Harrison leads way as Northants beat Lancashire

Calvin Harrison is on loan at Northampton from Nottinghamshire

Rothesay County Championship Division Two, County Ground, Northampton (day three)

Northamptonshire 238 & 273: Sanderson 65, Zaib 50; Phillip 3-51, Williams 3-70

Lancashire 276 & 165: Harris 43, Bohannon 41; Harrison 4-32, Guthrie 3-34

Northamptonshire (19 pts) beat Lancashire (4 pts) by 70 runs

Match scorecard

Leg-spinner Calvin Harrison turned the game with a decisive spell of 4-32 as Northamptonshire fought back against Lancashire to seal their first County Championship win of the season.

Harrison, on a short-term loan from Nottinghamshire, dismissed Marcus Harris and Josh Bohannon in quick succession after the pair had guided the Red Rose county to 116-2 – almost halfway to their 236 victory target at Wantage Road.

That triggered a rapid collapse, with seven wickets falling for 28 to leave Lancashire, pre-season favourites for promotion, winless and bottom of the Division Two table.

Earlier, tailender Ben Sanderson blazed a remarkable 65 from 28 balls – his maiden half-century and the second fastest in Northamptonshire's red-ball history – sharing a ninth-wicket stand of 81 with Liam Guthrie as they rallied to total 273 in their second innings.

With their overnight lead at 102 and four wickets intact, the home side adopted a positive approach from the start as Saif Zaib hammered Anderson Phillip through the covers for successive fours.

Harrison took his cue from Zaib, hitting three boundaries as they built a partnership of 49 and the left-hander advanced to his half-century, having spent almost three hours at the crease overall.

When Tom Bailey slanted one across to have Zaib caught at slip, just two balls after Harrison had fallen lbw to Will Williams, Lancashire might have begun mentally preparing for the run chase – but Sanderson had other ideas.

Having survived a sharp chance to gully with just four to his name, he went on the offensive with a combination of straight drives, square cuts and slashes over the slips, as well as flaying Williams past long-on for six.

He also heaved Bailey over the rope to lift Northamptonshire's advantage beyond 200 and a flurry of four boundaries from a single Bailey over brought up the 36-year-old's maiden 50 in his 112th game of first-class cricket.

A miscued pull off Phillip that looped to deep square leg eventually sent Sanderson back to the dressing room, accompanied by warm applause before Guthrie holed out for 16 in the bowler's next over.

It left the visitors to chase 236 and Keaton Jennings seemed in a rush, hitting a trio of leg-side fours in the first over after lunch only to be fall victim to a smart catch by James Sales at square leg off Guthrie.

Opening partner George Bell soon followed, snapped up at short midwicket by Zaib and, with over 200 still required, Bohannon and Harris had to maintain their composure and regroup.

Harris, who had top-scored with a hundred in the first innings, looked well set for another big score as he lifted Lancashire's total into three figures with a clinical cover-driven four off Sanderson.

The pair added 83 but Northamptonshire's decision to bring Harrison on before tea paid dividends as the leg-spinner prised out both the set batters, with Harris (43) lured down the track for a stumping and Bohannon (41) leg before pushing forward uncertainly.

Those dismissals sandwiched that of Matty Hurst, who lost his off stump to a beauty from Harry Conway – and Harrison struck again in the first over after the interval, turning one to bowl Luke Wells through the gate.

Conway and Sanderson collected a wicket apiece and Phillip's top edge provided Harrison with a routine return catch for his fourth scalp before Guthrie (3-34) had Williams caught behind to end Lancashire's late resistance.

ECB Reporters' Network supported by Rothesay

Northamptonshire's Ben Sanderson:

"It's why we play cricket, days like that – it's what we get out of bed and train all winter for. Both teams fought hard for it and we came out on top – to come back like that and get the win was unbelievable.

"We said we wanted two 50 partnerships from what we'd got left, we thought that'd give us a little sniff. I've worked hard on my batting the last couple of years, it was just one of those days where it's come off.

"I was just thinking 'watch the ball and hit it' but we always say as bowlers, try to stay top of off. I felt they searched a little bit and played into our hands, then they spread the field and took the slips out.

"He's a class act, is Cal (Harrison) – whatever situation you throw him the ball in, he just controls the game. He's been ideal for us and especially picking up some big wickets there, which got us going, was just what we needed."

Lancashire captain Keaton Jennings:

"The disappointing thing for me is we've had four, five, six, seven opportunities in the game to win it and we squandered all those opportunities.

"It's massively concerning and emotions aside, it's just not good enough. Today we've been 116 for two and we get bowled out 50 runs later.

"I've got to ask questions of myself, the way we were going about bowling to the tail – are the decisions taken at that time the right ones? Obviously not, because the game judges you, it spits out at you what is deserved.

"I think every individual in that changing-room can and should look at themselves and figure out 'how can I improve by 10-20 per cent, if not more?'"