Date-stamped : 01 Jul97 - 10:16 Lancashire bowlers get straight down to work By Mike Beddow at Worcester Second day of four: Worcestershire 58-4 v Lancashire TWENTY-FIVE overs is not a long time to quell any feeling of dis- enchantment after three championship defeats, but at least Lan- cashire made something of the only cricket in two days` weather- watching at New Road. Worcestershire lost four wickets in 12 overs to Darren Shad- ford and Peter Martin, and readily accepted an invitation to go off for bad light, notwithstanding that Tom Moody had taken 10 runs from the last four balls bowled by Glen Chapple. That there was any play at all was due to the efficiency of Worcestershire`s hot-air tent covering the square and the in- dustry of groundsman Roy McLaren and his staff in mopping up a saturated outfield. A fourth consecutive blank day in back-to- back cham- pionship fixtures here had looked likely. The gloomy forecast was dispelled by a strong breeze but for Tim Curtis the favourable drying conditions resulted only in a first-ball dismissal for the second time in successive matches. When the opener gave a simple return chance to Shadford, Lan- cashire had immediate justification for Michael Atherton`s pre- dictable decision to field first. Further endorsement arrived at an un- healthy rate for Worcestershire in seamer-friendly condi- tions. Graeme Hick fell lbw, aiming to play Martin off his legs. The paradox is that he looks comfortable at the crease but the runs are not in the book. One century is now set against seven scores of less than 20 in nine completed championship innings. Shadford, 6ft 2in and powerfully built, achieved his second success when Reuben Spiring was also leg before and Worcester- shire be- came 18 for four with the loss of Philip Weston, pushing forward to Martin and giving a regulation catch to Warren Hegg. At that point Lancashire were doing what others had done to them during a fraught period this month. The one-day masters are too often the great underachievers in the championship. The two sides here have won only one match between them, but Worcestershire are also unbeaten and their disappointing points total has much to do with bad weather. They have lost half of the playing time in four home matches and only 160 overs have been bowled in the last six days at this ground. Their competitive instinct is never stronger than in adversi- ty, and the efforts of Shadford and Martin were eventually dilut- ed by an unbroken partnership of 40 in 13 overs by Moody and Gavin Haynes. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Lancashire advance halted By Peter Roebuck at Worcester Worcestershire 100-7 v Lancashire A CURIOUS creature called county cricket emerged from its den at 11am only to return 90 minutes later damp and, chilled to the bone, not to be seen again for some time as lamenting clouds wept upon sod- den turf. Between times Worcestershire advanced their score by 42 runs at a cost of three wickets, the bare facts of another blighted day. All that remained was the closing ritual of the final day, and then a shaking of hands. It`s amazing the creature survived. Lancashire seemed sorrier to be driven from the field, which is not to say they were particularly downcast. They have been hav- ing a poor time of it. A rash of injuries to senior players has not helped, but this is not enough to explain the slump. Lan- cashire lie 17th in the table and are yet to win a match. It`s no fluke. Last year they fin- ished 15th. A powerful club is in trouble and unless results improve captain, coach and committee will be called to account. Per- haps authority is too thinly spread. Buccaneering performances on the sabbath will not satis- fy a demanding membership. Even at full strength, Lancashire have weaknesses, not least a lack of variety in their bowling and a middle order wobbly against pace. Moreover, the staff is unwieldy so that promise shrivels in the 2nd XI. Alas the supply lines have been broken, notwithstanding which the secretary of the Lancashire League refuses to countenance change. It`s against breathtaking arro- gance of this sort that English cricket must constantly fight. At least Lancashire can take heart from the emergence of Dar- ren Shadford, a youngster with an honest face and a raw action. Bowling fast and aggressively, Shadford removed Tom Moody as play be- gan, an outswinger touched to the wicketkeeper. Had for- tune smiled up- on him, he might have struck again for the day was overcast, the pitch fresh and uneven and the batsmen under- standably wary. Instead, Peter Martin, more accurate and less demanding, took the second wicket as David Leatherdale`s back-foot force was held at short leg. Steven Rhodes edged to second slip, and it was left to Gavin Haynes to take the locals to three fig- ures, whereupon the rains returned. Worcestershire are struggling, too, but they are a determined side. Meanwhile, they will consider strengthening their bat- ting by securing the services of Bas Zuiderent, the strong 20-year-old from Holland, whose 99 on Tuesday made a lasting im- pression. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Flintoff sets up belated first win for Lancashire By Mike Beddow at Worcester Lancs (1st innings forfeited & 237-7) bt Worcs (100-7 dec & 135-0 dec) by 3 wkts LANCASHIRE`S first championship win of the season, and only their second in 19 matches since last July, owed almost as much to Mike Atherton`s bargaining powers as to the efforts of Andrew Flintoff. In reaching a target of 236 in 64 overs - exactly the terms which Atherton agreed in his morning negotiations with Tom Moody - Lancashire flirted with failure at 64 for five but ultimately put paid to three successive defeats with plenty to spare. The result could have untold value, both in placating a rest- less membership and establishing the 6ft 4in Flintoff in first- team cricket before he captains England in an under-19 series against Zim- babwe later in the summer. This was only his second championship game in three seasons, partly because of back problems last year, and even this in- volved a medical scare when he went to hospital suffering from a stomach ail- ment on Saturday. The twists and turns which led to his match-winning innings of 70 in 101 balls involved two declarations by Worcestershire, a for- feit by Atherton, and a partnership of 98 with Warren Hegg when all seemed lost. The core of the batting in an injury-depleted side disappeared in 19 overs. The England players, Atherton and John Crawley, depart- ed in the opening spells by Phil Newport and Alamgir Sheriyar, and then Graham Lloyd was yorked in Stuart Lampitt`s second over. The subsequent revival hinged on a difficult chance, low to wick- etkeeper Steve Rhodes`s right, before Flintoff had scored. The cost was to be measured with 10 fours and a pull for six by a strong batsman with uncomplicated methods. Flintoff was also badly missed at mid-off, but by then he had completed a half-century from 70 balls. Only 32 runs were re- quired when he was lbw propping forward to David Leatherdale. Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)