da esoccer bet： Northamptonshire lose regular wickets while attempting to build second-innings lead
da wazamba： ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay10-May-2025Northamptonshire 238 and 140 for 6 (Balderson 2-36) lead Lancashire 276 (Harris 121, Hurst 59, Conway 3-48, Procter 3-70) by 102 runsMarcus Harris continued his fine form for Lancashire, recording his third century in nine innings on day two of this Rothesay County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.The Australian international extended his tally as county cricket’s leading run-scorer this season to 706 with a magnificent 121 (230 balls) including 18 boundaries, making Northamptonshire pay for a rash of dropped catches.Harris stretched his overnight fourth-wicket partnership with keeper Matty Hurst (59) to 125 after both were dropped off difficult chances on Friday evening, on 28 and 0 respectively. Liam Guthrie’s determined, probing seven-over morning spell accounted for Hurst before Northamptonshire’s fielding again let them down, the slip cordon shelling three chances off his bowling, including Harris on 82.A hostile Luke Procter finally accounted for Harris and saw the Northamptonshire skipper move past 100 first-class wickets for the county before Harry Conway wrapped up the tail. Lancashire closed on 276, taking a first-innings lead of 38.Lancashire’s seamers were relentless on a wicket still offering assistance, with Northamptonshire stumbling to 65 for 4 before rallying. However, a wicket in the final over saw them finish on 140 for 6, the game hanging in the balance.Earlier Hurst pulled Ben Sanderson for four to bring up the 100 partnership with Harris before reaching his own half-century off 94 deliveries. Harris was finding the boundary too, clipping Guthrie behind square and punching Conway through point. Their partnership was finally broken when Hurst chopped a wide ball from Guthrie onto his stumps.Luke Wells was reprieved on 0 when he pushed at a short ball outside off stump from Guthrie only for James Sales to shell a simple catch at first slip.Harris played a sumptuous on drive back past Guthrie for four but flashed at a wide one on 82, the ball flying to Ricardo Vasconcelos at second slip who parried the ball for four. The luckless Guthrie then squared up Wells, but Harrison could not hold onto a low chance at third slip.Sales made amends with the ball, making the breakthrough when Wells steered him straight to Saif Zaib at gully who held a sharp, tumbling catch.Harris, meanwhile, duly advanced to his ton with a backfoot punch through backward point.Procter struck on the stroke of lunch, nipping one back to pin George Balderson lbw and send Lancashire into the interval on 242 for 6 with a narrow four-run advantage. He snared a second soon after the break when Tom Hartley was bowled, playing down the wrong line to another that nipped back.Harris was struck on the head on 117 by a short ball from Procter but recovered to clip him stylishly off his toes through midwicket for four before his near three-hour vigil ended in Procter’s next over, the ball again nipping back to trap him lbw.Conway made short work of the last two wickets, Anderson Phillip and Tom Bailey both failing to catches by a relieved Vasconcelos in the slips.Bailey gave Lancashire a dream start with the ball though, drawing the edge of Vasconcelos’ bat with some late movement, the opener caught behind without scoring. Will Williams then got one to rear up from back of a length to take the splice of George Bartlett’s bat, the ball flying to gully to leave Northamptonshire 19 for 2.Sales joined Procter in a gutsy stand of 42 to erase the deficit before they were parted. Procter edged Philip behind off the back foot before tea, with Sales following soon after the resumption, lbw to Balderson, trying to whip a straight one through midwicket, Northamptonshire now 65 for 4.Rob Keogh and Zaib showed patience as they sought to rebuild, also adding 42, Keogh playing Williams through cover for four to take Northamptonshire past 100 in the 34th over before he departed turning Williams to Harris at short square leg.Zaib (26 not out) however dug in admirably with first-innings half-centurion Lewis McManus, the pair adding 33 for the sixth wicket. Lancashire went into stumps elated though when Balderson had McManus caught behind in the day’s final over.
