Debutant Rocky Flintoff hits 32 as Lancashire struggle against Surrey

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Rocky Flintoff made a creditable 32 on debut as Lancashire’s youngest first-class cricketer at the age of 16 years and 137 days but it was Surrey who enjoyed the best of the first day.

After being asked to bat Lancashire were bowled out for 204 inside 59 overs and Surrey then replied with 83 for no wicket before bad light ended play 15.4 overs early.

Most eyes were on the teenage Flintoff, who made 167 runs in seven Metro Bank One-Day Cup innings after becoming his county’s youngest player in any format last month, and who came in at 33 for two in the 11th over after both Luke Wells and Keaton Jennings had fallen to the new ball.

Off the mark first ball, clipping Dan Worrall confidently for two off his pads and uncannily like his father Andrew in build and mannerisms the young Flintoff saw off Worrall’s fine opening spell of 7-3-9-1 and helped Josh Bohannon to add 40 for Lancashire’s third wicket in tough, overcast conditions.

He did have some moments of good fortune, being dropped at third slip on 13 when he edged Tom Lawes and later also flailing a returning Worrall just over the cordon for four as lunch approached, but otherwise he looked comfortable at the crease and mature beyond his years as Lancashire reached lunch on 98 for three.

Bohannon had gone by then, chopping on to Conor McKerr for 26, and Flintoff sliced a drive from Jordan Clark to be caught at backward point.

Matthew Hurst played some superb shots to top score with 46 but was caught by McKerr off Sam Curran and from 155 for four the Lancashire innings fizzled out as Worrall, McKerr and Clark combined to overpower the tail.