Tom Westley hundred steers Essex, Tom Bailey six-for revives Lancashire
Lancashire 37 for 1 path Essex 282 (Westley 135, Walter 76, Bailey 6-59) by 245 runs
English fiction is replete with characters who restore to the seaside to assist them get better from sickness or different misfortunes. In Jane Austen’s Persuasion Anne Elliot has “the bloom and freshness of youth” restored by the superb wind on the coast and even fashionable novelists akin to John Banville and Ian McEwan use littoral settings for literary impact. At first look, although, the comparisons between the light Elliot and Lancashire’s head coach, Glen Chapple, aren’t apparent. (At second look, they disappear utterly.) But Chapple’s gamers additionally seem like utilizing journeys to their coastal outgrounds to revive their summer time.
In June, having drawn their first 5 Championship matches and sitting a depressing seventh in Division One, Lancashire went to Southport and defeated Hampshire by six wickets. This week, nonetheless bruised by their failure to qualify for T20 Finals Day, Keaton Jennings and his gamers are in Blackpool, making an attempt to assuage their disappointment by beating Essex, who might be travelling to Edgbaston for English cricket’s annual hogfeast on Saturday.
On Monday, either side had been defeated by the omega block, a meteorological characteristic that introduced fearsome downpours whistling in from the west and restricted the groups to only 28 balls, the ultimate three of which had been greatly surprised six hours after the previous 25. Indeed, had not Stanley Park’s outfield been relaid at a price of £180,000 over three years in the past, the a centesimal first-class match to happen on this well-known floor may need been deserted quickly after it began.
Around three o’clock Chapple may need been wishing it had been given up as a nasty job. For quite than construct on their removing of three top-order batters on the sweating wicket within the first hour or so of the day, Lancashire’s bowlers had been punished by Tom Westley, who had reached his third century of the season with a lower off Colin de Grandhomme, and Paul Walter, who had clouted Tom Hartley for 2 leg-side sixes within the over earlier than lunch and meted out the identical indignity to Jack Blatherwick when the gamers returned. The pair had additionally set a brand new fifth-wicket file for Essex in opposition to Lancashire, beating the 147 stand shared by Sonny Avery and Tom Pearce, additionally at Blackpool, in 1948. What made issues worse was that Hartley had dropped Westley on 78 when he grassed a low probability at midwicket off de Grandhomme. Rather than rebalance Chapple’s delicate humours, it was sufficient to trigger a relapse.
Medicine, although, was at hand, particularly the fitting hand of Blatherwick who clutched a firmly hit clip by Walter off de Grandhomme when the tall Essex left-hander had made 76 off 119 balls and prolonged his partnership with Westley to 155. That dismissal left Essex on 210 for five, neither affluent nor poor one would possibly assume on what appears to be like a superb outground pitch. Simon Harmer, whose wicket isn’t donated to his opponents, then joined Westley and the pair added a watchful 65 in 24 overs earlier than Lancashire took the second new ball and the sport was modified by Tom Bailey, one of many circuit’s least lauded but most skilful bowlers.
The first breakthrough was made by Will Williams, who had Westley caught at slip by Rob Jones for 135 when the Essex skipper appeared disconcerted by a bit further bounce. The final 4 Essex batters, nevertheless, had been eliminated by Bailey, who bowled Harmer with one which nipped away off size after which induced Doug Bracewell to sky a pull to midwicket, the place Dane Vilas waited beneath the catch. Both Sam Cook and Will Buttleman fell leg earlier than to the Lancashire seamer, who had by then taken 4 wickets in 20 balls to finish an innings return of 6 for 59.
So a lot, so very passable for many of the residence supporters, a few of whom had watched the rain thunder down 24 hours earlier and may need questioned whether or not the county match that they had labored so laborious to stage could be value remembering. And any misgivings they nonetheless harboured can hardly have been eased by the sight of Jamie Porter and Sam Cook warming up on the outfield. Essex’s new-ball pair are expert in making totals of 282 look mountainous, particularly so when left with a night hour wherein they’ll expend their full efforts.
And the prospect of an early tumble of wickets assumed a grim actuality when Luke Wells tried to go away Porter’s fourth ball of the innings however solely inside edged it onto his stumps. That success merely spurred the bowlers to larger efforts; maybe they even anticipated them. Certainly there was no scarcity of appeals or close to issues as Jennings and Josh Bohannon performed out the ultimate 13 overs and residential spectators postponed their plans for an early departure in favour of watching a few of the day’s most gripping cricket. Three hours earlier, that they had loved Westley’s leg-side repertoire and his occasional cover-drive; now success was to be measured in ahead defensive strokes and balls survived. The last over was bowled by Bracewell, whose penultimate supply was leg glanced for 4 by Bohannon. A minute or so later he was punching gloves with Jennings and the gamers had been leaving the long-shadowed area; the sight was far faraway from the floods of the earlier 48 hours and it presents a wealthy prospect for the remaining two days of this recreation.