Gday and welcome to what looks like a thrilling 2006 county season we have in store for us. This thread is for all your questions and of course praise for Lancashire cricket club.

The home of Lancashire, old trafford, is one of the best grounds in england and definitely deserves its test and ODI status with the booming atmosphere it produces.

With promotion to the Liverpool Victoria championship division 1 i am in full belief our boys could go all the way and ift the trophy. of course there will be tough opposition with warwickshire, nottinghamshire, hampshire and the rest not going to fall to defeat easy. For all updates on the lancs progress visit http://www.lccc.co.uk/ - http://www.lccc.co.uk/  for all you need.

With our openning match being a 4 day game against the hants it should be very interesting to see how we do against last seasons runners up. Following this we host leicestershire in the new C and G trophy which should be a great spectacle, although i suspect the lancs will be optomistic over this one despite a loss to yorkshire in a friendly last monday.

We are in a strong position for the T20 competition and i am putting all my support behind the lancs and don't see a reason why we cant go all the way.

Enjoy the season fans of all counties.

Did you get your season ticket in the end?

You might well be able to have a crack at the Championship, although you'll obviously miss Hodge, Flintoff and Anderson when they're not there. Luke Sutton looks like a useful signing, and haven't you got a few very good youngsters coming through as well?

yes we have, plus cork has signed an extension to his contract.

Yep, my season ticket came through to my relief and il be trotting down to watch the game against hants, the 1st day on tuesday.

Your first away game in the CC is up here at Durham and I am counting down the days. It will be a tight match and could go either way. Harmison, Plunkett and Collingwood may all be available for that match and put them alongside Gibson, Mick Lewis, Maher and Benkenstein and we will walk it. But knowing the ECB the three Egnland players wont be there so it will be close

Are you coming to the game at Durham by any chance?

Lancashire feature regularly in Sky Sports coverage of the domestic cricket season-the first year of cricket’s new TV deal.

In the matches announced so far, Mark Chilton’s side can be seen in action on Bank Holiday Monday, May 1st, when they travel to New Road to face Worcestershire in the group stages of the C&G Trophy.

The Red Rose side then feature in three Twenty20 Cup games; against the Leics Foxes at Grace Road on Thursday 29th June followed by the OId Trafford clashes with Yorkshire Phoenix on Friday 7th July and Notts Outlaws on Sunday 9th July.

The TV cameras travel to Trent Bridge on Sunday 22nd July when the Outlaws are our opponents again for the first Pro40 League game of the season, and Lancashire’s first home game in this competition, against Middlesex Crusaders on Wednesday 16th August, is also being broadcast.

As the climax to the Pro40 League approaches in September, Lancashire feature twice in three days. The Sky cameras are at Chelmsford for the day/night match on Thursday 7th September and then return to Old Trafford for the match against Warwickshire Bears on Saturday 9th September.

Okay then. If you like Ill post some reports of the game in here for you at the end of each day?

yes please.

i am not going to hants tommorow as it looks like its going to pour it down

I hope there is some play. I have been looking forward to seeing how that match pans out. Ill only be following it online or on TV (via BBCi text) but its a very intriguing game.

Your side is certainly full of runs. Theres no question about it. Loye, Suttclifee, Sutton, Chilton and Hodge although(he isn't playing tomorrow). And can you do what Nottingham did and win the divison after coming up from D2? Im not writing you off for sure and tomorrow I think will be a big marker for both sides.

Mahmood could be playing and if so thats a real boost to your attack. Sutton is a quality player with the bat and an excellent keeper so you should have no worries over him and of course who can forget Keedy.

Hampshire of course had a good year last year although for me they justly finished second and I would have felt aggreived if they pipped the far superior Notts to the title. Udal will be in there for Warne as usual when the Aussie is away and given his international success over the summer and a good season last season he really is a key man for Hants. Ervine won't be bowling I don't think due to an injury and with Tremlett not fully fit they may lack the bite to take you.

And batting too. Thornely is very very unproven and they consistently have problems actually getting an opening pair scoring and that hurt them last year. Pothas and Mascarenhas are good quality batsmen but not the threat they should be

I think you'll turn the over in this game. Lancs have lost a lot of players who were key last year but even without Anderson you have enough to challenge.

its been lashing down so ive stayed at home to enjoy the warmth. They are going to inspect the pitch once the rain comes to a halt, which looking like it ould be a long time.

