Surrey, Warwickshire and Hampshire also victorious on final day of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division One matches against Somerset, Essex and Kent respectively; Derbyshire wrap up innings win over Leicestershire in Division Two
Sunday 24 April 2022 18:56, UK
Lancashire finally broke some determined resistance from Gloucestershire to wrap up an innings-and-57-run win with just 23 balls remaining in the final day's play of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division One clash at Emirates Old Trafford.
The visitors, who resumed on 67-3, faced the unenviable task of seeing off a Red Rose attack full of international class with James Anderson, Saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson all keen to prove their credentials to England's new-look regime.
But it took until just before 6pm on the final day for Lancashire to seal the victory as Gloucestershire were finally dismissed for 247, still 57 runs short of the hosts' mammoth first-innings total of 556-7 declared.
Gloucestershire's score of 115-5 at lunch became 122-6 soon after the interval when Miles Hammond, who had patiently compiled 50 from 154 balls, was adjudged lbw to Anderson (2-25).
Zafar Gohar was then clean bowled by Parkinson (3-29) to leave Gloucestershire staring into the abyss at 127-7, but they found some much-needed fight in the form of Tom Lace, Josh Shaw and Jared Warner.
Lace (71) reached his half-century from 130 balls and the eighth-wicket pair had put on 79 when Hassan Ali (3-49) entered the fray and bowled Shaw (29).
Lace found another willing partner in Warner, the pair battling for 21 overs with barely an attacking shot between them, but Lace's determined vigil was finally ended by Mahmood (2-46) with a little over 30 minutes of play left.
Warner, who had faced 119 balls for his 10 runs, then edged Hassan to wicketkeeper Phil Salt inside the final four overs to spark the Lancashire celebrations.
Ryan Patel continued his fine start to the season with a match-winning 102 as Surrey confirmed their position as the early Division One pacesetters by beating Somerset by three wickets at the Kia Oval.
Surrey, needing 237 to win, secured their second victory from the first three games just before 5pm on the final afternoon as Patel was joined by England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes (48no) in a decisive fourth-wicket partnership of 66 after the hosts lost Hashim Amla (14) and Ollie Pope (5) in the first half-hour after lunch.
Foakes was earlier passed fit to resume playing after concussion tests, following his nasty collision with first slip Jamie Overton on day three, when both players dived for an edge from Tom Banton.
When Patel finally fell, edging Josh Davey behind, Sam Curran came in and struck a breezy 33, including two sixes immediately after tea off Jack Leach, although he was one of three quick wickets to fall before victory was finally achieved.
Warwickshire secured the first victory of their County Championship title defence by polishing off a 10-wicket win over Essex an hour into the afternoon session on the final day at Edgbaston.
Essex resumed the final morning on 290-8, just 73 ahead and needing something special from their last two wickets to stay in the game.
But they added only another 33 to finish 323 all out and leave the home side a victory target of 107. Both wickets fell to concussion substitute Craig Miles (4-85), with Simon Harmer left stranded on 75 not out.
Warwickshire openers Alex Davies (65no) and Dom Sibley (41no) then eased the home side to victory with an unbroken stand of 110 in 37.4 overs.
Hampshire routed Kent by an innings and 51 runs in their clash at Canterbury after dismissing the hosts for 296 in their second innings on day four.
Kyle Abbott took 5-29, mopping up Kent's tail with three wickets from four balls, while Felix Organ span his way to 3-63 as the visitors secured a maximum 24 points from the win.
Ben Compton and Jordan Cox had given Kent hope of a draw after batting through the morning session, but they were then dismissed for 89 and 64 respectively after lunch and Kent's resistance crumbled thereafter but for an unbeaten 41 from Darren Stevens.
Elsewhere, Will Young's six-hour vigil for 96 thwarted Yorkshire's hopes of victory as Northamptonshire dug in to secure a draw in their Division One match-up.
Young batted painstakingly to hold the Northants second innings together, narrowly missing out on a debut hundred after he played on to Matthew Revis with 26 overs remaining.
But wicketkeeper Lewis McManus, on loan from Hampshire, seized the baton with a spirited, unbeaten 62 to steer the home side - set a nominal target of 499 - to safety at 318-7 by stumps.
Derbyshire finally overcame dogged Leicestershire resistance to wrap up an innings victory over their local rivals in Division Two of the County Championship.
Leicestershire were 172 behind overnight with only four second-innings wickets in hand after trailing by 318 on first innings, but they were in familiar territory after mounting last-day rearguards to hold on for a draw in their opening two matches - and they fought hard again, even with the odds heavily against them.
Louis Kimber made 54 and Callum Parkinson 49 as Leicestershire kept Derbyshire waiting until mid-afternoon before they were all out for 250 as Derbyshire ultimately secured victory by an innings and 68 runs.
Off-spinner Alex Thomson was the pick of the Derbyshire bowlers, taking 3-50 from 39 overs.
