Procter haunts Lancashire in One-Day Cup

Luke Procter has moved on from Lancashire to Northants

Blackpool Cricket Club hopeful sun shines as Lancashire clash returns

The equation was finally reduced to two runs needed from two deliveries and Procter flicked Matt Parkinson’s leg-spin wide of midwicket for a boundary to win the game.

Procter finished 43 not out from 38 balls and Adam Rossington on 34 from 44.

After the hosts needed 86 to win from 17 overs with eight wickets in hand, the runout of Alex Wakely seemed to be the major turning point.

Four balls later Levi was caught behind for 90 and Steven Crook then chipped a catch to midwicket to fall for one

But Procter and Rossington steadied the ship and Procter’s three boundaries in successive balls in a 47th over which yielded 16 runs made Northants favourites.

But Rossington ran down the wicket at Parkinson and holed out to mid-on, before Graeme White was bowled second ball and Brett Hutton run out for one.

Ten were then needed from seven balls only for Nathan Buck to lift his first ball for six over midwicket to set up a dramtic final over.

It was hard to believe the match was so close after openers Levi and Josh Cobb raced to 90 in 11 overs.

Levi scored 22 from the seventh over and passed 50 in 51 balls.

His innings made Lancashire’s 279-9 look below par. The visitors had also enjoyed a bright start, with Keaton Jennings and Alex Davies sharing 105 for the opening wicket.

But after they slipped to 185-5 in the 37th over, it needed an unbeaten 83 from 68 balls by Dane Vilas to ensure a competitive total.

Vilas reached 50 in 49 balls with just two fours. But in the closing overs he heaved Hutton out of the ground and struck a second six wide of long-on as 46 runs came from the final five overs.

Procter said: “It feels amazing. I thought it was a good score they made. It wasn’t easy but to bring us home at the end was special.”

Lancashire coach Glen Chapple said: “We got to a good score but then in the Northants’ Powerplay we had clear plans to make them play square and we didn’t manage to do that.”

“We showed fight we get back into this and it looked like we’d turned it round. Matt Parkinson nearly won us the game right at the end.”

It means Lancashire have lost two of their opening three group games going into tomorrow’s clash with Warwickshire at Blackpool.