Here are the teams:

Lancashire: Chilton (capt.) Sutcliffe, Loye, Law, Horton, Sutton, Chapple, Cork, Hogg, Smith, Newby, Keedy, Mahmood.
Hampshire: Udal (capt), Adams, Brown, Bruce, Carberry, Crawley, Ervine, Lamb, Logan, Mascarenhas, Pothas (wk), Thornley, Griffiths.

i know....

lucky i don't live there, id be as white as a sheet

Chilton (capt.) Sutcliffe, Loye, Law, Horton, Sutton

One word to say about that.....runs

Play due at 3pm

Lancs are looking good. As I said above I see Hampshire's main weakness this season being getting runs. I have a soft spot for Lancs actually and its nice to see them making a good start to their first match back in the big time.

Wow

I said that I though Lancs would beat Hampshire.....but I never expected such a quick haul of wickets in the limited amout of play we have had today. Young Smith is on fire
13-4-29-3

139/7

139-7 has left us in an awesome position to take a win despite the showers early this morning.

DAY 1 V HAPMSHIRE AT OLD TRAFFORD:

Lancashire made an extremely good start to the new season today, despite having 53 overs of their clash with Hampshire wiped out due to rain. It proved to be a day to remember for debutant Tom Smith who claimed three wickets.

Steady rain throughout the morning meant no play was possible until the afternoon session, but when the action finally started at three o'clock, debutant Smith chipped in with three of the seven wickets to fall - as Hampshire were reduced to 139 for 7 by the close after being put in by Lancashire skipper Mark Chilton.

Glen Chapple also chipped in with two wickets, one caught behind, the other lbw, whilst Oliver Newby grabbed one and Dominic Cork affected a run out off his own bowling. Luke Sutton claimed two catches, one a brilliant diving catch to his right, to give Smith his third wicket late on. 

Returning to play his first Championship match at Old Trafford since leaving in 2001, John Crawley presented Smith with his first wicket when he tried to cut a straight one on 20.

The visitors had just posted three figures when Thornely's attempted hook off Newby was well caught by Sutcliffe running in from the square leg boundary, and the overseas player's dismissal heralded a flurry of wickets as Hampshire fell from 101 for 3 to 127 for 7.

Udal and Ervine stood firm, despite a few scares, to take the score to 139 for 7 at the close of the first day. 

SLEDGER WROTE - Raining in Manchester , who'd believe it -  These words don't suprise me cause i always know old trafford to be raining.

I am a lancashire fan as well. Lancashire should slip back this year without the likes of muralitharan, no flintoff and anderson because of international duties.

I also love the old trafford stadium and the crowd is the best in england i think. Manchester is also my favourite city in england because i also support manchester united.

Well bowled lads, just need to get used to the season again with our batting, we will sharpen up i have no doubt, im slightly nervous going into day 3 but i could easily see this game heading to a draw. I could also see either team winning, preferably lancs although we opened our season with 1 day of cricket v yorkshire in a C&G style match.

DAY 2 V HAMPSHIRE AT OLD TRAFFORD:

Iain Sutcliffe was Lancashire's hero on another rain-shortened, but incident packed second day of the Championship match against Hampshire. The left hander held the Lancashire innings together with a determined 39 as Lancashire reached the close on 148 for 6, 46 runs behind.

Hampshire's Zimbabwean all-rounder Sean Ervine was the man who did his best to deny Lancashire with a fine all-round display that set Mark Chilton's side back in their quest for Championship victory.

Glen Chapple, Dominic Cork and Oliver Newby took the remaining three wickets to polish off Hampshire for 194, after play resumed at 1.45pm following more rain in the morning. Tom Smith added a stunning diving catch to his dream debut to dismiss Logan off the bowling of Chapple. But things would have been a lot better if Ervine hadn't hit an unbeaten 44
towards the end for the visitors.

And it was Ervine who did the damage later on with the ball, removing Stuart Law and Paul Horton, both caught behind by Nic Pothas after Richard Logan had removed Mark Chilton and Mal Loye cheaply. The ball to Loye in particular was a beauty, lifting and leaving the right handed batsman to give Nic Pothas one of five catches in the innings.

Sutcliffe's determined innings ended with an edge to slip from a Bruce delivery slanted across the batsman, but Glen Chapple played a positive innings with several attacking shots in an innings of 37 not out to keep Lancashire in contention.

This game seems to be heading for a draw. Lancs have ruined there good bowling with a under-par innings of thier own so far. They will need to repeat those bowling heroics to win

this is heading for a draw i think now.

DAY 3 V HAMPSHIRE AT OLD TRAFFORD:

Glen Chapple became only the tenth Lancashire player to reach 5,000 first-class runs and take 500 wickets for the County, as rain hit proceedings on the third day of the Championship clash.

