Lancashire reign before the rain at Liverpool as Josh Bohannon scores 98

No play was possible after lunch on the second day of the County Championship Division Two clash between Lancashire and Leicestershire at Liverpool.

Despite a grim forecast and with rain falling for the majority of the morning, play began at 11.15am and an uninterrupted first session saw Lancashire progress from 347-7 to 449 all out. They were dismissed five minutes before the scheduled lunch break.

The Red Rose’s dominance was chiefly down to an unbeaten 98 from all-rounder Josh Bohannon, who was left stranded just two runs short of a maiden first-class century when last man Richard Gleeson edged behind to Harry Swindells for 11 .

That left the debutant wicketkeeper with four dismissals and Dieter Klein with figures of 3-89.

Bohannon and Tom Bailey had earlier resumed their eighth-wicket partnership with gusto and the hundred partnership came up in the 10th over of the day.

The highlights included a towering straight six off Chris Wright from Bailey, which found the tennis courts at the River End.

Bailey’s fun eventually ended when he holed out to Neil Dexter on the cover boundary off Wright for a well-made 57, which included nine fours and one maximum in a stand of 131.

Bohannon passed his highest first-class score of 78 before watching Graham Onions come and go fourth-ball for two, following a lose drive to a Wright delivery which found Muhammad Abbas at mid-off.

Bohannon tried his best to reach his century, hitting a four and a six to reach 98.

It was not to be as Gleeson was dismissed, though not before Lancashire claimed their first maximum batting points since 2017.