Lancashire's positive intentions earn chance of win against Glamorgan

A three-wicket burst from Lancashire's Gary Keedy turned their CricInfo Championship match on its head by the end of an abbreviated third day at Colwyn Bay.

The left-arm spinner took three key Glamorgan wickets in the space of 17 balls to wrestle the initiative away from the Welsh county.

At the beginning of the third day Lancashire had needed another 71 runs to avoid the follow-on but by the end they had put themselves in a winning position.

Glamorgan eventually closed the day on 86-5 - a lead of 163 - but after 20 overs they had been reduced to 59-4 with Jimmy Maher caught behind off Glen Chapple and Ian Thomas, Mike Powell and Adrian Dale all perished to Keedy.

And in the penultimate over of the day Matthew Maynard, who had looked relatively comfortable went lbw to Chris Schofield to leave Glamorgan 85-5

At the start of the day Neil Fairbrother had continued his assault on the Glamorgan attack to help comfortably save the follow-on.

Lancashire resumed their first innings on 259-7, replying to Glamorgan's 479 all out, still needing another 71 to stop Dale asking them to bat again.

Batting with a runner because of an injured calf muscle Fairbrother and Glen Chapple took the attack to Glamorgan and knocked off the necessary runs within 19 overs after the start of play was delayed until 2pm because of rain.

The eighth wicket pair added 104 in 27 overs before Neil Fairbrother was caught at the third attempt by Dean Cosker at backward point in Dale's first over of the day.

Chapple, who had twice hit Cosker out of the ground, eyed a century but eventually perished when he holed out at long off for 64.

When Lancashire had reached maximum batting points skipper John Crawley enterprisingly declared his side's first innings on 402 - 77 behind Glamorgan - in a bid to force a positive result.