Cricket: Lancashire keep their title dream alive

Sep 12 2007 Liverpool Daily Post

LANCASHIRE produced almost exactly the sort of performance title-chasing sides aim for at Old Trafford yesterday, bowling out Warwickshire for 106 in 45.2 overs and making 156 for four in reply.

Mark Chilton’s side now have a stranglehold on the match and the visitors will be stretching cricket’s renowned uncertainty near to its limit if they now avoid defeat. Yesterday the men from Edgbaston looked beaten – and relegated – by lunchtime.

On a pitch offering the bowlers decent bounce but little other help, Mark Chilton’s seamers made light of losing the toss and tore into Warwickshire’s top order. Sajid Mahmood led the way with four for 21 from 15 hostile and well-directed overs but Glen Chapple, four for 42, was not far behind the Bolton quickie and Dominic Cork deservedly claimed the other two wickets.

Warwickshire’s batting, however, was deeply abysmal and even their total of 106 – the lowest in a first-class match at Old Trafford since 1999 – hardly reflects their execrable showing.

From Ian Westwood’s inept pull to Gary Keedy at mid-on off Mahmood, through Michael Powell’s curious decision to leave alone the Dominic Cork delivery which removed his off-stump, and ending with Alfonse Thomas’s present of a slip-catch to VVS Laxman, the visitors’ cricket lacked purpose, competence and spine.

The only batsmen to be excused even slightly were perhaps Powell and Ant Botha, both of whom made 27, and Tim Ambrose who battled away for 54 minutes for just two runs and got a painful blow on his toe from Oliver Newby for his trouble.

In contrast to their opponents, home batsmen Stuart Law and Paul Horton proved once again that they are in fine form.

Horton brought up a thousand first-class runs for the season when he reached 55 and even his dismissal for 71 in the last over of the day did little to rain on Lancashire’s parade.