County Championship: Lancashire close 12 runs behind Warwickshire

Steven Croft has scored 433 runs at an average of almost 55 this season

Steven Croft ended his recent Warwickshire hoodoo to lead Lancashire's defiance on the second day of an absorbing County Championship match at Edgbaston.

Croft's previous three red-ball innings against this week's opponents had brought just three runs, but his gritty 90 - from 183 balls which included 10 fours and one maximum - led his side to 280-9 in reply to 292.

On an intensely-competitive hard-fought day, Lancashire's first innings was a mirror image of Warwickshire's the day before. Where Sam Hain's century had underpinned the home side's batting with only sporadic support, Croft formed a similar backbone for the Red Rose with similarly bit-part contributions from his colleagues.

Liam Norwell, playing his first game back after injury, led Warwickshire's bowling with figures of 4-78.

With Lancashire 12 runs behind with one first-innings wicket left, the match could hardly be more finely poised at the halfway point.

Having bowled the hosts out in the penultimate over of the first day, Lancashire launched their innings at the start of the second and lost Keaton Jennings, caught behind off Olly Hannon-Dalby, to the 17th ball.

Norwell took the next two wickets. Josh Bohannon edged a drive and was well held by Will Rhodes high at third slip and then Luke Wells - who recorded 36 off 87 balls - mishooked the ball to mid off.

Croft took root though and added 69 in 15 overs with Dane Vilas (37). The latter looked in good nick but stalked off the field in an state of angst having been adjudged caught by Hain at leg slip off spinner Danny Briggs.

The Lancashire captain evidently felt that he did not hit the ball - video evidence suggested he may have had a point.

Rob Jones (28) helped construct another half-century stand with Croft but then mis-pulled Henry Brookes to mid on. Jones thereby joined the lengthy list in this game of batters to get in then get out, as did George Balderson when he chipped Rhodes to extra cover for 19.

That left Lancashire on 226-6 with a new ball due. Danny Lamb twice pulled it into the Hollies Stand off Norwell but the paceman got his revenge via an edge to first slip.

Norwell then flattened Tom Bailey's off stump before, just as Hain had been uprooted right at the end of the first day, Croft fell, edging Brookes to first slip.

Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network.