Lancashire enter Bears pit (11 Jun 1998)

11 June 1998

Lancashire enter Bears pit

Lancashire Evening Telegraph

• Lancashire are set to play in front of an Edgbaston full house for their floodlit AXA League match against Warwickshire at the end of the month.

  The Bears, who attracted a big crowd for their first-ever floodlit game against Somerset last summer, have already sold almost 15,000 tickets for the visit of Lancashire.

  They had a real rush on tickets during the Edgbaston Test last weekend.

  In contrast Lancashire have been disappointed with the response to their special cash back offers for advance bookings for next Wednesday's first-ever day-night AXA League game at Old Trafford against Surrey.

  They had only sold round 1,000 yesterday, but club officials blamed poor weather and the lack of cricket at Old Trafford, and are still hoping for a big walk-up crowd. Lancashire were back home at last today for the start of the Championship game against somerset and reached 52 for the loss of Mike Atherton for a 20-ball duck.

  Lancashire's only previous home Championship game this season, against Middlesex in April, was almost completely ruined by rain, with only 79 overs possible in four days.

• Leg-spinner Chris Schofield staked his claim as an all-rounder with a century for Lancashire in their Second Eleven Championship match against Somerset at Crosby's Northern CC yesterday. The 20-year-old from Littleborough hit exactly 100, and with Darren Shadford chipping in with 44, Lancashire skipper Peter Sleep was able to declare on 284-8. Somerset resumed today on 54-3.

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