Lancashire win thrilling clash

Lancashire 398 and 171 for 7 beat Hampshire 160 and 405 by three wickets
Scorecard

Jimmy Adams amassed a brilliant 194 off 507 balls but relegation-threatened Hampshire failed to prevent an County Championship defeat in a thriller against Lancashire at Liverpool. The 29-year-old left hander batted for 10 hours and 35 minutes, recording the longest innings of the summer and making the hosts sweat on a win which looked a near certainty at the start of the final day.

Adams shared a last-wicket partnership of 88 inside 43 overs with Danny Briggs (15 not out off 97 balls) to help post a second innings total of 405 and set the hosts 168 to win in 33 overs after tea. Adams' innings was the longest both minutes and ball-wise this season, beating Mark Ramprakash's 564-minute 223 off 395 balls for Surrey against Middlesex in May.

Left-arm swing bowler James Tomlinson then took three quick wickets to reduce Lancashire to 17 for three in the sixth over of their chase. But a 79-ball 51 from Shivnarine Chanderpaul took his side to the brink before Mark Chilton hit the winning runs off Dominic Cork with one ball and three wickets to spare.

Tom Smith recorded figures of 6 for 94 from 41 overs to clinch career-best match figures of nine wickets for 134 runs in 53 overs. The medium-pacer bowled Michael Bates for 31, Cork and tail-ender Chris Wood during the morning session.

Hampshire resumed the day on 275 for 5 with a lead of only 37. Adams and Bates shared 60 for the sixth wicket before Smith's triple strike left the score at 298 for 8 in the 115th over.

Tomlinson then offered a simple return catch off a leading edge to Sajid Mahmood before Adams farmed the strike from Briggs. Their stand started 40 minutes before lunch and lasted two hours and 40 minutes until Adams, who hit 20 boundaries, edged Kyle Hogg behind to wicketkeeper Gareth Cross in the 166th over of the innings.

Tomlinson (3 for 27) then bowled Paul Horton off an inside edge, trapped Karl Brown lbw first ball and had Smith caught behind by Bates as Lancashire chased. Steven Croft edged Cork behind to leave the score at 44 for four in the 15th before Cross joined Chanderpaul to move things along.

The hosts needed 102 to win off 15 overs with six wickets left. Cross was then caught at mid-on by Cork off Wood (three for 32) for 26 off 18 balls to reduce the score to 84 for five in the 21st over.

But Mahmood, in the form of his life with the bat, joined Chanderpaul to put their side within reach. When he carved Wood to Adams at deep point for 24 Lancashire were 130 for six in the 27th over, needing another 38 with six overs left.

Wood then had Chanderpaul caught behind off the first ball of his next over. Chilton finished 18 not out and Hogg 17.