CHAPPLE BACK AND FIRING!
Veteran returns to smash quickfire 29 for Lancashire
STEVEN Croft and Karl Brown posted important fifties before Glen Chapple smashed 29 not out off just 13 balls in Lancashire’s opening day of their LV= County Championship match against Gloucestershire.
Chapple, 41, has put aside his coaching manual to make his first appearance of the summer in place of left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan, whose omission is tactical.
Both sides believe the Bristol pitch will help seamers all the way through, and that is how it played out with Lancashire scoring a competitive 275 after being put into bat.
Croft and Brown were patient on the way to 65 and 57 respectively before Chapple, batting at number 11, came in with the score at 237-9 after tea and whacked three of his first four balls for four off Craig Miles to secure a second batting point.
He later hit Matt Taylor over long-on for six, while Jordan Clark added a useful 35 and Tom Bailey 30. They shared 49 for the eighth wicket either side of tea.
Miles was Gloucester’s stand-out bowler, with the 20-year-old taking five wickets.
But he ended the day at the crease as night-watchman as the hosts closed on 15-2 from 10 overs.
“Chappie hasn’t lost it, has he?” said Brown, who admitted the Red Rose were “reasonably happy” with their first-innings total. “He played some great shots, and they are 30 runs that are going to be massive in the context of this game.
“The two wickets (before close) put us in a great position.
“We got some valuable runs down the order, which has been happening for most of the season.
“It makes a big difference when lads at nine, ten and 11 are coming in with 30s and 40s.
“It’s one of those pitches that if you get it in the right areas, it’s done a bit, and it has all day.
“It’s also a pitch that if you stray from a good line and length, it’s easy to put away. I think it’s a good cricket wicket.”
Runs were not easy to come by during the opening stages of this match. Lancashire were 65-3 from 31 overs at lunch, with Paul Horton, Alviro Petersen and Ashwell Prince all departing. Horton was caught at fourth slip off Miles, who also bowled Prince.
But Brown and captain Croft, who shared 50 for the fourth wicket, scored 41 in 7.2 overs immediately after lunch before the former was bowled by Miles to leave Lancs at 106-4 in the 39th.
Miles later had James Faulkner caught behind as he played loosely and Croft lbw as the score fell to 190-7 in the 63rd.
Clark and Bailey added a useful 49 before Clark and Kyle Jarvis fell to Benny Howell in the 79th, opening the door for Chapple’s fireworks.
After Bailey was bowled by Matt Taylor, Jarvis had Chris Dent caught behind and Bailey trapped Will Tavare lbw.