MATCH REPORT: Lancashire fight back after collapse boosts Derbyshire hopes
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A Lancashire top order collapse at the hands of Muhammad Abbas and Zak Chappell has put Derbyshire in a good position in this Rothesay County Championship Division Two match during a dramatic evening session on the third day.
The hosts slumped to 23-5 at the start of their second innings before Marcus Harris (58 not out) led a recovery with Tom Hartley (24) and Paul Coughlin (35 not out) to reach 147-6 with a lead of 124 runs going into the final day.
Earlier new Lancashire signing Coughlin marked his Red Rose debut with a four-wicket haul that helped bowl Derbyshire out for 374, with Brooke Guest making 83, to hold the visitors to a slender 23-run lead.
But that lead suddenly took on bigger proportions when Lancashire began their reply, to put the visitors in with a good chance of making their excellent effort with the ball count tomorrow.
The late Red Rose fightback began with 55 runs added for the fifth wicket by Harris and Hartley followed by 69 between Harris and Coughlin and means the outcome tomorrow still remains uncertain.
A morning session consisting of three rain stoppages that allowed just 16 overs to be bowled saw Derbyshire add 39 runs to their overnight first innings total of 235-3 for the loss of Martin Andersson who was beaten by a great delivery from James Anderson.
Andersson and Brooke Guest had taken their fourth wicket alliance to 110 runs when the former, having made 54, was beaten by a ball angled in that nipped away to take out off stump.
Guest departed lbw for 83 early in the afternoon, beaten by a fast-seaming delivery from Mitch Stanley while Anuj Dal, having hit a run-a-ball 21 was caught and bowled by Tom Bailey with Derbyshire 319-6.
A terrific spell of three wickets in 16 balls by Coughlin further dented the Derbyshire quest to bat significantly past Lancashire first innings 351.
Coughlin, who had two catches dropped off his bowling yesterday, needed no help this time in claiming his maiden Red Rose wicket when trapping Chappell lbw for 11. The new signing from Durham then had Ben Aitchinson caught behind for 1 wafting at a ball outside off and, after Luis Reece (32) and Shoaib Bashir had taken Derbyshire into the lead, produced a lovely seaming delivery that Reece nicked behind.
Coughlin then finished his outstanding 4.3 over spell with 4-15 by ending the Derbyshire innings at 374 when Abbas offered a straightforward catch to Luke Wells at backward point.
Lancashire, 23 runs behind, made a dreadful start to their second innings losing five wickets for 23 runs inside 15 overs at the hands of Abbas and Chappell.
Wells went without scoring, bowled by a terrific delivery from Abbas that angled in and then nipped away, and the same bowler then had Josh Bohannon caught at third slip for 4.
If that was a poor start, worse was to follow as Chappell struck three times in eight balls with the scores level to have Lancashire in all sorts of difficulties at 23-5.
Harry Singh drove a catch back to the bowler, who juggled the offering before grabbing it at the fourth attempt, and two balls later Michael Jones drove to midwicket where Bashir took a good catch low down.
Matty Hurst was the next to go, somewhat unluckily, when he got a bottom edge to a pitched-up Chappell delivery only to see the ball rebound off his boot and trickle onto the stumps.
Harris and Tom Hartley fought back calmly, posting their fifty partnership for the sixth wicket from 97 balls but five runs later Hartley’s resistance was ended on 24 when bowled by Dal.
Harris, who reached his half century from 105 balls, found great support from Coughlin who played several counter-attacking shots across the last hour of the day in an unbeaten partnership of 69 runs to take the Lancashire lead into three figures to raise the prospect of an intriguing final day battle when the sides return tomorrow.
Will Porterfield, Lancashire assistant Coach said:
“I think if we can eke out another 50-plus runs or look to get towards that 200 total over the last four wickets in hand, then I think anything up around 200 will be a tricky chase.
Marcus Harris, his hundred in the first innings was brilliant. And today, just the calmness and composure when we didn't have the start we liked, just how he marshalled that through and that partnership with Tommy (Hartley) to get us into a decent position. And when we lost Tommy as well, getting through with Coggers (Paul Coughlin).
“So, to anchor that innings through is arguably as good as his first innings.
“We did it last week. We had a good partnership down the back end (of the innings), and I think that's what's needed at different points in the season. You don't want to rely on your lower order to pull you out too often, but everyone has to contribute.
So those two partnerships were great, and hopefully we get another two partnerships like that tomorrow and put ourselves in a commanding position.
“You're not going to dominate four days, that doesn't happen too often. You're going to have to absorb pressure at some point and I think Harry kind of epitomised that, how he did that and the calmness he showed and how he really reeled things in and just went about his innings.
“I think that's why you bring an experienced player like that, so that young lads coming through can learn off him and understand in those situations how you want to go about things.
“I think with the new ball, it has been tricky the last couple of innings starting off so we need to apply that pressure again and hopefully, instead of beating the bat, we get a few nicks and there's no reason why we can't put them on the back foot.”
Ken Grime
Photos Luke Adams & Dan Adams
