SECOND XI: Hartley stars with bat and ball as Lancashire beat Yorkshire
Lancashire Cricket’s Second XI wrapped up victory on day three of their four day friendly against Yorkshire at Weetwood Sports Ground in Leeds.
Tom Hartley put in a sensational performance with both bat and ball to ensure Lancashire won the game with a day to spare.
The Red Rose began the day in a comfortable position, with trialist Zak Tribe (42) and opening batter Kesh Fonseka at the crease. The latter was well set after a strong evening session the day before and brought up his half-century six overs into the day, clipping the ball off his pads for a single.
Fonseka and Tribe managed to put on 79 for the 4th wicket before the opener was dismissed. He was caught behind for a well-made 69, including eight boundaries. Tribe was out LBW five overs later, struck on the pad by Charlie Richardson.
Wickets continued to fall for the Red Rose, who declared nine down less than 20 overs after Fonseka was dismissed. The final man to fall was captain Hartley, out for a superb 70 off 52 balls, helping the Red Rose reach a huge lead of 439.
The left-hander smashed five boundaries and half a dozen sixes, playing some excellent reverse sweeps, and clearing the rope down the ground and over square leg.
Hartley was eventually out caught on the boundary looking to hit another six, and immediately declared with his side 299-9, with the lead a healthy 439.
The Red Rose got off to the perfect start with ball in hand. Openers Ollie Sutton and Jack Blatherwick dismissed Fin Bean and Owen Smith respectively, to leave the hosts 22-2 from just 7.1 overs.
It was not long before Hartley, one over into his spell, got in on the act. What took place in his spell was quite extraordinary.
After his starring role with the bat, Lancashire’s captain single-handedly ran through the Yorkshire side, finishing with sensational figures of 8-50 from 16.1 overs to secure victory for his side.
On a pitch that was beginning to offer plenty for the left-arm spinner, he became a thorn in the Yorkshire side, beating the bat on numerous occasions, turning the ball square and becoming largely unplayable for the White Rose batters.
His first wicket was a jaffa to bowl Joe Thompson. Bowling round the wicket, the ball pitched on leg stump, turning so much that it beat Thompson’s outside edge and hit the top of off stump.
That wicket, the first of eight, was perhaps the pick of the bunch, though Hartley continued to run riot. Peter Greenfield was out next, caught by Harry Singh low down at first slip. The Lancs captain trapped Fin Bean LBW for 37 in his next over, removing the only Yorkshireman to offer any sort of resistance.
Jay Singh was next to go, caught by Tribe at second slip. Yorkshire then got some respite from losing wickets, with a four-over gap between Hartley’s fourth and fifth wicket.
He got back on track next up, and claimed his five-wicket haul by dismissing Joe Hayes, with Rian Maisuria taking a smart catch at short leg. The left-arm spinner was not done yet, though, with three more Yorkshire wickets left to take.
He bowled Leo Wilson with a delivery like the one that dismissed Thompson, and Bradley Sylvester was caught looking to move the score along, skying an attempted shot down the ground up into the covers.
Richardson was the last man out, bowled looking to cut the ball. Hartley claimed his eighth and final wicket, to win the game by 284 runs for Lancashire and finish with superb figures of 8-50.
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