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Post by Admin on Apr 19, 2024 19:55:07 GMT
Lancashire 146: Snater 4-42, Cook 3-18
Essex 68-1: Khushi 53
Essex (3 pts) trail Lancashire (0 pts) by 78 runs
Shane Snater rediscovered the form with the ball that deserted him last season on a rain-shortened day at Chelmsford.
The Zimbabwe-born Dutch international blasted out the top three in the Lancashire order at a personal cost of one run before returning to add a fourth for figures of 4-42.
Snater took just eight expensive wickets in an injury-ravaged campaign last year, having taken a combined 67 in the two previous seasons. He now has 10 wickets in three Vitality County Championship matches this April.
He was ably supported by fellow seamer Sam Cook, who managed to marry both hostility and parsimony to finish with 3-18 from 14 overs, as Lancashire were 146 all out. In 12 overs under the floodlights, Feroze Khushi refused to hang about with nine fours in a whirlwind 53 from 33 balls as Essex knocked off 68 of the deficit for the loss of his wicket, caught in the slips off George Balderson.
A mid-morning downpour encouraged Essex captain Tom Westley to ask Lancashire to bat on a green-tinged wicket and local knowledge proved decisive inside the 45 minutes possible before lunch once Snater had been introduced.
The seamer removed Keaton Jennings to a magnificent flying catch in the gulley by Matt Critchley in his first over, and trapped the freewheeling Luke Wells plumb lbw in the next.
Wells had plundered 13 runs – including a straight-driven four and a six flicked off his legs – in a Jamie Porter over that led to the bowler’s departure from the attack after conceding 22 runs from three overs.
The brief morning session completed, the players had barely reached the pavilion for lunch when the latest April shower lengthened the interval by more than an hour and three-quarters. When they did return in mid-afternoon, Josh Bohannon faced just nine more scoreless balls before he edged Snater and Dean Elgar took a stunning one-handed catch low down at first slip.
Cook bowled unchanged for nearly two of the truncated sessions and gained reward in his ninth over when Balderson failed to withdraw his bat in time and was caught behind.
George Bell hit two of his four career half-centuries at Chelmsford last season, and added a high of 99 against Hampshire last week, but Snater’s first ball after tea had him bang to rights in front of his stumps for just four. However, his one scoring stroke in 22 balls had been a sumptuous straight drive that was arguably the most aesthetic shot of the day.
The Lancashire slide continued apace when Matty Hurst hung his bat out to Cook and was a second victim for wicketkeeper Michael Pepper. Tom Bruce got a leading edge to chip Porter to mid-on before 19-year-old Noah Thain claimed a wicket on debut with his third ball in first-class cricket when Tom Bailey steered to second slip.
However, the ninth-wicket partnership between Jack Blatherwick and Will Williams proved to be the biggest of the innings, helping to repair the damage of 92-8 with some lusty hitting.
With a six apiece, the pair put on fifty in 36 balls before Blatherwick went for another heave to Simon Harmer’s second ball of the game and holed out on the long-leg boundary. Cook wrapped up the innings when he had Nathan Lyon held at point to leave Williams not out on 32.
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Post by exile on Apr 19, 2024 21:42:44 GMT
Poor toss to lose but it's many years since Lancs had batsmen with the technique to play against a seaming ball. When Essex batted, neither Bailey nor Williams could find the right length on a pitch that has dried out (as our lower order slog showed) and is basically flat. Lancs will do well to get anything out of this match. Hope I'm wrong but I expect Essex to rattle up 300+ tomorrow.
Blatherwick doesn't look nearly good enough to be playing at this level - produces the odd good ball but bowls far too many pies.
