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| LV= County Championship Division One, Emirates Old Trafford (day three): |
| Lancashire 145: Wells 35; Henry 5-45 & 377-5: Bohannon 134, Wells 98, Jones 53, Croft 41 |
| Kent 270: Leaning 90, Stewart 64*; Bailey 6-64 |
| Lancashire (3 pts) lead Kent (5 pts) by 252 runs with five wickets remaining |
| Scorecard |
Josh Bohannon’s third century of the season and 98 from Luke Wells helped Lancashire turn the game round against Kent at Old Trafford.
After wickets tumbled on the rain-hit first two days, Lancashire had trailed by 125 on first innings, but they lost just five wickets in the day to close on 377-5, with a lead of 252.
Resuming on 2-0, batting instantly looked easier for Wells and fellow opener Keaton Jennings, with both Matt Henry and Navdeep Saini lacking their first-innings bite and accuracy.
After the opening pair had built a partnership of 54 off 14 overs, it was something of a surprise when Nathan Gilchrist made the breakthrough, tempting Jennings to edge stiffly to stand-in captain Jack Leaning at second slip for 14.
But Wells took the role of aggressor, moving to 50 for the fifth time in the Championship this season from 69 balls – and Leaning was forced to turn to part-time bowlers Joe Denly and Daniel Bell-Drummond.
Bohannon had just reached his half-century when Wells fell agonisingly short of a 22nd first-class ton, edging Saini to a diving Leaning at second slip to end a second-wicket stand of 117.
But there was little respite for Kent as skipper Steven Croft joined Bohannon, who was reminding everyone why earlier in the season he was being tipped by many to play for England’s Test side this summer.
Lancashire had built a lead of 139 when 25-year-old Bohannon brought up his sixth first-class century and third of the season off 186 balls with 14 fours – just a week on from his key hundred in last week’s win at Northampton.
Croft, captaining the side due to skipper Dane Vilas’ knuckle injury, was happy to play second fiddle to Bohannon in a partnership of 109 for the third wicket.
Henry got a delivery to jag back and bowl Croft for a patient 42, to bring in Rob Jones, who had suffered a first-innings golden duck.
Bohannon eventually fell for 134, feathering a delivery from Grant Stewart to replacement wicket keeper Ollie Robinson before Leaning trapped Washington Sundar lbw for 10 just before the close. But there was just time for Jones to reach his second half-century of the season.
Report supplied by the ECB Reporters’ Network.
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