Lancashire’s Paul Coughlin made the fastest fifty in the 49-match history of first-class cricket at Southport but his county’s game against Worcestershire seems likely to end in a draw.
Coughlin hit four sixes and four fours to reach his half-century in 36 balls and his 61, which included another maximum, helped the home side reach 281-8 in reply to their opponents’ 270 at the end of a day which concluded with a four-over session starting at 18:25 BST.
That brief period of play ended in dramatic fashion when Coughlin was lbw to Tom Taylor’s last ball of the day but by then his 62-run stand with Tom Hartley had earned Lancashire an 11-run lead.
But Saturday’s washout and Sunday evening’s showers have resulted in the loss of 116 overs in this match and unless one side collapses on the final day, a draw is the probable outcome.
And Worcestershire supporters should be cheered by the bowling of Beyers Swanepoel, who finished with 3-75 and their Durham loanee, George Drissell, who finished with 2-32 from 16 overs.
The first wicket of the morning fell in the fifth over, when George Balderson, having added only two runs to his overnight 17, fenced at a ball from Swanepoel and edged a catch to wicket-keeper Gareth Roderick.
Josh Bohannon then had to cope with the toughest batting conditions of the day and had made 12 in 50 minutes when he nicked a fine delivery from Matthew Waite to Adam Hose at first slip.
Singh capitalised on Bohannon’s vigilance. Whereas only 26 runs had been scored off 15 overs in the first hour of the day, 71 came off 17 in the following 70 minutes until lunch, by which time Lancashire were 125-2. Singh was unbeaten on 32, having hit five fours, and Jennings was 48 not out.
On the resumption, Singh was bowled by Swanepoel for a career-best first-class score of 36 when he inside-edged the ball into his stumps and Michael Jones was dismissed for four in similar fashion by Waite, although the Lancastrian was belatedly trying to take the bat away.
Seven overs later, things got considerably worse for the home side when they lost the vital wicket of Jennings for 69.
Having reached his fifty off 127 balls looking in little trouble during his 235-minute innings, the opener miscued a cut off Drissell straight to Tom Taylor at backward point. That gave the Durham loanee his first wicket of the Championship season and it left Lancashire precariously placed on 164-5, still 106 runs in arrears.
Worcestershire made two more breakthroughs before tea without ever instigating a collapse. Chris Green was caught behind for 15 when flashing at Swanepoel and having made 24 in 88 minutes, Hurst was also taken by Roderick off Drissell.
By then, though, Coughlin was already hitting the ball cleanly and having smacked two sixes before tea, he hit two more when play resumed briefly, one of the maximums having to be retrieved from a Harrod Drive garden by Swanepoel.
Two rain showers further interrupted the evening session and it was something of a surprise when the umpires decreed that a four-over session was possible.