SECOND XI: Flintoff stars in rain-affected Day One
Lancashire Cricket’s Second XI played out an entertaining Day One of their Second XI Championship match against Middlesex at Newton Le Willows Cricket Club.
In a rain-affected day on Merseyside, only 43 overs were possible, but Lancashire made the most of the time. By stumps, they had 170 on the board for the loss of five wickets, with Rocky Flintoff leading the charge with an enterprising 90 not out.
When play finally got started at 3:30, it was Middlesex who got out of the starting blocks quickest. Thanks to the experience of Toby Roland-Jones, the Red Rose were restricted to 9-3 from the first five overs.
The former England test player had George Harris caught behind second ball, captain George Bell caught out following a ball that leapt up off a length, and Kesh Fonseka out after he got a leading edge to cover.
But the early wickets did not seem to affect Flintoff. He struck Roland-Jones for two boundaries in that successful first spell, including a thumping drive down the ground past mid-on, which would become a feature of his innings.
Despite losing the wicket of Rian Maisuria before the tea break, the Lancashire batter steadied the ship. He struck seven more boundaries before the interval, sending the ball back past the bowler another three times, simply leaning into the drive and finding the boundary with sheer timing.
He resumed on 40 not out and continued to build a platform with Fred Vaughan-Hawkins (21). Flintoff continued to go about his business in the same, attacking way. He soon brought up his half-century off just 66 balls, doing so with a boundary.
The pair had put on 73 for the fifth wicket when Vaughan-Hawkins was dismissed, caught behind taking on a Henry Brookes short ball. Their partnership certainly went a long way to rebuilding Lancs’ innings.
When all-rounder Ben Walkden came to the crease, he ably supported set batter Flintoff, also putting the Middlesex bowlers under pressure. Walkden dispatched three boundaries and one six on his way to 50 partnership with the Red Rose number four, which was brought up with a quick single, highlighting the intent the pair batted with.
Flintoff struck the final boundary of the day 10 minutes from the end, with full-blooded straight drive back past Roland-Jones. That shot summed up the way he played, an innings full of intent and lots of excellent drives back past the bowler. When stumps was called, he was 90 not out from just 126 balls, having rescued Lancs from a tricky position that afternoon.
Flintoff and Walkden (32 not out) will resume on Day Two having put on 57 runs for the sixth wicket so far, and the Red Rose 170-5, in what is shaping up to be an exciting game.