Lancashire: Chapple is odd man out (17 Sep 1998)

17 September 1998

Chapple is odd man out

The Lancashire Evening Telegraph

Glen Chapple was delivered a cruel blow as Lancashire started their must-win Championship clash against Hampshire today.

Chapple was omitted as Lancashire opted to play with two spinners in a game they must win to have any chance of pipping Surrey and Leicestershire for the title.

And Wasim Akram, leading Lancashire for the last time in this amazing season, is banking on the Old Trafford pitch spinning late on in the game for Gary Yates and Gary Keedy as he won the toss and elected to bat.

Mike Atherton and Peter Martin, who were both slight doubts earlier in the week with back problems, were practising on an adjacent pitch as Wasim took a look at the wicket - and both came through their fitness test with no problems.

There was a real air of anticipation around the ground - as well as the racket from the ongoing building of the Lancashire Lodge Hotel - as members gathered to see the county bid for their first championship since 1950.

This is the closest they have been since 1987, when David Hughes's team won their last six matches but were just pipped by Notts.

Meanwhile the club continued to build for the future by signing young seamer Michael Smethurst on a two year contract. Smethurst, a 21-year-old from Middleton, has been the leading wicket taker for the second team this season and has just completed a university course.

The seconds clinched a dramatic win at Leicestershire yesterday in the penultimate over, thanks mainly to a century from Paddy McKeown. Everyone at Old Trafford was hoping that was an omen for another success over Leicestershire in the next four days.

Source :: Lancashire Evening Telegraph (https://www.reednews.co.uk/let/)