Warwickshire on brink of victory after Lancashire slip up again at Lord’s
WARWICKSHIRE are just four wickets away from adding the Bob Willis Trophy to their County Championship title after dominating Lancashire again on day three at Lord’s.
Faced by a mammoth first-innings deficit of 440, Lancashire stumbled to 171-6 before bad light and light rain forced the players from the pitch at 4.15pm.
Seamer Liam Norwell (2-32) stood out in the gloomy conditions as the Red Rose county, bowled out for just 78 in their first innings, wilted under the weight of Warwickshire’s 518 all out.
The County Champions began the day batting under the floodlights on 464-7 with a hefty lead of 386 and added 54 more to deepen Lancashire’s gloom.
Captain Will Rhodes (156) showed no intention of declaring but added only five to his overnight 151 before Jack Blatherwick (3-80) produced a pearler of a delivery from around the wicket that ran down the slope to hit the top of off stump.
Norwell (2) was castled cheaply by the same bowler before Matt Parkinson (4-78) finally wrapped up the innings by bowling the advancing Manraj Johal, breaking a final-wicket stand of 31 with Craig Miles (30no).
Lancashire avoided a repeat of their first-innings implosion despite the early loss of Warwickshire-bound Alex Davies (11), who called for a quick off-side single only to be run by Miles’ direct hit in his final knock for his county before moving to Edgbaston.
A second-wicket stand of 71 between Luke Wells (41) and George Balderson (65) took the Red Rose county comfortably past their first-innings score but Warwickshire were quickly back chipping away
Tim Bresnan broke the partnership with a delivery that bounced just enough to take the edge of Wells’ bat and although Balderson brought up his fifty – his third in 11 first-class matches – off 111 balls with eight fours, the scoreboard soon read 120-3.
Josh Bohannon (8) was the third to fall – and in tame fashion, too, as he fenced at a Norwell delivery outside off stump and guided the ball into Sam Hain’s hands at slip.
The fourth wicket was a beauty – Norwell moving one away sufficiently to beat the edge and hit the top of off stump to leave Lancashire 288 behind at tea on 152-4.
Warwickshire bagged their fifth when Danny Briggs, with some extra flight, tempted Steven Croft to drive loosely and Bresnan snaffled the edge at slip – although subsequent replays suggested he may have hit ground rather than ball.
Skipper Dane Vilas (25) couldn’t stop the rot, undone by Miles’ ability to move the ball both ways and playing indecisively outside off stump to present Hain with a second catch.
At that point the end looked nigh but with drizzle setting in and murky skies overhead, umpires David Millns and Mike Burns had little option but to head for the pavilion.
(Sky Sports).
