Felix Organ bags career best wicket haul as Hampshire fight back against Lancashire at Southport

But Hampshire have fought back hard after a poor first day to keep their hopes alive.

The visitors were indebted to a career-best six wicket haul by Felix Organ after Phil Salt had struck his first century for Lancashire with Daryl Mitchell and George Bell contributing significantly to the hosts first innings 374 to give the home side a huge 232-run lead.A determined, unbeaten second wicket partnership between Fletcha Middleton (44 not out) and Nick Gubbins (45 not out) then helped take 95 runs off that advantage as Hampshire closed on 119-1 in their second innings, but with a lot of work still to do if they are to turn this match around.Salt, 76 not out overnight, moved on steadily through the first hour to reach his fifth first-class century and first for Lancashire off 132 balls with 14 fours, adding 74 with Josh Bohannon for the second wicket as the home side built on their three-run advantage at the start of play.

Hampshire produced a much more cohesive bowling performance, bowling a tighter line and length, and Keith Barker and Mohammad Abbas were unfortunate not to have anything to show for their endeavours from the opening exchanges.Instead it was Kyle Abbott who made the breakthrough when Josh Bohannon on 39 edged to Liam Dawson who took a good diving catch at second slip.That was to be the unfortunate Dawson’s last contribution of the day. Moments later the left-arm spinner stationed at third slip sustained a facial injury when the ball was inadvertently deflected by Middleton diving for a catch at second slip. Dawson left the ground immediately to receive stitches for a badly cut upper lip.Hampshire skipper James Vince turned to Organ and the off spinner rewarded his captain with a career-best six for 67 – his first wickets this season in red ball cricket – removing Salt with his second delivery when the Lancashire wicketkeeper edged to second slip for 103.

Buoyed by that success Organ bowled Dane Vilas for six and had Rob Jones caught at midwicket for 18 from the last ball before lunch, with Lancashire 260 for five and ahead by 118.

Mitchell, who despatched his first three deliveries from Organ for two fours and a straight six, joined forces with Bell after the break with a punishing 76-run partnership for the sixth wicket that extend Lancashire’s lead just short of the 200 mark.Bell, picked for the first time as a specialist batter, produced a fluent, fearless, innings of 45 that bore all the precociousness of youth, and it took a decent ball from persevering Mohammad Abbas to trap the 20-year-old lbw midway through the afternoon.

That dismissal saw Hampshire hit back, claiming the last five Lancashire wickets for 38 runs.

Mitchell, who produced a classy, chanceless innings of 68, fell lbw to Abbott before Organ cleaned up the tail to restrict the home side’s lead to a much lower figure than looked likely when Bell and Mitchell were in tandem earlier.