County Championship: Lancashire & Worcestershire wickets tumble at Southport
Last updated on .From the section Counties
| Specsavers County Championship Division One, Southport (day one): |
| Worcestershire 222: D'Oliveira 65; Bailey 4-41 |
| Lancashire 96-5: Davies 47; Tongue 3-36 |
| Lancashire 3 pts, Worcestershire 2 pts |
| Scorecard |
Lancashire slipped to 96-5 in reply to Worcestershire's 222 all out on an eventful first day between the two bottom sides in Division One.
Red Rose pace bowler Tom Bailey claimed 4-41 as the visitors were bowled out just after tea at Southport.
Brett D'Oliveira, who top-scored with 65, was one of Bailey's four scalps.
But Lancashire's reply began badly, with Haseeb Hameed and Rob Jones dismissed for ducks and then Alex Davies (47) falling before the close.
Josh Tongue (3-36) removed Hameed, who was caught at slip first ball, and Jones in the second over of the innings.
Opener Davies appeared to be a steadying influence, but was trapped lbw by Tongue three runs short of a half-century as Worcestershire fought back well.
With only 18 points separating the bottom five teams in Division One at the start of the match, victory could prove pivotal for whichever team comes out on top.
Lancashire's need for points is far greater than Worcestershire's in the battle for survival; the Red Rose county began bottom of the table, 11 points adrift of sixth-placed Yorkshire having played a game more than the four teams immediately above them.
Before a batting collapse in the final session, Bailey's bowling efforts had given Lancashire the upper hand and he remains Division One's leading wicket-taker this season, requiring five more to reach 50 in this summer's County Championship.
South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj was unable to take a wicket in his 12 overs but he did have an impact in the field on his Lancashire debut, his throw from mid-wicket helping to run out Alex Milton without scoring.
Lancashire fast bowler Tom Bailey told BBC Radio Lancashire:
"15 wickets on the first day isn't ideal. We thought we were going to stuck in [to bat], so we were quite surprised when they decided to toss. We were going to bowl first. To get them all out for 222 is probably par.
"To go into day two on 90-3, we'd have taken that. But, it was so unfortunate for the way Dane Vilas got out (run out backing up, by a cruel deflection off bowler Josh Tongue's boot). And it always seems to be the case that when something like that happens another wicket falls.
"I said before the start of this season when I've played I've done the same things and tried to play the whole season. And this year I've managed to do that so far. It would just be nice to win a game."
Pears bowling coach Alan Richardson told BBC Hereford & Worcester:
"It was a bowlers' day. There's been a bit in the wicket throughout. Lancashire bowled very well and put us under a lot of pressure. We always felt we had to try and get some kind of score and get ourselves a chance of a lead.
"It looks like one of those wickets where you are never really in. It was just trying to accumulate as many as you can to have a chance of a lead going into that third innings.
"The reports are that it spins quite a lot. We were of the opinion that it was soft on top and dry underneath so it may get worse. We got our heads together and came up with the decision that we'd have a bat. if it starts to spin later on, we have two spinners (Ben Twohig was brought in for a rare start)."
