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Day 1: Martin's swing worries Rice's 'street-fighters'

Rob Wildman

First day of four: Lancashire (96-6) trail Notts (181) by 85 runs

Clive Rice wants to develop a ``street-fighting'' mentality among his newly inherited Nottinghamshire team, and this demand was met to the full on a day when bowlers of all kinds gained from a helpful Old Trafford pitch.

Compared to the grassy flyer at Trent Bridge where Nottinghamshire toppled Somerset over three days last weekend, this wicket was positively friendly, gradually losing its green tinge on a rare afternoon of sun for May in Manchester.

Though the wicket developed some uneven bounce in the last three hours, it was a combination of good bowling and bad batting that brought about the fall of 16 wickets, which will trigger the interest of the pitch inspectors from Lord's.

Rice was delighted when his team edged out Somerset on Sunday for a second win in three matches and they finished last night marginally ahead, having recovered from a struggling start when electing to bat.

Seven overs after lunch, Nottinghamshire were 107 for eight, having faltered to the swing of Peter Martin and Mike Watkinson's off spin. They were pulled round by the front-footed forcefulness of Alex Wharf, the discarded Yorkshireman, who made a Championship best for his new county.

Wharf was left unbeaten on 54 having dominated a ninth-wicket stand of 73 in 16 overs alongside Mark Bowen. His 63-ball innings contained six fours, one six (hooked) and an all-run five - after a mix-up on the leg side involving Nathan Wood and Mike Watkinson - to complete his fifty.

Watkinson was a central character throughout, taking three for 43, including the crucial wickets before lunch of Tim Robinson and Chris Read. They had carefully built a stand of 53 when Read rashly charged and was caught behind for 28. Robinson followed in Watkinson's next over, offering no stroke to be leg before after making a patient 37.

The all-rounder also had a hand in Martin's excellent morning spell of three for 16 in nine overs. He smartly caught Jason Gallian at third slip for nought, and could have claimed a fourth wicket for the bowler but failed to cling on to a high chance off Read.

While Martin relied mostly on outswing to gain his five for 43, Vasbert Drakes, the West Indian recruited by Nottinghamshire, extracted the most venom to have Lancashire prodding and fencing uncertainly. His most dangerous moments came straight after tea when he dismissed Patrick McKeown and Graham Lloyd with successive deliveries.

McKeown, like John Crawley earlier, felt he had suffered a rough decision, believing he had not touched the rising ball to Read. There was no doubt about Lloyd's dismissal, though, nimbly picked up by Robinson at short leg.

A sixth-wicket stand of 26 revived Lancs, but when Richard Stemp, another former Yorkshire player, turned one away from Watkinson, Lancashire finished on 96 for six and will struggle for a first-innings lead today.

Lancashire have yet to win in the Championship this season, and shorn of their World Cup men their reserves are showing worrying signs of fragility, highlighted by the reckless run chase in losing to Northants on Monday. Not quite a crisis, yet.

Day 2: Gallian anchor man

Rob Wildman

Second day of four: Notts (181 & 289-9) lead Lancs (141) by 329 runs

One Lancastrian put bat properly on to ball yesterday, but unfortunately for the sun-baked members it was one of their former players, Jason Gallian, the captain of Nottinghamshire.

Gallian, through a careful, measured approach, made an unbeaten 120, the top score in a contest that should be concluded within three days. Lancashire, having collapsed against Northamptonshire on Monday, need to bat at their best on a searching pitch that passed an inspection by Harry Brind, the England and Wales Cricket Board pitches consultant, after 29 wickets fell over two days.

Chris Read, through a competent 38, gave Gallian able support in a stand of 71 and at one stage had outscored his captain, having given him a 12-over start.

Gallian took 107 balls to make his fifty and then picked up speed to complete his century in a further 82. In all, the player who left Manchester to be a bigger fish in a smaller pool, hit 15 fours, including two in Peter Martin's first over after tea.

