Hampshire allrounder Liam Dawson makes a century and takes four wickets against Lancashire on day two in the county championship.
Lancashire 193 – 8 (Jennings 56, Dawson 4-46) trail Hampshire 389 (Middleton 109, Wells 4-94) by 196 runs
Starting the day on 46, Dawson converted his innings to a century alongside tailender Muhammad Abbas, who made an important innings of one off 32 balls to allow Dawson to attack the home side’s bowlers.
The day started with Lancashire requiring one wicket to begin their first innings, however, it took them almost the entire first session to find it.
Eventually, it came off the bowling of Luke Wells thanks to some defiant field changes made by Jennings.
Caught at fly slip by Aspinwall, Abbas eventually lost his wicket and left Dawson stranded on 104*. The former England international has impressed all season with his average currently standing at 58.83.
After watching Bohannon’s field placements in Lancashire’s five-wicket defeat to Middlesex, it was refreshing to see a captain consistently making the batsman think about where his next run will come from.
Jennings used numerous fields to play with the Hampshire batters and on another day, it may have made more of a difference.
This match features the use of the Kookaburra ball, the ball used in Tests in Australia. Three Hampshire players made scores of 70 or more with the ball swinging around for the first 15 overs of its use but failed to do much after that.
Overall with the bat Lancashire’s performance was all too familiar to how this season has gone for Dale Benkenstein’s side.
The opening pair proved this early struggle with the Kookabura as just before lunch Luke Wells fell chopping one onto his stumps as the ball nipped back finding the inside edge of his bat.
Neither he nor Jennings looked convincing in their first eight overs, but Jennings managed to push on after lunch, reaching a total of 56 before being dismissed by the man of the moment, Liam Dawson.
The Hampshire spinner got one to come back into the left-hander who doesn’t see it and is given out LBW.
Next to fall was youngster Rocky Flintoff who couldn’t resist the sweep shot against the spinner Dawson, spooning one high into the air then to the hands of sub fielder Organ.
After tea, the wickets started to fall and Dawson quickly had the inform Hurst chipping one to silly mid off.
Despite Bohannon being set in at 43, he too fell, chipping one straight to the arms of mid-wicket, this time off the bowling of England prospect John Turner. He delivered one at a fuller length and down the leg side that Bohannon couldn’t stop himself from playing at, mistiming and leaving his side 115/5 after being 102/1 only nine overs prior.
The floodgates were open and after a bright start, Balderson was caught at gully trying to cut one past the slip cordon, once again off the bowling of Turner.
A middle-order partnership of Venkatesh Iyer and the form-searching George Bell managed to put on 48 runs before James Fuller pulled out an impressive diving catch to dismiss Iyer in the covers.
During the chaotic collapse, the day ended with some careful batting from academy graduate Bell while the rest of the lineup continued to lose their wickets leaving their side 193 – 8 going into day three of the match.
Lancashire stand second bottom of division one and with the two teams above and below them heading towards losses, a victory here could see them clear of the possibility of relegation.
Salford Now will report at Lancashire’s final game in the County Championship versus Somerset on 17th September.
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