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Post by John W on Apr 19, 2024 22:54:29 GMT
A really poor day. Started with awful weather then little/no updates from Essex even though YouTube showed the groundsmen taking covers off and sun shining meaning making a mad dash to the ground for start of play. No surprise that Jennings lost the toss, he's obviously caught the bug from Vilas! A very good toss to win, heavy cloud overhead made for perfect bowling conditions plus just 45 mins meant the Essex bowlers could give their all then have a rest, made even better by prolonged rain delay which meant they came out totally fresh for an hour before tea then yet another rest. So Essex exploited the conditions as you would expect a good team would do, on the other hand quite a few Lancashire batsmen looked like rabbits in headlights, a couple of them walking wickets, how much do they value their wicket? When Essex batted I did expect a response from our bowlers but Khushi decided to play Bazball and it came off, I thought Elgar was brilliant at the other end, letting Khushi get on with it while making sure he kept his end locked up, a true pro who values his wicket. Play finished for the day at 19.10 and I was absolutely frozen, so much for the South East being the warmest part of England. Unless we strike hard in the first hour tomorrow I can see this being over sometime between lunch and tea on Sunday. Then it's facing the M25/M1/M6 after a heavy defeat to a County that Gidney probably thinks isn't worthy of first class status.
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Post by sillypoint on Apr 20, 2024 9:38:02 GMT
Essex are a strong side, my tip for the Championship.
We have the same problems as last year, bar having a really good spinner, insofar as the backup seam bowling is not good enough(how does Blatherwick keep getting picked?) and our overseas batsman not performing(at least, not yet). Mitchell started well last year but didn't keep it going.
I believe that Balderson is a very good batsman, but seems to be having trouble adapting to batting at no.4. Doesn't seem to know whether to stick or twist. When he opened he was replacing an injured Jennings so knew it wasn't permanent which freed him up and batting at 6 gave him the freedom to play his shots. Bruce, as overseas pro, should be batting at 4 and Balderson at 5.
Unless Hurst makes runs in the 2nd innings I expect Lavelle will replace him for the next match.
No disgrace to lose to Essex, but, unless Lyon can spin us to 4 or 5 wins, I can only see us a mid-table team.
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Post by lancsdes on Apr 20, 2024 11:32:52 GMT
I’ve had a couple of really cold April days at Chelmsford John W. Fortunately 1) It was better for me than the locals because I’m a tough northerner used to mountain tops in winter ; 2) we were doing very well. I’ve seen us win twice and draw once there and we should have won the draw but for a ludicrously negative declaration when they finished nine down a long way short.
I did however, have a similarly unlucky weather experience in Essex , allegedly England’s driest county . I went to Essex v Northants at the lovely Colchester ground. I was there for the full game but the third day there was no play. There was a full day everywhere else . It made the fourth day very tedious.
When people hear I’m going to a game, they shoot an albatross for luck.
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Post by Rob on Apr 20, 2024 14:09:29 GMT
Surely Luke Wells has to be worth a couple.
Bruce has been pretty poor so far as a specialist batter. Lavelle could come in to keep or as a specialist batter.
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Post by Rob on Apr 20, 2024 14:49:01 GMT
Surely Luke Wells has to be worth a couple. Bruce has been pretty poor so far as a specialist batter. Lavelle could come in to keep or as a specialist batter. Critchley well caught by Wells at slip..... |
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Post by chris on Apr 20, 2024 15:03:59 GMT
Essex are a strong side, my tip for the Championship. We have the same problems as last year, bar having a really good spinner, insofar as the backup seam bowling is not good enough(how does Blatherwick keep getting picked?) and our overseas batsman not performing(at least, not yet). Mitchell started well last year but didn't keep it going. I believe that Balderson is a very good batsman, but seems to be having trouble adapting to batting at no.4. Doesn't seem to know whether to stick or twist. When he opened he was replacing an injured Jennings so knew it wasn't permanent which freed him up and batting at 6 gave him the freedom to play his shots. Bruce, as overseas pro, should be batting at 4 and Balderson at 5. Unless Hurst makes runs in the 2nd innings I expect Lavelle will replace him for the next match. No disgrace to lose to Essex, but, unless Lyon can spin us to 4 or 5 wins, I can only see us a mid-table team. It may just be me, but I always expect Lancs to wait until their second team players finish their run of good form, and promote them to the first team after their form dips. As if they want to say, I told you they weren't good enough.
After Gloucestershire were relegated last year, I can't see Benkenstein completing the year, if Lancs end up in a relegation scrap. They will be close to the bottom two after this round, and miss the next round so almost certainly will slip to the relegation zone. Something needs to change. So dependent upon the top 3.
