First blood to Lancashire

By Matt Somerford

Lancashire took the first steps towards pulling off a complicated survival act on the opening day of their LV= County Championship relegation decider against Middlesex at Emirates Old Trafford.

Led by their ageless skipper Glen Chapple, the Red Rose whipped out Middlesex for 214 after opposite number Chris Rogers elected to bat on a reliably gloomy late-September day in Manchester.

Chapple returned 4-55 - in what could be the final game of a his 23-season Lancashire career - after Luke Procter's unlikely 4-50 rocked the Middlesex top order.

Before today Procter had managed just a single wicket in his six championship matches this term but his ungainly right-arm seamers, coupled with Chapple's long-established metronomy, were enough to set Lancashire on a pathway towards the significant win they require to stay up.

Middlesex started the day knowing six bonus points would be enough to stave off the threat of the drop, even in defeat, but were lucky to escape with a single batting point.

Only a 34-run last-wicket stand between James Harris and Ravi Patel hauled them to that mark.

That had the knock-on effect of altering the mathematics of Lancashire's task by at least 50 runs.

Chapple's men will now need to score at least 350 - barring declarations or Middlesex failing to take nine wickets inside the required time frame - to keep their survival hopes alive.

To further thicken the plot Lancashire have managed 350 just twice in a fallow season with the bat and in a game where the conditions have already showed they will play an important role.

For that reason Rogers' decision to bat on a grey morning raised a few eyebrows.

Nonetheless, the Australia opener appeared intent to prove, at least on his own, that bat could prevail in the face of the swing and seam movement.

For 90 minutes he appeared ready to do just that and a pair of dropped chances - from Jos Buttler and Steven Croft behind the wicket - indicated forces beyond the low cloud cover might even be conspiring to aid the skipper for his bravery at the toss.

His double-century extricated Middlesex from trouble at Somerset last week and as he batted into the second hour of the morning - seeing off a teasing Junaid Khan spell along the way - his decision appeared as though it would be vindicated, especially as wickets tumbled all across the country.

Procter ensured all of that was wiped away, however, with a delivery that left Rogers looking quizzically at the wicket.

The right-armer nipped the ball back between Rogers' bat and pad as he pressed forward on 33.

Buttler and Croft were the men most relieved - the latter's drop at second slip therefore not costing Lancashire a run - although Middlesex would still have been reasonably happy with their morning's work as they took their lunch at 86 for three.

Out-of-sorts Sam Robson had fallen first to Chapple, once again edging behind, while Procter struck with his first legitimate delivery when Dawid Malan edged to Croft at second slip.

Rogers' initial application had then seemingly rubbed off on his team-mates as Joe Denly, who top-scored with 38, and Eoin Morgan dug in for an hour either side of lunch.

It was then, however, that Lancashire made their move.

The hosts took 4-29 in a 45-minute period where the deteriorating light eventually forced the afternoon session to be shortened.

Chapple had plugged away on the type of nagging length that has brought him nearly 1,000 championship wickets before getting a ball to spit on Denly. Morgan, who took 72 balls over his 25, then tickled an edge to Buttler off fourth-gamer Tom Bailey.

Procter struck in his next two overs with Neil Dexter slashing to Ashwell Prince in the gully before Toby Roland-Jones was pinned in front.

The conditions closed in soon after and sent the players to an early tea, and a 50-minute break, with the score 137 for seven.

Lancashire moved to the brink of denying Middlesex any batting bonus points on the resumption when Chapple tidied up John Simpson and Tim Murtagh, leaving the last-wicket pair needing 20 runs to haul them to 200.

Harris at least ensured it was not a fruitless day for his side when he whipped Junaid away to the square-leg rope to take them to 200.

Patel fell soon after when Buttler plucked a one-handed chance out of the air, off Bailey, which proved the last piece of action due to the bad light, which shaved 23 overs off the day.

Lancashire vice-captain Paul Horton admitted his surprise at Rogers' decision to bat first.

"Yeah slightly, I was," he said.

"The wicket has slightly a little bit more grass on it than a traditional Old Trafford wicket. We were going to bowl. It was an interesting decision."

Despite Lancashire's strong position they could still be relegated tomorrow should they fail to pick up the required batting points.

"We've got one last chance to do something increible on our home patch and try and save our season in four-day cricket," he said.

"We've got everything to gain. It was a very good day for us - to bowl any side out after you lose the toss.

"It puts us in a decent position. If we bat poorly then we'll be relegated tomorrow."

Should Lancashire defy the odds and stay up it would be a fitting finale should Chapple - who has been linked to take over as coach next season - end his long playing career.

"We don't know what Glen is going to do and I don't know if Glen knows what he's going to do yet," Horton said.

"If he does bow out at the end of this week he'll have had a wonderful career for Lancashire.

"Obviously with the potential of him becoming coach - I don't know if him becoming a player-coach is a long-term option for the club.

"Who knows? It's up to Glen, he's played for 20 years so let him choose when he wants to go out."