It’s Glee for Lancashire seamer Rich
RICHARD Gleeson, arguably one of Lancashire’s unsung heroes this season, picked up figures of 6-43 as the Division Two champions bowled Leicestershire out for just 155 on the first day of their Specsavers county championship match at the Fischer County Ground.
The seamer now has 44 Championship wickets in nine matches at an average of less than 22. Only Graham Onions, who is rested for this game, has more, with 45 in 10 matches played.
Having exercised the away team’s prerogative to bowl first, Lancashire’s reward was almost immediate, as Foxes’ captain Paul Horton, one of several former Lancashire players now with Leicestershire, edged his first delivery from Gleeson straight to Keaton Jennings at first slip.
Fellow opener Hassan Azad pushed a low catch back to the seamer, and Gleeson struck for the third time when Colin Ackermann edged low to Liam Livingstone at second slip, reducing the Foxes to 16-3.
Tom Bailey picked up his first wicket when Mark Cosgrove edged the ball into his stumps. George Rhodes was bowled through the gate by Gleeson in the first over after lunch and Harry Swindells lost his off-stump to the same bowler soon afterwards, to reduce the Foxes to 82-6.
Harry Dearden and Callum Parkinson added 36 for the sixth wicket, but Dearden drove outside a delivery from Matt Parkinson that spun back to hit the stumps, and shortly before tea Ben Mike was caught by Parkinson off the top edge at backward square off Livingstone.
Parkinson pinned twin Callum lbw before Gleeson bowled Dieter Klein.
Jennings was out first ball as Lancashire finished on 2-1 in reply.