**Lancashire 2006 thread**

Well I just got back for the game at Durham. Nice weather, good crowd and some nice batting.

The Pitch was flat and very batsmen friendly. I overheard the groundsman telling a spectator to expect big scores as the pitch was flatter than intended.

Loye rode his luck to get 114. He played some pearlers but was dropped on 0,22,35 and 62. Ill give credit where its due but the boy was lucky today in more ways than one.

Chappel was the man of the day easily coming in and just blitzing the bowling. The score had stayed static for a while and the runs weren’t coming, wickets weren’t falling and to be honest the game was dying. He hit 50 from 49 balls playing some brilliant, brilliant shots. 

As for Durham the fielding was terrible. And that’s being kind. Dropped catches neared the double figures, boundaries were given away due to horrible missed stops and there was some awful positioning.

Its unfair to criticise the bowlers given the pitch but praise to Throp who was brilliant again and the only one to cause trouble on a consistent basis.

..... and i think we did.

Stuart Law and Mal Loye scored half centuries, and Lancashire produced a good, disciplined, bowling performance to squeeze the life out of the Worcestershire batting line up on their way to a 119-run victory in the C&G Trophy.

Lancashire posted a useful-looking 248 for 5 from their 50 overs at New Road, thanks to half centuries from Mal Loye and Stuart Law, together with some quick scoring by the middle order over the final 10 overs.

Put in to bat, Mark Chilton and Mal Loye started cautiously with the white ball moving around on a slow wicket. The pair had made 46 runs when Roger Sillence struck immediately on his introduction into the Worcs attack, Chilton edging behind in the 14th over for 11.

Andrew Crook dropped anchor while Loye played the more adventurous shots, pulling Zaheer Khan for four past backward short leg before hitting the bowler for six with his trademark slog-sweep over square leg in the same over. It took an outstanding catch by Hick, diving full length grabbing the ball one-handed off the bowling of medium pacer Daryl Mitchell, to end Loye's innings of 64 with the score on 100.

Crook fell for 31, attempting to hit Mitchell for a second six in the same over, but top edging to be brilliantly snared by Gareth Batty-another one-handed, diving catch-running round behind the wicketkeeper, but Luke Sutton joined forces with Law to patiently push the score along past the 150 mark in the 40th over.

The fireworks came in the final 10 overs of the innings as Lancashire accelerated to great effect, adding 96 runs. Law and Sutton hit 20 runs from the first 12 balls before Sutton perished hitting a slower ball from Mitchell to long on for a valuable 27 off just 30 balls. Glen Chapple clubbed a huge six off a Mitchell over that cost 17 runs, but was deceived by another slow ball, but Kyle Hogg came in to play a gem of an innings as Lancashire cut loose.

Law was in great touch throughout his unbeaten innings of 70, hitting a succession of boundaries through and over extra cover, and behingd square, while Hogg put bat to ball with great effect, hitting 24 off just 14 balls. The pair added 55 runs in just over 4 overs to put Lancashire in a good position at the break.

And the Lancashire bowlers backed up the good work by the batsmen with a tight, disciplined bowling performance that kept runs to a minimum.

Saj Mahmood struck early, with a quicker ball that beat Mitchell's defensive push. Solanki edged Hogg to Law at slip, and by the end of 20 overs the home side had struggled to 52 for 2, but immediately lost a wicket in farcical conditions.

Stephen Moore had struggled throughout, scoring 13 runs in 20 overs, and the opener was run out after turning for an ill advised second run, dropping his bat and scrambling back on all fours, only to be beaten by Chapple's throw to Smith at the bowlers end.

Gary Keedy struck in his second over when Ben Smith advanced down the wicket, misjudged the flight and turn, and was easily stumped by Sutton to leave Worcs in trouble at 69 for 4 in the 26th over.

The game effectively ended soon afterwards in spectacular style when Tom Smith claimed three wickets in the 29th over with the total on 73. From the first ball of the over Davies was bowled off stump by a beauty that cut away from the left hander, from the next ball Batty was lbw, and off the final ball Sillence was trapped in front.

The game petered out from that point, although there was time for young debutant Steven Mullaney to claim his first victim, bowling Kabir Ali. 

It wasn't all good news for Lancashire however. Just before the end there was a worrying injury to Gary Keedy. The left arm spin bowler damaged a finger on his right hand attempting to stop a fierce drive off his own bowling by Zaheer Khan, and immediately left the field.  

Great! Its great watching him play about 2 games a year for lancs but he makes up for that with his awesome england performances, like the one around the corner on thursday

nice unbeaten start to the season for Lancs

especially good start in the C&G after a poor season in it last year, maybe even some one day silverware this season