Worcestershire’s bowlers took eight wickets on a competitive third day at Southport as further rain interruptions hindered the visitors charge to force a result, as Lancashire took a slender 11-run lead into the final day of a tense Rothesay County Championship match.
Beyers Swanepoel (3-81) starred with the ball throughout for the Pears, with Matthew Waite’s brace helping reduce the home side to 191-6 midway through the afternoon on a third day that ebbed and flowed.
Loan-signing George Drissell picked up the key wicket of Keaton Jennings early in the piece, with the away side making healthy progress until a lengthy rain delay after tea stopped them in their tracks.
With just four overs possible when play resumed at 6:25pm, Tom Taylor struck with the final ball of the day to dismiss half-centurion Paul Coughlin, as Lancashire closed 281-8, leaving Worcestershire in a race against time to force a result on the final day.
After a frustrating second day at Southport that saw play washed out, Worcestershire made their way out onto a sun-soaked outfield in search of an early breakthrough with the hosts resuming 28-0 in response to the Pears’ first-innings total of 270.
Tom Taylor and Beyers Swanepoel hustled in the early exchanges of the morning, with the former enjoying plenty of lateral movement with a ball that was only 11 overs old.
It was Swanepoel, however, who made the first dent in Lancashire’s card, when the seamer pushed one across George Balderson from around the wicket to catch his edge, with Gareth Roderick taking an acrobatic catch down to his left to provide the visitors with the ideal start to the morning.
At 37-1 and Worcestershire requiring a further 19 wickets in the match to force a result, Matthew Waite was introduced into the attack as Brett D’Oliveira tinkered with his field whilst the hosts passed 50.
The all-rounder who had saved his side with that bat on day one came up trumps once again in the 29th over of the innings, when in his fifth over he got a ball to zip off a length and rise on Josh Bohannon, with a sharp catch taken by Adam Hose at first slip, as Worcestershire made a crucial second breakthrough.
The evergreen Keaton Jennings stood firm, as he and Harry Singh saw off an economic three-over spell from debutant George Drissell just before lunch, to reach the interval 125-2.
Returning from the interval, it was Swanepoel who once again delivered the ideal start for Worcestershire just four overs into the afternoon when Singh (36) saw his stumps uprooted after chopping on to a ball outside his off stump, to gift the Pears a third wicket.
Keen to capitalise with momentum on their side, Waite returned, bustling in with a spring in his step, and doubled the delight for the Pears just five overs later as he picked up the wicket of Michael Jones.
Producing another full delivery that challenged Jones outside his off stump, the right-hander got himself in a tangle as his attempt to shoulder arms saw him inadvertently deflect the ball back onto his stumps, sending Waite into raptures as Worcestershire checked the hosts’ progress at 148-4.
With a surface offering enough to keep the seam bowlers interested, with Finch continuing to probe away from one end, it was the re-introduction of spinner Drissell that paved the way for the most significant moment of the day thus far.
Jennings, anchoring the innings for his side, came unstuck on 69, when he slapped a cut shot straight into the grateful hands of Tom Taylor at backward point, as the loanee spinner wheeled away in delight, having reduced the home side to 164-5, still over 100 runs behind.
The rotational policy of Worcestershire seamers continued, with an elongated day’s play meaning the Pears attack would be enduring a heavy workload.
Forced to miss the previous assignment at home to Durham under new concussion protocols, Swanepoel was making his presence felt with another lively spell, continuing the Pears’ fightback.
The South-African reaped yet more rewards in his 19th over when he claimed the scalp of Chris Green, when the Australian edged behind to Roderick on 15 after slashing at a full ball.
The visitor’s knack of picking up wickets at regular intervals continued to stunt any Lancashire progress, and D’Oliveira’s faith in spinner Drissell was rewarded in the off-spinner’s 12th over of an extended spell, as he drew keeper-batter Matty Hurst (24) into a false shot with a ball that did just enough to catch his edge and allow Roderick to take a sharp catch stood up to the stumps.
A productive session saw the Pears leave the field at Tea having taken five wickets, with Alan Richardson’s team reducing Lancashire to 231-7, in front by 39 runs.
Lancashire added 31 to their total as Paul Coughlin moved through the gears, before rain once again interfered with proceedings late in the day, with a 90-minute delay costing the visitors some valuable overs in a match tensely poised.
With just four overs available when play resumed at 6:25pm, the visitors pushed hard for a final flourish, but Swanepoel and Taylor were kept at bay, until the final over of the day, as Lancashire’s 60-run eighth wicket partnership edged the home side in front.
There was time for one more twist before stumps however, as Tom Taylor was rewarded for another relentless effort with the final ball of the day as he trapped Coughlin LBW for 61, as the day was brought to a close with Lancashire 281-8 and set up an intriguing final day where the visitors will be hoping to maximise their chances of forcing a result.
