MATCH REPORT: Singh Dale and Bailey resistance builds Lancs lead in Northampton
Northamptonshire’s Australian quick bowler Harry Conway claimed four wickets for 38, on a dramatic third day of this Rothesay County Championship match against Lancashire at Wantage Road.
Bowling aggressively and finding plenty of bounce and movement, the tall Australian’s initial burst either side of lunch, leg-spinner Calvin Harrison also claiming 4 for 55.
But with batting growing far easier against the older ball, Ajeet Singh Dale (44 not out) and Tom Bailey (35) put on 69 for the ninth wicket as Lancashire closed on 194, setting Northamptonshire 321 to win.
With four overs to face before stumps, Northamptonshire quickly lost Ricardo Vasconcelos, caught behind off Jimmy Anderson, but closed on 9 for one, needing another 312 to win.
Earlier Lewis McManus ended unbeaten after his battling 75 helped the hosts avoid the follow-on and secure a precious batting point. McManus and Conway extended their invaluable tenth wicket partnership to 60 before Tom Bailey took the final wicket to finish with four for 51 as Northamptonshire finished 258 all out.
In an eventful spell prior to lunch, Ben Sanderson made the first breakthrough, bowling Harry Singh with a nipbacker, before Conway struck twice in two balls thanks to two impressive catches behind the wicket.
Michael Jones survived the hat-trick ball but fell to Conway’s very next delivery as he nipped one back to hit top of middle-stump.
Wells collected two boundaries against Sanderson and did well to sway out of the way of a sharp bouncer from Conway. He put away a half-volley from Luke Procter and swept Harrison to the ropes to take the lead past 200 but fell next ball.
Harrison was extracting some sharp turn out of the bowlers’ footmarks back into Balderson and got one to hit the top of off-stump. Then, just before tea, in his first over for Northamptonshire, Nathan McSweeney trapped Tom Hartley lbw with a full delivery to leave Lancashire 108 for eight.
Taking the final two wickets proved far more difficult after tea. Singh Dale played some lusty blows against Conway but he settled into a steady groove against the 29.4 overs of spin sent down by Harrison and Saif Zaib bowling in tandem.
Harrison finally broke through, Bailey squeezing a full ball back onto his stumps before Anderson was castled by a nicely-flighted delivery.
As Northamptonshire began the run chase, Anderson followed up his first innings fivefer by having Vasconcelos caught behind off a defensive push. Procter and nightwatcher Conway though safely saw out the remaining overs.
