Lancashire make 462 at Old Trafford

It’s one of the unusual features of the Manchester microclimate that August is often wetter than February. Indeed, the rainfall records from the weather station at Manchester Airport show that more precipitation falls during the late summer compared with the late winter.

After the past few days at the Emirates Old Trafford, Glamorgan’s cricketers have experienced this capricious feature of the area’s weather pattern with just 8.4 overs being possible on Wednesday in the Royal London One-Day Cup match, besides a further 32 overs being lost on the opening day of the LV=County Championship match yesterday.

The meteorologists were also forecasting the likelihood of further disruption today as a large cell of low pressure moves across north-west England, and there was a thick bank of cloud over the ground at 11 a.m. as Lancashire resumed on 161-3 with David Lloyd and Graham Wagg undertaking the bowling duties. Karl Brown struck the day’s first four as he pulled Wagg through mid-wicket in the all-rounder’s opening over. The left-armer though nearly claimed the first wicket of the day as Steven Croft edged him just out of the reach of Jacques Rudolph diving to his right at second slip.

Croft celebrated his good fortune by cutting Lloyd through point for four before Andrew Salter had a trundle at the Pavilion End with Michael Hogan replacing Wagg at the Statham End. Brown duly reached his century as he clipped a full toss from Hogan through mid-wicket for his thirteenth boundary. Glamorgan then opted for an all-spin attack in the 82^nd over as Kieran Bull replaced Hogan before Croft lofted Salter over wide long-on, followed by a reverse-sweep to third man.

Brown also drilled Bull through extra-cover for four en route to a career-best 115 before Glamorgan took the new ball in the 87^th over with Craig Meschede and Graham Wagg returning to the attack. Croft duly completed his fifty from 102 balls as the pair also completed their century stand. Brown then flicked Wagg to fine-leg