Josh Bohannon eases Lancashire to draw against reigning champions Surrey

Surrey took just three wickets on the final day as the home side dug in to secure a share of the spoils at Emirates Old Trafford

ECB Reporters Network | 09/04/2023 at 18:30

Old Trafford (fourth day of four): Surrey 442 & 292-6d, Lancashire 291 & 247-3 - match drawn

Josh Bohannon's battling century ensured Lancashire escaped with a draw against a frustrated Surrey despite the reigning county champions dominating the first three days of this hard-fought season opener.

Surrey had gone on into the fourth day hopeful of forcing victory by taking ten wickets after setting Lancashire a nominal target of 444 to win.

But after resuming on 37 without loss, the hosts dug in determinedly with the visitors only able to claim three wickets in reply.

England hopeful Bohannon, with a belligerent knock of 108 off 187 balls, helped see Lancashire bat out the day with something to spare to close on 247 for 3.

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Old Trafford (third day of four): Surrey 442 & 292-6d, Lancashire 291 & 37-0 - Lancashire need 407 runs to win

Surrey will look to complete a victory over championship rivals Lancashire on the final day of this LV= Insurance County Championship Division One game after they had challenged their opponents to score an utterly improbable 444 to win in the fourth innings of the match.

By close of play, the home side were 37 without loss, their openers having safely negotiated a testing 11 overs against the Surrey seamers and the leg-spin of Cameron Steel.

Vastly more likely than a home win is that Rory Burns' bowlers will be pressing for a vital triumph themselves on a pitch showing signs of variable bounce after a third day on which England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes had made an unbeaten 103 and Surrey had made 292 for 6 declared to add to their first-innings lead of 151.

Matt Parkinson's five wickets for 120 brought his career tally of first-class scalps to 150 but the most significant contribution was made by Foakes, who clubbed his century in 93 balls to maintain his side's dominance of this game.

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^{Cam Steel's hundred put Surrey in the ascendancy (Getty Images)}

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Old Trafford (second day of four): Surrey 442, Lancashire 233-8 - Lancashire trail by 209 runs with two wickets remaining

Sean Abbott took four wickets and two catches as Surrey strengthened their grip on this LV= Insurance County Championship match at Emirates Old Trafford and the visitors will go into the second half of the game with every chance of forcing a fine victory.

Replying to Surrey's 442, in which Cam Steel made an unbeaten 141, Abbott and his colleagues had reduced Lancashire to 233 for eight at the close and the option of enforcing the follow-on might well be available to Rory Burns on the third morning.

Abbott finished with 4 for 42 but each of Surrey's bowlers took at least one wicket on a day when the champions' determination to retain their title was very apparent.

Keaton Jennings top-scored for Lancashire but fell for 76 as Surrey dominated.

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Old Trafford (first day of four): Surrey 340-7, Lancashire

England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes anchored his side's first innings with 76 and two other Surrey batters made fifties as the visitors recovered from 77 for 4 to have the best of the opening day of this LV= Insurance County Championship Division One match against Lancashire.

By the close, Rory Burns' side were 340 for 7, with Cameron Steel, who batted as well as anyone, unbeaten on 86 and the visitors already have a total that will give their high-quality seam attack plenty to bowl at.

For their part, Lancashire could take comfort from a wholehearted effort on an easing pitch and from the three wickets taken by Tom Bailey, the most successful member of a four-man seam attack lacking both James Anderson and Saqib Mahmood.

But anyone expecting the opening exchanges of this game between two of the title favourites to copy the tempo of England's recent Test cricket were disappointed. The first session was one that Cyril Washbrook and Ken Barrington would have recognised and understood.

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^{Matt Parkinson took five wickets for Lancashire (Getty Images)}

Having inserted Surrey on an unexpectedly dry pitch, Lancashire bowled tightly and reduced Surrey to 85 for 4 at lunch, two of the wickets falling to the impressive Will Williams, whose opening nine-over spell from the James Anderson End cost just 16 runs.

Williams took the first wicket in the fourth over of the day when he had a clearly aggrieved Surrey skipper, Burns, caught behind by George Bell for a single, but it was Bailey who claimed the prize scalp of Ollie Pope for 13 when the England batter was lbw after a 38-minute innings in which he had looked to take the attack to the bowlers.

Three overs later, Ryan Patel was trapped in front by Williams for three and Lancashire's fine morning was completed when new signing Colin de Grandhomme nipped one away off the seam to have Dom Sibley caught behind for a 69-ball 35 in his first competitive innings since his return from Warwickshire.

But after dominating the morning's play, Lancashire's bowlers didn't look like taking a wicket for much of the afternoon session as the ball aged and the pitch lost its early venom.