Red Rose pass character test
GLEN Chapple hailed the character of his Lancashire side after they claimed their first win of the season with victory over Northamptonshire at Emirates Old Trafford.
The Red Rose claimed a 206-run triumph, but were made to work hard for it after starting the final day needing seven wickets.
Former Lancashire allrounder Luke Procter batted for just a shade over six hours when he was the last man out with 13.3 overs left.
He got some welcome assistance in the form of Tom Taylor. And as spinners Matthew Parkinson, Tom Hartley and Steven Croft all twirled away, the seventh wicket pair took the game deeper into the afternoon than many expected.
When the breakthrough came it was from the unlikely figure of Rob Jones, whose part-time leg breaks had brought just one first-class wicket before he looped one up outside off stump and enticed Taylor out of his crease with Alex Davies quickly whipping off the bails. Nathan Buck provided more resistance, but when he and Simon Kerrigan fell to Luke Wood in successive balls, Parkinson secured the win as Procter was caught bat and pad for 93.
Parkinson finished with 3-39 and match figures of 6-58 with Wood’s 3-30 the other Lancashire highlight on the final day.
“We got into a good position in the game but as it often does here it became quite difficult to force the win as the pitch got quite tired but not uneven,” said Lancashire head coach Chapple.
“The best thing I saw today was a massive effort from the lads to get over the line. The second session was the problem: they had a good partnership and Procter played really well and held us up.
“It tested our resolve and it’s something you prepare for all winter to make sure you’re up for challenges like that. The lads came through brilliantly.”