Ervine Century Sets Up an Intriguing Final Day

Report from day three of Hampshire's LV= County Championship match against Lancashire at Liverpool

Lancashire v Hampshire
LV= County Championship
Day Three: Friday 9 September 2011
Liverpool

Summary: Lancashire lead Hampshire by 202 runs
with eight wickets remaining in the second innings
Lancashire: 388 & 195-2
Hampshire: 381
Full Scorecard

Hampshire Team
Adams*, Carberry, Dawson, Ervine, McKenzie, Vince, Bates⁺, Mascarenhas, Briggs, Wood, Tomlinson

Lancashire Team
Horton, Moore, Brown, Proctor, Croft, Smith, Cross+, Chapple*, Kerrigan, Hogg, Keedy

It was a day of frustration for the bowlers on the penultimate day of this LV= County Championship match at Liverpool as both teams failed to gain the edge they might have hoped for at 10am this morning.

First, Lancashire failed to restrict Hampshire from getting to within 10 runs of their first innings total – a sublime century from Sean Ervine leading the way for the visitors as they finished on 381 shortly after lunch.

But then it was the Hampshire attack’s turn to toil as Paul Horton and Stephen Moore put on a 150 partnership for the hosts’ first wicket to help see them to 195-2 by close of play – a lead of 202 overall.

The saving grace from a spectator’s point of view is that, with Warwickshire looking good for a win at Edgbaston and Worcestershire having to bat for a draw at Sussex, a win takes on increased significance for both sides in their relative promotion and relegation battles so expect a run-chase to be set up on day four.

And with both visitors and hosts having already racked up six bonus points each, that makes this a straight battle for the extra 16 tomorrow that could be so pivotal to both team’s fortunes.

Centurion Sean Ervine on his FC season best score and looks forward to a big day four!

Lancashire started the day with pace having taken the new ball overnight, despite spin having accounted for the five Hampshire wickets to have fallen on day two. And with this they toiled for 13 overs without much joy – Michael Bates, in particular, looking very assured with the bat and barely giving a chance to the seam attack.

So home skipper Glen Chapple made the inevitable change, bringing twirlers Gary Keedy and Simon Kerrigan on and it was from last ball of the former’s first over that Bates (43) fell. It took an excellent diving catch from Karl Brown at cover, mind, to help his veteran colleague see him off; Hampshire 274-6.

Nonetheless, some overnight rain had clearly changed conditions, making the pitch less susceptible to spin and better to bat on; a point emphatically made by Dimitri Mascarenhas when, off one of the first balls he’d faced, the all-rounder smashed a big six into the pavilion. And together with Ervine, he took Hampshire through the 300 mark and to a third batting point inside the first hour and a half, eventually falling on an unlucky 13 when he guided Kerrigan to second slip.

So that really left Ervine to shepherd Hampshire’s tail to a decent score and, having been left by Mascarenhas on 98, (the score he fell on against Somerset last week) he wasn’t going to make any mistake in his quest to reach triple figures today! A comfortable single, off the 169th ball he’d faced, saw Ervine to the mark (including five fours and one six) and he even put on a 59-run partnership with Danny Briggs for the ninth wicket to ensure Hampshire made it a one-innings match, finishing just seven short of Lancashire’s total.

Quick wickets would have really put Hampshire in control but the conditions just weren’t conducive to it and, with the exception of a tough slip catch chance that was put down by Neil McKenzie, Horton and Moore rarely seemed troubled in their opening stand, which reached 168 by the time Horton (96) found a leading edge to a Briggs delivery, guiding it to Mascarenhas at backward square.

Chapple (13) came in – a signal of intent – and had some fun before promptly leaving, sending in another pinch-hitter in Karl Brown to see out the day. The question now will be how much fun Chapple allows his batsmen to have before calling them back in tomorrow. He’ll have to give Hampshire something enticing in order to ensure they don’t bat it out on a flat wicket – a situation, admittedly, that Jimmy Adams wants to be in even less than his opposite number!

Words: Simon Vincent
Images: Pinnacle

Catch Up

Preview:	Briggs Returns for Lancashire Clash
Day One:	Lancs Fight Back After Hants Come Out Roaring
Day Two:	Ervine Knock Keeps Hants Fighting

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