Winless Lancashire squandered a promising start to be bowled out for 206 on day one of their visit to runaway Division Two leaders Leicestershire in the County Championship.
Logan Van Beek and Josh Hull took three wickets each as Lancashire, who had been 74-0 in the 28th over, were dismissed an hour after tea and Leicestershire added three points to the impressive 115 banked from four wins and two draws.
Most of the Red Rose batters made starts but none could turn them to anything of consequence, with Luke Wells’ 36 their top score.
Leicester made an unsteady start to their first innings, losing openers Sol Budinger and Rishi Patel inside the opening seven overs, but had progressed to 52-2 at the close.
Spectators hoping to see Jimmy Anderson in a first-class match at Grace Road for the first time in 20 years were disappointed after Lancashire decided he should miss this match to manage his recovery from injury, having bowled 28 overs against Derbyshire last week.
The hosts won the toss and opted to bowl first on a green-tinged pitch, through their four worthy seamers, led by the division’s leading wicket-taker Ian Holland.
But they were successful only once in a morning session with which Lancashire, after their struggles of the season so far, would have been encouraged.
They lost Keaton Jennings (27) leg before in the first over of Van Beek’s second spell, but 77-1 at lunch was at least satisfactory.
Their fortunes took a turn for the worse in the middle session, the first ball of which saw a tentative Wells, who was dropped at first slip on 10, caught behind as Van Beek struck again.
Leicestershire’s celebrations were understandably animated with the departure of Harris for 10. The Australian made more than 1,000 first-class runs over two stints at Grace Road.
He could count himself unfortunate this time, bowled by a ball from Ben Green that dislodged the leg bail after seeming to pinball off his thigh pad and the back of his bat.
There was rather less bad luck involved in the four other dismissals that left Lancashire 171-7 at tea.
Josh Bohannon, beaten for pace, was leg before to a good delivery from Hull, but George Bell and Matty Hurst, both caught at slip within the space of three deliveries bowled by Holland and Tom Scriven, may reflect that they should have played better shots.
Peter Handscomb, who caught both, the first at the second attempt, instinctively grabbed on to another deflection as George Balderson became a second victim for Scriven. This time it was via a superb ball that went past the edge and hit the off stump.
Scriven was denied when diving wicketkeeper Ben Cox put down Tom Bailey on four, but Leicestershire were well on top.
Tom Hartley (23 not out), marshalled a degree of resistance as Leicestershire’s bowlers got into the tail, but Bailey was bowled offering no shot.
Lancashire dragged their total past 200 before Anderson Phillip, off a steepling top edge, and Will Williams were caught behind.
Budinger, tamely, was caught at midwicket, and Patel at second slip as Williams and Bailey claimed a wicket each with the new ball.
But with Lewis Hill at the crease to temper Rehan Ahmed’s exuberance, Leicestershire recovered from 24-2 to close on 59 without further loss.
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