Lancashire should have restricted Notts to a smaller lead, but allowed the last three wickets to amass 114 as Gallian coaxed the tail along. The most heartening home sight was a rare stint for left-armer Gary Keedy. He took three for 27 in 10 overs before tea. Upon his return, following Martin's attempt at grabbing the tail, he gained a fourth, but the last eluded him and his colleagues.

Day 3: Lloyd puts Lancs in command

Rob Wildman at Old Trafford

Third day of four: Lancs (141 & 241-6) need 91 to beat Notts (181 & 291)

The way Graham Lloyd bustles to the wicket he always means business, and yesterday afternoon this inconsistent batsman delivered, triggering thoughts of an unlikely Lancashire victory.

After first negotiating the pressure of a king pair, Lloyd played with a dash and ease that can win matches and his undefeated 98 may prove to be the crucial contribution of a memorable match.

A partnership of 97 between Lloyd and Mike Watkinson (28) took Lancashire to 200 for five and turned the Nottinghamshire field of close-in attack to one of concerned defence to protect a target of 332.

Watkinson undid the good work when trapped leg before by Richard Stemp who, despite being hit for 14 in one over by Lloyd, survived the ordeal to take four wickets for 71 runs.

Lloyd mixed the classical with the confrontational, tucking into the left-arm bowling of Stemp before exchanging sharp words with Vasbert Drakes when Notts recalled their main strike bowler to quell the uprising.

Overall, Lloyd hit 14 fours and one six off 123 balls, and up until his intervention Notts had made steady progress through the Lancs second innings. The attacking response had been set by John Crawley, whose 49 represented his best score in the championship this season.

The Lancashire captain dispelled talk of poor form - 45 in six innings - to bat with surprising confidence, scoring freely on both sides in making 42 from 62 balls before the rain halted his march for nearly three hours.

Crawley returned at 4pm but could not repeat his scoring rate, eventually dragging a delivery from Stemp on to his stumps to be one short of a deserved fifty.

Earlier, Notts had added only two more to their overnight score of 289. Stemp was leg before to give his counterpart, Gary Keedy, his fifth wicket for 67 runs in 25.5 overs.

Jason Gallian remained on 120 not out and must have thought a target of 332 would be sufficient for a third championship win of the season.

Day 4: Lloyd's century breaks barren spell

Rob Wildman at Old Trafford

Lancs beat Notts by 3 wkts

Lancashire settled a fluctuating championship contest in plenty of time for their Manchester United men to lunch well before taking up their TV seats for the Wembley final.

Among the cricketing Reds was Graham Lloyd, whose undefeated 120 turned likely defeat into a three-wicket victory and ended Lancashire's worrying opening month of only one previous victory, the National League game at Chelmsford.

``It couldn't get any worse,'' Lloyd said about the team's results and his own batting form of 70 runs in six championship innings. ``It was probably one of the worst spells I can remember,'' he added after his innings of 165 balls, featuring 16 fours and one six.

The century came off 126 deliveries and gave Lloyd a satisfying glow, for the feat was achieved when the match was at its most competitive and was not in a 'dead' game.

Lloyd, 30 in July, describes himself as a ``form batsman'' and gambled on breaking his barren run by taking a few risks against a Nottinghamshire attack that must have thought a target of 332 would be too stiff on a pitch that saw 29 wickets fall over the first two days.

``There was no way we were going to make such a target by playing defensively. I took a few risks and it came off,'' Lloyd said. After sweet-timing his way to 98 on Friday afternoon, he left most of the run-making yesterday morning to Glen Chapple when the pair resumed at 241 for six.

Chapple made 55 off 88 balls and was out two runs short of victory when Graeme Archer took a sharp chance one-handed at second slip. Notts had pinned their hopes on the left-arm spin of Richard Stemp backed up by a quartet of pace men. Adopting Lloyd's motto of ``don't let them dominate you'', Chapple attacked Stemp in the way the centurion had the previous day, culminating in him swinging the spinner for four before striking a straight six.

That demolition act took Lancashire past the 300 mark and within sight of a memorable win that had looked highly unlikely during the three previous days.

Notts gained the upper hand through Jason Gallian's undefeated 120 on Thursday and the better seam bowling of Vasbert Drakes and Paul Franks in the first innings.