Martin bounces in for victory

Northamptonshire fought with great resilience to try to overcome the twin disadvantages of losing the toss and a certain amount of ill-disciplined batting here yesterday before Lancashire squeezed home by one wicket with eight balls remaining.

Batting had long since become much more straightforward than it had been in the first half of an overcast day. Even so, Lancashire endured their share of hiccups, most of them self-induced, before their man of the match, Peter Martin, struck his first ball for the winning runs.

The toss was important. The pitch had sweated and greened up under cover against rain most of the previous day, and the only good news for Northamptonshire was that Glen Chapple's influenza prevented him from sharing the new ball with Martin. Otherwise there might have been real mayhem. As it was, Martin ran in formidably and moved the ball around from a good off-stump line. He was so full of bounce that it is tempting to think the England selectors did Lancashire a huge favour by sparing him many hours of drudgery at Trent Bridge.

In seven overs he prised out four front-line batsmen. These wickets included the crucial one of Rob Bailey, who would have expected to drop anchor in these conditions, but he was bowled behind his legs by a ball that went on to hit not leg but middle stump.

By the time Northamptonshire had digested this curio they were at their lowest ebb, 96 for 7. Not everyone had fallen to unplayable deliveries, as is often the case in these conditions, and a partnership of 112 by Tony Penberthy and John Emburey in 12 overs put things in perspective as the ball moved around rather less. Penberthy's left-handedness was an undoubted factor in disrupting the bowlers' line. At 41 he was also in luck when he was missed in the deep off Gary Yates, who he then bludgeoned for 18 off one over on his way to 79 from 85 balls.

Emburey supported him characteristically, nudging it here, chipping it there. It needed two good yorkers to dig them out, but at least Northamptonshire knew they had something to bowl at, albeit on a pitch that was changing colour all the time.

Not even the otherwise accurate Curtly Ambrose could pose the problems Martin had set, and nothing much had happened to encourage Northamptonshire when Michael Atherton and Jason Gallian perished in successive overs after tea when they were pacing things nicely. Lancashire never again looked quite so composed.

Northamptonshire were able to hold their breath, not to mention their catches. Though Lancashire needed 47 from 14 overs with five wickets left, they contrived to bat as though they had never been in that situation before, and were hugely indebted to the capable Martin, who thus finished off what his bowling and the spin of the coin had started.

More reports, Scoreboard, page 26