Adams ton holds Lancashire up

Hampshire 160 and 275 for 5 v Lancashire 398
Scorecard

Hampshire, led by Jimmy Adams' second successive century, are making Lancashire fight hard to wrap up a County Championship victory at Liverpool. Adams, 29, battled for the whole of day three to back up his seven-hour 196 against Yorkshire at Scarborough last week with 109 not out off 283 balls as he wiped out a first-innings deficit of 238. The visitors closed on 275 for five from 103 overs and lead by 37.

Left-handed Adams and Michael Carberry resumed this morning on 15 for none but partnerships of 73 inside 31 overs between Adams and Neil McKenzie for the third wicket and 78 inside 24 for the fifth with Sean Ervine held the hosts up. Carberry was first to go when he fell trying to pull Kyle Hogg. He could only get a top edge which looped to wicketkeeper Gareth Cross to leave his side at 45 for 1 in the 22nd over of the innings.

Phil Hughes - called into the Australian squad for next month's tour of India this morning - looked uncomfortable at the crease for the second time in the match as he made only 12 before he was caught at first slip off the bowling of Gary Keedy. Hughes made room outside leg stump to try to cut the left-arm spinner but was undone by a turning delivery which he could only edge into his pads. Paul Horton did the rest.

Adams played solidly - as the situation dictated - but was strong against the short ball as he hit 12 boundaries. McKenzie was also patient but he was one of two wickets to fall in the afternoon session to Tom Smith (3 for 56 from 23 overs). Having offered a half chance to Mark Chilton at point on 21, McKenzie edged Smith behind for 31 off 111 balls. And when James Vince saw his off stump travel five balls later, Hampshire were 140 for 4 in the 61st over.

Ervine, perhaps not surprisingly, played the most attacking innings of the day. He hit six boundaries in his 48 off 70 balls and survived a massive caught behind shout off the bowling off Smith just two balls before he was ousted. He hit a disdainful four through midwicket the ball after the appeal but then immediately edged Smith to Horton at first slip to leave the scoreboard reading 218 for 5 in the 85th over.

While Lancashire were a bowler light due to Glen Chapple's calf strain, there was also less in the pitch for the bowlers. Adams, who passed 1,000 four-day runs for the season in the first innings, reached three figures off 273 balls after he had taken his side into the lead. It took him 91 balls to get through the eighties and nineties.

Wicketkeeper Michael Bates will join him at the crease in the morning on 27 not out.