Youngster Josh enjoys Red Rose debut to savour
LANCASHIRE face a struggle to get anything from their Specsavers County Championship clash at Surrey, despite an impressive batting display from Red Rose debutant Josh Bohannn.
Surrey skipper Rory Burns dug in for almost three-and-a-half hours on a testing pitch to score a dogged 70 to help the hosts reach 197 for four at stumps for a useful 161-run lead in this experimental pink-ball Division One game.
With fifth-wicket partners Sam Curran (27) and Ben Foakes (20) in tandem, Surrey will have power to add today when Lancashire will have to wait a further 23 overs before the second new ball becomes available.
At the start of day two, Bohannon posted a maiden championship halfcentury to give the Red Rose a precious 36-run first innings lead after they succumbed for 247 shortly after yesterday’s lunch break.
The 21-year-old right-hander from Bolton, faced 101 balls and hit seven fours on his championship and firstclass debut in posting his 50 just before the lunch break.
Lancashire, who started the day with a deficit of 77, started brightly with a stand of 47 in 18.2 overs between Bohannon and Shiv Chanderpaul that ended in a needless run out.
Having batted almost three hours for his 45, the former West Indies veteran steered a rearing delivery from Rikki Clarke toward cover point and pushed off looking for a risky single, Bohannon rightly sent him back but Chanderpaul lost the race as Burns ran in to whip off the bails.
The visitors had edged 14-runs into the lead when an eighth-wicket stand of 49 between Bohannon and Joe Mennie ended. The Australian, with his score on 26, aimed to cut against Amar Virdi, the off-spinner, only to edge through to keeper Ben Foakes and give Surrey their second success of the afternoon.
Bohannan went leg before nine balls after the resumption having added a single to his lunch score when, in aiming to drive against Virdi, he was beaten in the flight by a dipping delivery bowled from around the wicket that thudded into the pad when flush in front.
Then, three runs short of their second batting bonus point, Onions drove loosely to short extra cover to gift Ryan Patel his first wicket of the match. Morne Morkel and Rikki Clarke were the pick of the Surrey pacemen with identical figures of two for 42, while Virdi finished with two for 54.
Bohannon said afterwards: “My plan was simple at the start of the day and it was to bat for as long as I possibly could and I’m delighted it worked out, but I was gutted to get out the way I did and at that time, so soon after lunch.
“It was a great experience for me to bat with Shiv at this level.
“We’ve batted together a few times in the second team and it’s always good for me to hear what he’s saying and to watch how he goes about his work.
“They’re 160-odd in front and if we can get Sam and ‘Foakesy’ early then we can push on to get their last six wickets as quickly as we can.”