-handed diving catch off his own bowling to send back Sam Northeast for 1 off a rising delivery to leave Kent 21-2 with both batters feeling slightly short-changed by variations in the wicket.
Visiting skipper Daniel Bell-Drummond dropped anchor before proceeding to make a fine half century for his side, but Kent continued to ship wickets.
Harry Finch, who hit the first six at the ground, gloved another lifting delivery off Blatherwick that fell to Keaton Jennings at slip for 21, with the bowler then trapping Chris Benjamin lbw with a swinging full toss for 14.
Grant Stewart was bowled by the returning Stanley for 22 and when Ekansh Singh holed out to Harris on the midwicket boundary off Arav Shetty for 4, the Spitfires were struggling on 136-6 in the 31st over.
Bell-Drummond, having held the innings together thus far, reached his excellent, battling, fifty off 75 balls by lifting Shetty over the ropes at long-on but fell lbw for 56 to a fine nip-backer from Balderson.
Jadyn Denly also lofted Shetty for a straight six but in the main the visitors lower order followed the example set by their skipper by settling for steady accumulation.
Denly (25) and Joey Evison (19) added 31 for the eighth wicket and Keith Dudgeon (31 not out off 25 balls) helped Evison put on a further 38 important runs for the ninth with Kent all out for 223 in the 47th over.
It was hard to assess what a par score might be at this new venue – opinions around the ground varied during the interval – but Jennings and Hurst, having noted Kent’s early struggles, played watchfully in putting on 44 in 11 overs before Jennings departed lbw for 31 in Singh’s second over.
Hurst and Josh Bohannon built on that foundation with another steady alliance, having the Red Rose side well-placed on 93-1 after 25 overs.
Bohannon had progressed nicely to 47 before he was tempted into chasing a wide delivery from Dudgeon to end a 79-run stand with Lancashire 123-2 in the 31st over.
It was Hurst who went on to register his second List A half-century from 84 balls with his measurement of restraint demonstrated by the fact it contained just one four.
Harris joined forces with Hurst, with the Australian upping the tempo with a driven four off Evison in an over-the 34th-that produced ten runs.
But Hurst, having driven his second four off Stewart, then picked out Bell-Drummond at mid-off two balls later to depart for 55 with 77 required from 85 balls.
Harris, with scores of 60 and 71 in the first two Metro Bank One Day Cup games this season, kept the target firmly in sight, going along at a run-a-ball pace and joined by Rocky Flintoff who was quickly into his stride with a brace of boundaries to match the pace.
The pair hoisted their fifty partnership off 45 balls, easily the quickest scoring passage of play all day, Harris hammering Denly for the first six of the innings but stumped for 47 attempting to repeat the shot.
By then, just eight runs were needed off four overs and it was left to Flintoff (41 not out) to mark a history-making day with a positive start when hitting the winning runs in the 48th over.
Steven Croft was delighted with the win and performance.
“I think we took the momentum from the last game,” he said.
“It was a different game, obviously a new venue for us.
“The lads were up to the challenge and to knock it off in style was really nice.
“I think we would have probably liked to have chased probably ten, fifteen, or twenty less. But all in all, we're still confident of chasing those runs down.
“The reason for bowling first was to try and get a feel for it. We've obviously trained here a few times.
“Similarly, the wicket had a bit of bounce and carry. But it was a bit of an unknown for both sides. I commend the lads for adjusting and getting on with it.
“There was a little bit of extra bounce at times. But yeah, to knock off 223 was great from the lads.
I thought the lads, the batters especially, judged it really well. It was set up beautifully with the ball and the power play.
“Bales has shown his experience. It's been great to see Mitch out there playing back-to-back games as well.
“They've both got a different set of skills, but they've formed a really nice partnership.
“I thought the batters judged the whole run chase really well. I thought great foundations were laid by Keats and Hurstie once again.
“Bosh came in and kept up with the rate. And Harry, what he has done in the last three games is really give us a bit of impetus and a cool head.
“Rocky today just showed his class really and had a nice, cool, calm head.
“And we saw he can get it over the rope on the other day, as can Morsey. And we've seen that in the T20s as well. So great to see him go out there and play such a mature innings for a young lad.
And I think this competition, we play at seven different grounds this year. So, yeah, there's not one way to play.
“And I think it's adapting. We saw a more freestyle play at Grace Road, and then we knew it might be a little bit different today, which it was, and the lads have adapted. So, we know different grounds are going to require different things.
“And the lads have been up for the challenge so far. I don't think there's one way to play in this competition. You have to adapt.
“We'll use quite a few different players as well. So, roles will change throughout the competition. But so far, so good with the boys.”
And Croft is enthused by the new AO Farington Cricket Ground.
“It was really exciting driving in this morning,” he said.
“There's been a lot of excitement and a lot of efforts gone into hosting today. And not just this week and coming week. Obviously, years of planning, getting the ground up and running.
“As soon as we got handed the ground over and started training here, we knew it was going to be a great facility for years to come. And (it was) no different today. We were all really excited to be on that field for the first time.
“I think the lads are obviously a little part of history made there. And I'm sure they'll remember that one for time to come.
“It'll be fantastic, especially this time of year as well, when we're not at Old Trafford to have somewhere to call your home and almost dump your bags. It's better rather than sticking them in your porch or your car. Just calling it our home and having a consistent base is going to be brilliant as well.
“Having two ovals and a net block as well out the back is fantastic. It's a great facility."
Ken Grime
Photos: Luke Adams & Dan Adams