After rain had halted proceedings early in the day at Old Trafford, Chapple reached the 5,000 run mark when he reached 54-having passed the 500 wickets mark last year-to move alongside the likes of Jack Simmons, David Hughes and, most
recently, Mike Watkinson.

And it was Chapple who helped steer Lancashire past Hampshire's first innings total with a fine innings of 70 before becoming the eighth man out with the score on 199. The all-rounder was aided and abetted by youngster Tom Smith who continued the fine start to his Lancashire career with a battling 24 that helped the Red Rose side to a total of 224 - and a first innings lead of 30.

When Hampshire came out to the bat in the afternoon, openers James Adams and Michael Brown moved steadily on to 54 without loss before the rain returned to prevent any play after tea.

LANCASHIRE expressed their dismay today at the decision to push Old Trafford onto the Ashes sidelines in 2009. The stadium, which found itself at the centre of ‘Cricket Fever’ last summer, will not stage one of the five npower Tests against the Aussies.

In a controversial move, the England and Wales Cricket Board have awarded one of the games to Cardiff, with the others going to the Brit Oval, Edgbaston, Headingley and Lord’s.

“We accept that the decision was taken purely on commercial factors, and it appears that the Cardiff bid was way above ours,” said Lancashire’s Chief Executive Jim Cumbes.

“We have no argument with that. Of course, Glamorgan had backing from the Welsh Assembly and the Cardiff City Council and perhaps in future we, and others, will have to look at obtaining outside support.

“However it is a kick in the teeth, not just for the Club, but for the North-West as a whole. This region is a hot-bed of cricket and who will ever forget last season when we had to lock 25,000 people out of the ground on the last day of the Ashes Test.

“Not only that – Lancashire regularly produce players for our national teams, we have invested heavily in ground improvements to help England, and recently we were the leading county for clubs registered under the NatWest CricketForce initiative. Overall we have worked hard at every level to support the England cause.

"Lancashire headed the England appearance table for 2005 and we have three players in the senior One Day International squad. One of those players is Freddie Flintoff, who has made a huge impact on the popularity of the game. Now, sadly, he may never play another Ashes test on his home ground. This is bound to have a knock-on effect on kids who will not be able to see their hero at Old Trafford.

“Congratulations and good luck to Glamorgan. We will bounce back, just as we bounced back after being left out of the 2001 Ashes series.”

Old Trafford has been allocated npower Tests against West Indies and New Zealand in 2007 and 2008 respectively.

SAJID MAHMOOD comes into the reckoning for Lancashire’s Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy clash against Leicestershire at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The 24 years-old paceman, who figured in England’s ODI series in India recently, missed the Liverpool Victoria County Championship game against Hampshire this week while he recovered from his trip to the sub-continent. But he was named today (Friday) in a squad of 15 for the C&G Trophy opener along with Steven Croft, Andy Crook and Kyle Hogg plus the 11 players on duty against Hampshire.

Lancashire (from): Chilton (capt), Sutcliffe, Law, Loye, Horton, Croft, Sutton, Chapple, Crook, Cork, Hogg, Smith, Mahmood, Newby, Keedy
Leicestershire (from): Robinson, Maddy, Ackerman, Mongia, Maunders, Snape (Capt), Nixon (Wkt), Henderson, Masters, Broad ,Mohammad Asif, Sadler, Cummins.

Sunday will be the first taste of 50-over cricket for many players this season with the first round of matches in the new format Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy, although Lancashire and Yorkshire did play one 50-over friendly last week.

The C&G Trophy now has two conferences, North and South, with the winners from each meeting at the Lord’s Final on Saturday August 26th. The Trophy is the only limited overs competition ahead of the NatWest Series providing the opportunity for players to press for England places.  It will also provide a chance to assess the summer opposition with Pakistan duo Shahid Afridi and Saqlain Mushtaq playing for Ireland and Mohammad Asif set to make his Leicestershire debut.

Holders, Hampshire, will travel to Dublin for their opening C&G Trophy defence match as Ireland enter the competition for the first time. Sunday’s C&G matches are:
Kent v Somerset
Essex  v Glamorgan
Nottinghamshire  v Worcestershire
Gloucestershire v Middlesex
Lancashire v Leicestershire
Yorkshire  v Derbyshire
Ireland v Hampshire

what was the result clobber i missed it?

Sajid Mahmood marked his return with three wickets and Tom Smith claimed 3 for 8 as Lancashire started their C&G Trophy campaign with a convincing 69 run victory over Leicestershire.

Lancashire produced a disciplined display to successfully defend their total of 194 for 8 in conditions that favoured the bowlers, with the ball swinging and seaming throughout the day.

