Shaikh Holds Firm as Leicestershire Fight Back After Hampshire Recover

Captains Ian Holland and Ben Brown delivered the stand-out performances with ball largely dominating bat on a 17-wicket opening day as the penultimate round of the Rothesay County Championship saw Leicestershire finish 66 behind Hampshire with just four wickets still in hand in a battle of the relegation favourites.

Leicestershire captain Ian Holland took a career-best six for 38, supported by on-loan Nathan Gilchrist’s four for 54 as Hampshire were dismissed for 214, his opposite number Ben Brown making an unbeaten 80 on a seam-friendly pitch.

His efforts, supported by teenagers Ben Mayes (39) and Manny Lumsden (31) helping Hampshire recover from a perilous 22 for four and 42 for five.

Hamza Shaikh is unbeaten on 50 as Leicestershire closed on 148 for seven in reply, with veteran seamer Kyle Abbott taking four for 41 to total 61 for the season as leading wicket-taker in the Championship.

Bottom of Division One with 32 points between them and safety, Hampshire are resigned to relegation. As things stand Leicestershire still have a chance of escaping, trailing third-bottom Essex by eight points and seventh-placed Glamorgan by 11.

That could change, though, if the England and Wales Cricket Board decide to penalise Leicestershire with a points deduction over the pitch prepared for last month’s win over Glamorgan at Uptonsteel Grace Road. Leicestershire are still waiting for a verdict.

Hampshire’s calamitous start to this match was mainly down to Holland’s excellence with the new ball, backing up his decision to bowl first by taking four for 19 in his opening eight-over spell.

The first three of those came in the space of six deliveries for no runs as late seam movement induced edges to second slip by Nick Gubbins and the prolific Jake Lehmann - his first duck of the season - in between which Toby Albert stepped across his stumps to be leg before.

Joe Weatherley became the third Hampshire batter to depart without scoring as Nathan Gilchrist beat his tentative prod, after which another edge to second slip off Holland put paid to Felix Organ.

Ben Green - playing his first cricket after a month out with injury - took a while to find his rhythm as Brown and Mayes both profited from playing outside the crease, particularly against the unfortunate Josh Davey, whose participation ended before tea with what looked like a damaged hamstring.

Tom Scriven has replaced him in the Leicestershire team as an injury substitute.

The sixth-wicket pair added 84 before 19-year-old Mayes, who had an escape on 26 just before lunch, fell into a trap clinically executed as ‘keeper Ben Cox, standing up as Holland sent down a legside delivery, pulled off a fine stumping to give the skipper his second five-wicket haul of the season.

Now it was the turn of Gilchrist, maintaining a persistent off-stump line, to strike three times in short order, removing Scott Currie and James Fuller caught behind and Abbott, taken at second slip.

Lumsden, a 17-year-old seamer of some potential who also looks somewhat better than a No 11 batter, aided Brown in adding 55 for the last wicket before chipping Holland to midwicket.

In reply, Leicestershire faced a similar struggle against Hampshire’s bowlers, led by the evergreen Abbott.  

Neck and neck with Warwickshire’s Ethan Bamber in the race to be Division One’s leading wicket-taker, Abbott used the new ball effectively to bowl Sheridon Gumbs and have Rishi Patel caught at second slip in his opening six overs.

With seam movement again a factor, Currie had Rehan Ahmed edging to third slip. When a fine ball from  Fuller had New Zealand international Nick Kelly caught behind, Leicestershire were 50 for four and matching Hampshire’s total was looking a tough challenge.

Currie had Cox caught at third slip and Abbott struck for a third time as Holland was trapped in front. Shaikh, 20 and on loan from Warwickshire ahead of a permanent move, completed his maiden Championship half-century just play closed with Green out to an ugly leg-side heave to give Abbott his fourth.