CENTURION Ashwell Prince led a Lancashire recovery from 3-2 in their first-innings reply to Northamptonshire’s 385 during the second half of day two of their LV= County Championship match at Wantage Road yesterday.

The Red Rose side toiled in allowing the hosts to advance from 198-6 before struggling against the new ball in reply.

But in ex-South African Test left-hander Prince, Lancashire have the perfect man to deal with a crisis, which he did with a 146-ball ton on the way to a close score of 216-4 from 52 overs.

Last June, the gritty 37-year-old scored a career best unbeaten 257 against Northants at Emirates Old Trafford when these two were playing a Division One fixture, which Lancashire won having been 33-3 in their first innings.

They have a long way to go to replicate that result, but at least Prince managed to avert serious danger following the early losses of Luis Reece and Alviro Petersen.

He shared 112 for the third wicket with Paul Horton, who made 49, and he will resume today on 104 with Alex Davies 33 not out.

Lancashire allowed Northants off the hook during the opening session as ex-Old Trafford all-rounder Steven Crook led the way with a aggressive 91 off 89 balls, including 13 fours and two sixes.

He shared 80 for the seventh wicket with Adam Rossington, who made 57 before falling lbw as one of four wickets in the innings for Jordan Clark. He also added 35 for the ninth with Olly Stone.

When Kyle Jarvis trapped Crook lbw, Northants were 333-9 after 78 overs, but Stone and Mohammad Azharullah shared 52 for the 10th wicket.

Stone hit a career best 38 and Azharullah 15 before Clark wrapped up the innings shortly after lunch by getting the former caught and bowled to finish with 4-101.

The frustration was to heighten for Lancashire, however, as within 17 balls of their reply, they were two down when Reece was caught behind for a three-ball duck in the first over and Petersen trapped lbw for one in the third.

After tea, Azharullah trapped Horton and Steven Croft lbw in the space of nine overs to leave the visitors at 143-4 in the 40th over. Prince and Davies then shared an unbroken 71.

Meanwhile, Peter Marron, Lancashire’s head groundsman between 1983 and 2008, died yesterday aged 59 following complications in a short battle against bowel cancer.