At least the club tried to increase their bowling in the winter with the recruitment of Stanley, but even that doesn't look great at the moment. They need Mahmood back in the side.
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Post by anyportinastorm on Apr 20, 2024 18:53:10 GMT
Essex are a strong side, my tip for the Championship. We have the same problems as last year, bar having a really good spinner, insofar as the backup seam bowling is not good enough(how does Blatherwick keep getting picked?) and our overseas batsman not performing(at least, not yet). Mitchell started well last year but didn't keep it going. I believe that Balderson is a very good batsman, but seems to be having trouble adapting to batting at no.4. Doesn't seem to know whether to stick or twist. When he opened he was replacing an injured Jennings so knew it wasn't permanent which freed him up and batting at 6 gave him the freedom to play his shots. Bruce, as overseas pro, should be batting at 4 and Balderson at 5. Unless Hurst makes runs in the 2nd innings I expect Lavelle will replace him for the next match. No disgrace to lose to Essex, but, unless Lyon can spin us to 4 or 5 wins, I can only see us a mid-table team. It may just be me, but I always expect Lancs to wait until their second team players finish their run of good form, and promote them to the first team after their form dips. As if they want to say, I told you they weren't good enough.
After Gloucestershire were relegated last year, I can't see Benkenstein completing the year, if Lancs end up in a relegation scrap. They will be close to the bottom two after this round, and miss the next round so almost certainly will slip to the relegation zone. Something needs to change. So dependent upon the top 3.
At least the club tried to increase their bowling in the winter with the recruitment of Stanley, but even that doesn't look great at the moment. They need Mahmood back in the side.
Blatherwick must know where the bodies are buried. Not good enough for a team in the lower reaches of the second division but a regular for us. I and many others aren't seeing it. Early indications are yet more fingers burned in the NZ market. I will have a sneaky fiver now that Benkenstein and Chilton aren't here this time next year. |
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Post by lancsdes on Apr 20, 2024 19:10:06 GMT
Bit early yet as Essex will be in top two and we did get the worst of conditions but I’m afraid , with respect to Chris, I would never have any confidence in a recruitment in which Chilton had high involvement.
Never mind . As many on here will know I’ve been really disillusioned with the OT set up for years , and had developed a lot of affection for Somerset cricket though could never wish Somerset to beat Lancs. However, reading their forum today, it sounds like the same sort of money gouging and closing half the ground is going on there.
I’m resigned to just a few seasons of the odd bit of pleasure at out grounds and the disappearance of the county game I’ve loved.
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Post by Dave Towers on Apr 20, 2024 19:40:51 GMT
Blatherwick must know where the bodies are buried. Not good enough for a team in the lower reaches of the second division but a regular for us. I and many others aren't seeing it. Early indications are yet more fingers burned in the NZ market. I will have a sneaky fiver now that Benkenstein and Chilton aren't here this time next year. I don’t expect he’d be in the team if any of Anderson, Mahmood or Wood were available, but for one reason or another we rarely see anything of those three. |
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Post by MickeyG on Apr 21, 2024 1:00:33 GMT
Remember a few years back when Lancs had Anderson, Mahmood, Wood, Hasan Ali along with Bailey available early on? Lamb and Parky around too.
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Post by Gareth Platt on Apr 21, 2024 8:15:07 GMT
Poor toss to lose but it's many years since Lancs had batsmen with the technique to play against a seaming ball. When Essex batted, neither Bailey nor Williams could find the right length on a pitch that has dried out (as our lower order slog showed) and is basically flat. Lancs will do well to get anything out of this match. Hope I'm wrong but I expect Essex to rattle up 300+ tomorrow. Blatherwick doesn't look nearly good enough to be playing at this level - produces the odd good ball but bowls far too many pies. Looks like the toss was absolutely crucial, but we might still be in the game had we managed to scrape to 200. I totally agree with the idea of promoting kids, but our batting lineup looks very raw at the moment doesn't it. The inability to secure a top-class overseas batter doesn't help, although I imagine that our financial constraints, plus the congested international schedule, tied our hands somewhat. Bowling also looks weak, although the addition of Anderson, Wood, Mahmood and Stanley will change that somewhat! Sounds like we tried to sign Tongue last season and imagine we'll be in the market for another quick bowler this coming winter. |
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Post by chris on Apr 21, 2024 8:48:05 GMT
Remember a few years back when Lancs had Anderson, Mahmood, Wood, Hasan Ali along with Bailey available early on? Lamb and Parky around too. is it too early to wonder about Tom Bailey 33 today? I've never known him average 90 before, which will remain the case after 3/14 games unless we avoid the follow on. Two wickets in 64 overs is he fully fit?
