County Championship: Lancashire on top in Liverpool (From Chorley Citizen)

County Championship: Lancashire on top in Liverpool

6:43pm Thursday 24th May 2012 in Sport

Lancashire hit back to seize the initiative in their County Championship Division One match with Middlesex.

The hosts resumed day two on 276-4 but after Ashwell Prince (144) had passed his highest score for the county, they lost six wickets for 71 runs in a batting collapse so familiar to this season.

Ollie Rayner (3-88) was the key bowler as Lancashire’s once promising position disappeared and they were all out for 392.

But Middlesex then stumbled to 95-5 with Ajmal Shahzad (2-26) getting rid of Eoin Morgan for eight.

However, former Haslingden wicketkeeper John Simpson led something of a recovery as he made an unbeaten 28 as Middlesex closed on 155-5, 237 runs behind.