Red Rose wilts under pressure
8:10pm Sunday 23rd May 2010 in Sport By Graham Hardcastle
CRICKET: Lancashire Lightning’s hopes of progression in the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition are all but over after a fourth defeat in six matches against the Surrey Lions at Old Trafford this afternoon.
Spells of 3-29 from Surrey pair Andre Nel and Jade Dernbach were the main factors behind the home side being bowled out for a dismal 165 inside the 40 overs.
And it would have been a lot worse had stand-in captain Mark Chilton not shared a sixth wicket partnership of 108 in 23 overs with Luke Sutton after his side had fallen to 39-5 in the 12th over.
Chilton hit five boundaries in a 78-ball 68 – his first half century for just over a year – and was strong on the reverse sweep, while Sutton was happy to accumulate in his 47 off 68.
Tom Smith, Paul Horton, Ashwell Prince, Steven Croft and Stephen Moore all fell without passing ten early on.
And, despite the inclusion of Jimmy Anderson in the Lightning side, Surrey openers Rory Hamilton-Brown and Steven Davies gave their side a racing start to the chase on a good pitch.
Hamilton-Brown reached his second career one-day 50 – his first was also against Lancs – off 35 balls at the start of the 13th with a straight six off Stephen Parry.
He finished with 65 off 46 balls, but Davies top scored with eight fours and three sixes in 82 not out off 69.
Tom Smith bowled Hamilton-Brown off his legs in the 15th over, but it was a rare moment of joy for the Red Rose in the field.
Davies reached his 50 off 47 balls a couple of overs before Croft’s off-spin accounted for Laurie Evans, caught at short fine-leg by Anderson. With only the top team in each group guaranteed of qualification for the semi-finals, four defeats look certain to have cost the Lightning their chance.
Regular captain Glen Chapple and pace bowler Sajid Mahmood were both rested ahead of Monday’s LV County Championship match against Essex at Old Trafford.
Meanwhile, South African left-hander Prince has been awarded his county cap by the club.
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