Faulkner hat-trick puts Lancashire in ascendancy

James Faulkner's afternoon hat-trick helped Lancashire dominate the opening day of their Second Division championship match against Leicestershire at Old Trafford.

Faulkner became the 29th Red Rose player to achieve the feat in first-class cricket and the first since James Anderson against Essex on the same ground in 2003 as the visitors were bowled out for 207 in 50 overs.

Left-arm seamer Faulkner had Ben Raine caught at point with the last ball of the 43rd over and Jigar Naik and Charlie Shreck lbw with the first two balls of the 45th, finishing with 3 for 53 from 15 overs.

Faulkner, who missed out on a hat-trick in the recent one-day World Cup semi-final against India, is not the first Australian to take a hat-trick for Lancashire, with fellow Tasmanian Ted McDonald taking the last of his three for the county in 1930.

"I didn't know until I was walking back to my mark after the second wicket and the umpire told me I was on a hat-trick," Faulkner said. "The rest of the boys didn't know either. The first wicket was a wide half-volley - probably the worst ball of my spell. It wasn't a great ball, and you take them any way you can."

Tom Bailey also claimed 4 for 69 from 20 for the Division Two leaders, who lost the toss, as they reduced the visitors to 78 for 5 before lunch.

Forty four overs were lost to the weather, including 42 to bad light. Lancashire did not get the chance to start their reply.

Former Lancashire batsman Andrea Agathangelou was the only Leicester batsman to make it beyond 30 as his composed 54 off 66 balls frustrated the hosts either side of lunch. He shared 87 inside 21 overs for the sixth with Raine, who made 26.

Agathangelou played 21 first-class matches during his four-year stay in Manchester between 2011 and 2014, scoring two fifties and one hundred - against Hampshire at Southampton in 2013. But this was his maiden first-class fifty on his ground.

Bailey and Kyle Jarvis shared five morning wickets as Leicester failed to capitalise on winning the toss against a Lancashire side including spinners Simon Kerrigan and Arron Lilley.

Jarvis, who later picked up his 50th Championship wicket of the season, got openers Niall O'Brien and Angus Robson caught behind. Bailey had Ned Eckersley caught at first slip, Umar Akmal caught behind and Mark Cosgrove lbw. His fourth wicket was that of Agathangelou, caught behind to leave the score at 165 for six in the 38th over.

Jarvis then picked up his 50th wicket to wrap up the innings in the early stages of the evening when he had Atif Sheikh caught behind by Alex Davies, his fifth victim behind the stumps.