LVCC - Hampshire v Lancashire 6th August - Day 2

Afternoon session

Hampshire began the afternoon session looking to accelerate their run rate and Sean Ervine quickly signalled his intentions as he walked down the track and hoisted Gary Keedy over long on for four. Lancashire took the second new ball and after several tight overs, Kyle Hogg induced an edge behind from Mascarenhas, who fell for 21. Ervine brought up his fifty soon after with a quick single before a powerful square cut brought him his seventh boundary.

Oliver Newby then bagged another wicket after wicket keeper Tom Burrows (0) edged one to VVS Laxman at second slip. Hampshire’s hopes of passing 300 and claiming 3 batting points now rested on Ervine’s shoulders. Perhaps sensing the need to take charge, he went hard at a short ball and sent a top edge over the head of the keeper for four.

David Griffiths then fell for a duck, bowled by a spinning delivery from Keedy. New man Imran Tahir (0) lasted only two balls before losing his off stump to a full length ball from Tom Smith. Running out of partners, Ervine steered Keedy through point where a fielding error from Mal Loye gave him another boundary. Lancashire brought the field in to deny Ervine the chance to steal the strike but he responded in magnificent style, crashing a mammoth six over midwicket to raise the Hampshire 300. And the entertainment continued with an audacious reverse sweep that sailed into the crowd for another six.

James Tomlinson, who was clinging on bravely at the other end, was then dropped at first slip off Newby. As Lancashire heads went down, Ervine lofted Keedy straight down the ground before steering him down to third man for consecutive boundaries to move to 98. Tomlinson joined in the fun with a nudge down to fine leg for four. Ervine then reached a heroic century, his seventh in first class cricket, with a dab down to third man for two. A few more boundaries off Newby saw him continue to frustrate the visitors before he holed out for 114 giving Hampshire a score of 337 all out.

(rosebowlplc.com, 2009)

Read the full day's report here.