Cosgrove digs in for County

Mark Cosgrove followed in Steve Croft’s footsteps on a truncated second day of the LV=CC game at Grace Road.

Both batsmen played a captain’s innings for their side with Croft making 102 in Lancashire’s 368 and Cosgrove top-scoring with 65 not out in County’s reply of 195-6.

The team were struggling on 78-4 before Cosgrove, who found the fence on nine occasions in his 114-ball knock, shared half-century stands with Niall O’Brien and Ben Raine.

Heavy rain throughout the morning made life difficult for the Leicestershire groundsmen but they did a great job to ensure play was able to start at 3.30pm.

Exactly half of the day’s overs had been lost and the players headed out for one 48-over session. Croft moved to his century from 151 balls with a 13^th four, which was hooked down to long leg.

Kyle Jarvis hit a couple of fours, one of which found its way through the slip cordon, before Croft holed out to Rob Taylor at deep square leg in the 99^th over. It was a well-deserved wicket for Raine (20.4-5-42-1).

Lancashire then made early inroads to put County on the back foot. Angus Robson (5) struck an early boundary off Tom Bailey but he fell in the second over, caught by Karl Brown at forward short leg off Kyle Jarvis’ second delivery.

In-form duo Lewis Hill and Ned Eckersley took the score to 44 with some neat strokeplay but the latter was bowled by Bailey for 13 from one that skidded through from the Bennett End.

Hill struck four boundaries in his 25, including fine strokes through mid-off and mid-on, but he gloved a jaffa in Jordan Clark’s first over and wicket-keeper Alex Davies completed the dismissal.

Neil Pinner (0) then edged in Nathan Buck’s first over and Croft took a fine catch at second slip to leave County in real trouble on 78-4. Buck and Clark continued to get the ball to move about but Cosgrove and O’Brien used all of their experience to negate the threat.

The keeper hit a cracking shot through mid-off for four in the 23^rd over and Cosgrove twice struck Buck for boundaries in that region in the next over. The score was now into three figures and runs kept coming as O’Brien twice found the third man boundary off Buck before glancing the returning Bailey to the ropes.

Cosgrove then pulled and cut consecutive Buck balls for four as the stand reached 50 but there was a big blow as O’Brien fell for 22 in Jarvis’ comeback over as he nicked to Davies.

The stand had been worth 59 and the skipper kept going. He clattered another four down the ground and a glanced boundary, the 8^th of his important innings, recorded an 80-ball fifty. Cosgrove survived an appeal for caught behind off Jarvis before pulling Clark to the mid-wicket boundary.

Raine (16) offered useful support in a stand of 51, hitting a couple of nice fours in the process, but he fell in the penultimate over. The all-rounder dragged Buck on to his stumps as the visitors ended with a 173-run lead.