Citizen Sport
Stubborn Cameron frustrates Lancashire
11:32am Thursday 1st September 2011
Title-chasing Lancashire were frustrated by a defiant unbeaten half-century by James Cameron on the opening day of their LV= County Championship Division One match at Worcestershire.
Opener Cameron made 87 not out as his relegation-threatened side closed on 209-6 off 58 overs in reply to the visitors’ 161.
The 25-year-old’s highest score so far this season, which contained 13 fours off 172 balls, blunted Lancashire’s fightback after they had been bowled out in 35.2 overs.
England and Wales Cricket Board pitch liaison officer Jack Birkenshaw was present to see the glut of wickets, but said he was “happy” with the track which he intends to monitor again today.
The eventful day began with Lancashire, after winning the toss, crashing to 113-9 before Kyle Hogg gave them a much needed lift by hitting 46 which contained two sixes and five fours off 43 balls.
Pacemen Kemar Roach and Gareth Andrew both claimed three wickets each to wreck the visitors’ hopes of earning valuable batting bonus points.
Paul Horton and Karl Brown were both quick-fire lbw victims with Horton becoming paceman Alan Richardson’s 55th championship victim of the season and Brown falling to Roach on his home debut.
Former Worcestershire batsman Stephen Moore, playing in his first championship match at New Road since leaving to join Lancashire in October 2009, was next to go when beaten by a Richard Jones delivery which kept low.
Jones followed up next ball by removing Steven Croft to set the scene for Andrew to take centre stage with three wickets in four balls in his second over.
Mark Chilton and Gareth Cross were both dismissed leg before in successive deliveries before Glen Chapple played on to reduce the shell-shocked visitors to 67-7.
It was a devastating burst by Andrew which left Lancashire in desperate need of a reliable partnership which Tom Smith and Sajid Mahmood struggled to provide.
They could only add a further 18 runs before Smith offered a slip catch to Vikram Solanki off Roach.
Mahmood, however, was unbeaten with 28 at lunch, having hit one six and five fours in his side’s total of 109 for eight off 28 overs.
He fell to the third ball after the interval without adding to his score to leave Hogg and Gary Keedy to put on 48 in seven overs.