Thursday, May 2nd, 2019

SECONDS SHARE THE SPOILS AFTER RAIN-HIT FINAL DAY AGAINST LANCASHIRE

Worcestershire Seconds opening Championship match of the 2019 campaign ended in a draw after a rain-affected final day against Lancashire Seconds at Northern CC.

The visitors looked poised to push for victory at one stage despite most of the morning session being washed out.

But late order resistance meant they were eventually set a target of 183 in 31 overs and had reached 51-3 when the game came to a halt.

Lancashire resumed on 78-4 from 29 overs after a delay of 100 minutes and wickets initially continued to tumble.

Skipper Joe Leach soon struck for the fourth time in the innings when Nick Greenwood (34) was caught behind by Alex Milton in the third over of the day.

It became 98-7 as Tom Hartley (5) and Toby Lester (1) departed in quick succession to triallist Ari Kervalas.

When Mahaaz Ahmed held onto a return catch from Ben Gibbon (16), Lancashire were only 99 runs ahead with two wickets remaining.

But then Richard Gleeson held the remainder of the innings together with an unbeaten 44.

Sam Dorsey (37) helped him add 36 for the ninth wicket before he provided Milton with another catch – his seventh of the game – off Adam Finch.

Edwin Moulton (18 not out) then joined Gleeson to put on an unbroken 47 before the declaration.

Leach finished with figures of 4-10 from his permitted quota of 10 overs per innings which form part of his comeback from a stress fracture of the back.

His match analysis was 20-7-28-6.

The other wicket-takers were Kervalas (20-4-63-2), Finch (15-4-27-1), Josh Breed (14-0-36-1) and Ahmed (10-0-27-1).

Worcestershire lost early wickets in reply and were 22-3 after the dismissal of first innings century-maker Josh Dell (4), Leach (2) and Ollie Westbury (2).

But Milton (18 not out) and Callum Lea (11 not out) saw them through to when the two captains shook hands after 19 overs.