SECOND XI REPORT: Three wickets for Bell as Leicestershire game evenly poised
Day 3: Lancashire 1st innings: 448 all out (110.1 overs) Arav Shetty 139, George Bell 91, Ollie Sutton 67. Ali Farooq 3-91.
Leicestershire 1st innings: 445-9 dec (108.3 overs) Sheridon Gumbs 132, Jonny Tattersall 123, George Bell 3-51.
Lancashire 2nd innings: 25-0 (10 overs) lead by 28 runs.
George Bell took three wickets and Charlie Barnard two as Lancashire’s bowlers fought back after Leicestershire batters Sheridon Gumbs and Jonny Tattersall both hit centuries at Grace Road.
Gumbs and Tattersall enjoyed a huge 235-run partnership for the second wicket that had the hosts strongly placed at 276-1 in reply to Lancashire’s first innings 448.
But a regular fall of wickets during the afternoon saw the home side declared on 445-9 with Lancashire reaching the close on 25-0 in their second innings and ahead by 28 runs going into tomorrow’s final day.
Tattersall, who reached his century from 130 balls, eventually fell for 123 when trapped lbw by Charlie Parkinson, and Josh Davey departed the same way to a Tom Walker yorker for 25.
With Arav Shetty called up to the first team, Bell swopped wicketkeeping duties with Joe Moores and found early success with the ball, bowling Gumbs for 132 with his tenth ball, a nicely flighted delivery that completely deceived a batter who was well set.
And the Red Rose attack kept working their way through the Leicestershire order with Barnard having Liam Trevaskis lbw for 36 trying to work the ball to leg, and Jamie Dunk (22) taken at deep backward square sweeping.
Bell then accounted for George Maddy, caught at cover, and Usman Minhas, caught and bowled, in quick succession to finish with a Second XI best 3-51 as Leicestershire declared three runs behind when Ollie Sutton had Ali Farooq caught at deep cover.
Kesh Fonseka (15 not out) and Rian Maisuria (10 not out) negotiated their way through the remaining ten overs to steer Lancashire to 25-0 in their second innings with a lead of 28.
TEAMS
Lancashire
George Bell (capt/wkt), Charlie Barnard, George Brown, Rocky Flintoff, Kesh Fonseka, George Harris, Rian Maisuria, Joe Moores, Arav Shetty (called up to 1st XI on day 3), Ollie Sutton, Tom Walker, Charlie Parkinson.
Leicestershire
Sheridon Gumbs, Sol Budinger, Jonny Tattersall (capt/wkt), Jamie Dunk, Usman Minhas, George Maddy, Sam Wood, Josh Davey, Liam Trevaskis, Pip Jackson, Ali Farooq, Theo Marshall, Usman Minhas.