Saj Mahmood made the first breakthrough, trapping Darren Maddy in front without a run on the total, and John Sadler edged Dominic Cork to wicketkeeper Luke Sutton shortly afterwards, before John Maunders and Dinesh Mongia rebuilt the Leicestershire innings with a partnership of 49.

The introduction of youngster Tom Smith into the attack turned the game around in dramatic fashion. Smith accounted for Mongia, then Ackerman in successive overs, and Lancashire exerted a grip they never relinquished. 

When Smith trapped Leics skipper Snape lbw, and Gary Keedy ended the dogged resistance of Maunders in the 22nd over, the visitors had lost four wickets for just 19 runs in 9 overs. Paul Nixon hit Keedy into the pavilion in a brief show of defiance, but was unable to gain any real support, and Lancashire ran out easy winners in the end.

Lancashire's Luke Sutton set a new Lancashire C&G Trophy wicketkeeping record with five catches in the match, but Smith's 3 for 8 from 8 overs, along with some tight bowling from the rest of the attack won the day.

Earlier, Stuart Law's fluent 42 from 49 balls and a patient 42 from Andy Crook helped Lancashire slowly build towards a reasonable total, given the advantage enjoyed by the bowlers. The introduction of Dinesh Mongia in to the Leics attack saw a clatter of wickets as the left arm spin bowler claimed four wickets to severly dent any Lancashire hope of posting a total in excess of 200.

Luke Sutton made a valuable 30, but fell attempting to hit runs late in the innings before Hogg and Smith struck out effectively during the final overs to take the home side to 194, and that proved to be enough.      

Lancashire: Chilton (capt), Law, Loye, Sutton, Chapple, Crook, Cork, Hogg, Smith, Mahmood, Keedy
Leicestershire: Maddy, Ackerman, Mongia, Maunders, Snape (Capt), Nixon (Wkt), Henderson, Masters, Broad ,Mohammad Asif, Sadler.

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.

Just got back from the Riverside and of course I am dissapointed but after Fridays play its the result I expected. Benks gave us a little bit of hope but once Mustard fell it was curtains.

All credit to Lancs and it was a fair result and the best team won. But even though they beat us lets get this in perspective. If Mick Lewis and Davies were on the pitch (not to mention Plunkett who was there practiing today) it would have been a different story altogether. Well done Lancs though and as I say they deserve to have won.

The return match if we have Lewis, Davies and maybe one or two of our england boys in the team will be very interesting


don't be fooled by Mahmoods bowling figures. He was very poor. If he would have bowled like that in the first innings he would have been whacked off the park. The only reason his 4-46 occured was because by the time he was having his main spells Durham were just defending and playing nothing. Plus he is lazy in the field. Twice he could hav easily stopped boundaries but didn't. The Lancs fan behind me was shouting a hurl of abuse at him.

Cork was appalling too But Chapple was brilliant and Keedy had a fine day.

..... 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.  

Dominic Cork misses this week's Liverpool Victoria County Championship match against Kent at Old Trafford with the ankle injury he sustained at Durham and is replaced by Kyle Hogg. Kent won the toss and chose to bat.

Team: Chilton (capt), Law, Sutcliffe, Loye, Horton, Sutton (wkt), Chapple, Hogg, Smith, Mahmood, Keedy. 12th man: Newby.

Kent are missing skipper Rob Key, who is captaining the England A side in their 4 day game against Sri Lanka at Worcester, however, Geraint Jones will be making a rare appearance for the county as part of his preparations for the forthcoming Test series against both Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

The Kent team is Patel (capt), Dexter, Fulton, van Jaarsveld, Walker, Stevens, Kemp, Jones (wkt), Cook, Tredwell, Joseph. 12th man: Cusden.

edit: forget this, im a muppet

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

shame we couldn't win the roses game

c+g next monday though, im hoping to go to the game and see us continue an excellent start to the one day season

No they probably wont, only truly brilliant teams (Worcestershire) can beat Leicestershire.

defeat to yorkshire

still going dtrong in the c & g though

Roses game was a great one, enjoyed watching the highlights. Great effort from both sides, it's games like that where it's a shame someone has to lose.

fantastic performance, mahmood is a good player to have as he is on the verge of the international team so when he is not picked he is ahigh quality county star and to beat sussex in two days is just a top result

well done especially to chapple n saj

Should be a good game today

a nice first innings lead now, cork certainly set a good example to the youngsters in the side

shame for chapple though missing out on the one day games through injury

dont count on it

yes we did end up in div2 unfortunately

although this season im sure we'll end up with some silverware

not the best start in twenty20 although a cracker the other day to win off the last ball

4 home games this wekk now so hopefully atleast 3 wins maybe 4