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Lancashire fight back against Northamptonshire

Karl Brown Lancashire
Image: Karl Brown: Lancashire batsman fell agonisingly three runs short of century

Karl Brown and Ashwell Prince both missed out on centuries but ensured leaders Lancashire fought back gamely against Northamptonshire on the second day at Old Trafford.

Brown fell three runs short of his ton, while Prince made 83 and Alex Davies 51 to lead the Red Rose to 257-4 in response to Northants' 438 all out.

In perfect batting conditions, the LV=County Championship Division Two's table-toppers started the day hoping for quick wickets as the visitors began the morning session on 388-6 but with their tail exposed.

A frenetic opening hour saw the visitors lose Adam Rossington, trapped lbw by Kyle Jarvis for 89, before former Lancs all rounder Steven Crook (34) and Azarullah (12no) added some valuable late order runs to help take the score to 438. Australian James Faulkner was the pick of the home bowlers, finishing with figures of four for 63.

With the mercury rising, Lancashire's reply got off to a poor start when a wonderful second over of the innings from Olly Stone climaxed with the 21-year-old knocking back Paul Horton's off stump as the Lancashire opener's poor run of form with the bat continued.

In a mirror image of Northamptonshire's batting, an early wicket was followed by a century partnership as Brown and Alex Davies began rebuilding with determination and guile.

Brown, who earlier survived an easy stumping opportunity when Rossington fumbled a sharply turning delivery from Graeme White, reached his half-century in the half-hour before the break.

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He was quickly followed by 20-year-old Davies, who celebrated being shortlisted for the LV= Breakthrough Player of the Year with a fifth 50 of the season before edging Rob Keogh behind two balls later for 51.

After the lunch interval, it was a particularly memorable session for South African Prince as he first passed 18,000 first class runs when reaching 55 and then became the first player this season to hit 1,000 championship runs after making 61.

Meanwhile at the other end, a long-awaited second first class century seemed to be within Brown's grasp until he inexplicably top edged a cut off White to Stone at slip for 97 with the score on 226 and the broken third-wicket partnership worth 116. 

Northants sniffed a rare chance and got their reward when Prince followed soon after, edging a drive to Stone at slip off Keogh, who bowled his off breaks tirelessly for 27 overs.

Despite Richard Levi dropping a late chance presented by Croft off the bowling of Keogh, the double breakthrough perhaps tipped the scales slightly in the visitors' favour with Faulkner (five not out) and skipper Steven Croft (13no) negotiating the rest of the day's play safely to the close, their team 181 runs behind but with six first-innings wickets remaining.

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