Surrey, Warwickshire and Hampshire were also victorious on the final day of their LV=Insurance County Championship Division One matches against Somerset, Essex and Kent respectively; Derbyshire wrap up innings victory over Leicestershire in Division Two
Pakistan’s Hassan Ali celebrates a wicket with England pair James Anderson and Saqib Mahmood as Lancashire secured a tense final day victory over Gloucestershire
Lancashire finally broke some determined resistance from Gloucestershire to wrap up an innings-and-57-run victory with just 23 balls remaining in play on the final day of their LV=Insurance County Championship Division One clash at Emirates Old Trafford.
The visitors, who resumed 67-3, were faced with the unenviable task of firing off a Red Rose attack packed with international class with James Anderson, Saqib Mahmood and Matt Parkinson all eager to prove their credentials to the new regime. from England.
But it took until just before 6:00pm on the final day for Lancashire to seal the win when Gloucestershire were finally dismissed for 247, still 57 runs short of the hosts’ mammoth first-innings total of 556-7 declared.
Gloucestershire’s score of 115-5 at lunch became 122-6 shortly after the interval when Miles Hammond, who had patiently compiled 50 of 154 balls, was awarded lbw to Anderson (2-25).
Zafar Gohar was then floored cleanly by Parkinson (3-29) to leave Gloucestershire staring into the abyss at 127-7, but they found a much-needed fight in the form of Tom Lace, Josh Shaw and Jared Warner.
Lace (71) hit her 130-ball half-century and the eighth-wicket pair had put up 79 when Hassan Ali (3-49) entered the fray and dropped Shaw (29).
Lace found another willing partner in Warner, the pair battling it out for 21 overs with barely an attack shot between them, but Mahmood (2-46) finally ended Lace’s determined vigil with just over 30 minutes left to play.
Warner, who had faced 119 balls for his 10 runs, then outplayed Hassan with goalkeeper Phil Salt inside the final four overs to spark Lancashire celebrations.
Ryan Patel continued his strong start to the season with a game-winning 102 as surrey confirmed their position as the pioneers of the First Division by beating Somersault through three windows in the Kia Oval.
Needing 237 to win, Surrey secured their second win of the first three games just before 5pm last afternoon when Patel joined England goalkeeper Ben Foakes (48th) in a decisive 66 partnership on fourth wicket. after the hosts lost Hashim Amla (14) and Ollie Pope (5) in the first half hour after lunch.
Foakes was earlier cleared to return to play after concussion testing, following his nasty collision with Jamie Overton’s first slip on day three, when both players lunged for a lead off Tom Banton.
When Patel finally went down, beating Josh Davey, Sam Curran came in and hit a blustery 33, including two sixes immediately after tea to Jack Leach, though it was one of three wickets to drop quickly before victory was finally achieved.
Warwickshire secured the first win of their County Championship title defense by scoring a 10-wicket win over Essex an hour after the afternoon session on the last day at Edgbaston.
Essex resumed the final morning at 290-8, just 73 ahead and needing something special from their last two wickets to stay in the game.
But they added just another 33 to finish with 323 overall and leave the home team with a win target of 107. Both wickets fell to concussion substitute Craig Miles (4-85), with Simon Harmer stranded at 75 not out.
Warwickshire starters Alex Davies (65th) and Dom Sibley (41st) then led the home team to victory with an unbroken 110 in 37.4 overs.
hampshire routed Kent for one inning and 51 runs in their clash at Canterbury after dismissing the hosts for 296 in his second inning on day four.
Kyle Abbott took it 5-29, cleaning up Kent’s tail with three four-ball wickets, while Felix Organ blasted his way to 3-63 as the visitors secured a match-high 24 points from the win.
Ben Compton and Jordan Cox had given Kent hope for a draw after batting during the morning session, but then they were dismissed for 89 and 64 respectively after lunch and Kent’s stamina collapsed thereafter except by an undefeated 41 from Darren Stevens.
Elsewhere, Will Young’s six-hour vigil for ’96 was thwarted yorkshirehopes of victory as Northamptonshire they dug in to secure a draw in their Division One showdown.
Young batted thoroughly to keep the Northants together in the second innings, narrowly missing a debut hundred after playing Matthew Revis with 26 overs remaining.
But wicketkeeper Lewis McManus, on loan from Hampshire, took the baton with a spirited and unbeaten 62 to lead the home team, who set a nominal target of 499, to safety at 318-7 by stumps.
derbyshire finally overcame stubborn leicestershire stamina to close out an innings victory over their local rivals in Division Two of the County Championship.