Is it bad luck that we employed a top line spinner (who can't bat) for the whole season and then had him denied from playing at the business end of the season therefore preventing an Hasan Ali type bowler to kick start the season?
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Post by Admin on Apr 21, 2024 8:57:14 GMT
Lancashire 146& 10-1: Porter 1-2
Essex 377: Westley 81, Elgar 79; Balderson 3-75
Lancashire (3 pts) trail Essex (6pts) by 221 runs
Tom Westley kick-started his season with an innings that helped underpin Essex's commanding position against Lancashire in the Vitality County Championship at Chelmsford.
The Essex captain chalked up 1,130 runs last season but had contributed just 56 in four innings this time around. However, his fluent 81 from 138 balls signalled a personal return to form and helped Essex construct a 231 first-innings lead against ailing Lancashire. By close of play Lancashire had lost captain Keaton Jennings while crawling to 10-1 in 10 evening overs as they battled to avoid an innings defeat.
In a throwback to earlier times, there was a Cook scoring runs near the top of the Essex order, though this was the unlikely figures of Sam rather than Sir Alastair. The nightwatchman hung around for nearly two and a half hours and 126 balls for a highest first-class score that marooned him one run short of a maiden fifty.
Essex had overhauled Lancashire's first-innings total inside 36 overs for the loss of the overnight wicket of Feroze Khushi, who had laid the foundations with a half-century at a strike-rate of 160. Elgar and Cook were more circumspect, though their impact was just as demoralising for the flagging fielding side as they put on 120 in 36 overs.
Cook pulled George Balderson for one consummate boundary while Elgar also pulled Balderson to the ropes and followed next ball with an angled glide to third man for another of his 10 fours.
Lancashire did not help themselves when just after he had brought up the century partnership in 187 balls, Cook was dropped at third slip by George Bell on 44. He went to lunch on 49 and was back in the pavilion promptly afterwards, caught first ball at slip misdriving outside off-stump against Balderson.
Elgar passed 17,000 first-class career runs during his three-and-three-quarter-hour stay, but was eventually out caught behind when wafting at Will Williams on 79, his third 50-plus score in five innings for his new county.
There was no let-up with Elgar's departure. Westley and Jordan Cox settled into a steady rhythm, Westley characteristically strong off his legs and Cox helping on its way to the boundary a Lyon ball that drifted down legside.
Their partnership was worth 57 when Cox dragged Jack Blatherwick tamely to short midwicket. Matt Critchley, centurion against Kent last week, came and went quickly, Lyon finding one to turn sharply and catch the angled bat on its way into slip's hands.
The introduction of Luke Wells's spin just before tea resulted in a flurry of scoring, his only over in the spell conceding 17 runs. Westley whipped a delivery through the covers to reach his fifty and then Michael Pepper twice lofted over long-on for a combined total of 10 runs.
Pepper treated Bailey and the new ball with similar distain, hooking a six to fine leg and then driving through midwicket along the ground. But he played down the wrong line to Williams in the next over and was caught in the slips for 30 from 31 balls.
Noah Thain played attractively on his first-class debut for 24 from 50 balls before being undone by one that kept low from Balderson and disturbed his middle and off stumps. Four overs later, Westley was also the victim of another low delivery from Lyon that beat his mistimed swish and hit his protruding front pad.
The innings was wrapped up in the space of eight balls when Wells trapped both Shane Snater and Simon Harmer.
Lancashire's reply faltered when Jennings, a century-maker against Hampshire last week, went for his second single-figure score in the match, lbw misjudging a delivery from Jamie Porter. Nightwatchman Williams might have gone first ball but Harmer put down a routine chance at second slip.
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