Keedy seals Lancashire's spectacular victory

Leicestershire 385 and 277 Lancashire 275 and 388-9 Lancashire win by 1 wicket

Four days of richly entertaining cricket culminated in a thoroughly engaging finish here yesterday, from which Lancashire emerged with a victory that will do much to restore the bloom to a red rose blighted by a troubled winter off the field.

That they would score 388 to beat Leicestershire had looked, on Sunday afternoon, an unlikely story. More often than not in situations of this kind, even with the clock apparently on the side of the batters, it is the bowling side that comes out on top, largely because the time required to make the runs is time enough also for 10 mistakes.

However, the essential element of that equation is that the bowlers apply as much vigilance as their opponents. Leicestershire's too often did not, allowing Lancashire to wriggle off the hook repeatedly. It made for a tremendous spectacle, which ended with Lancashire scrambling over the finish line with one wicket to spare.

Initially there was confidence. At 132 for 1 overnight, with Mark Chilton and David Byas together, they were comfortable enough to imagine that 256 more on a pitch giving only occasional cause for concern, and with the outfield dry, might be eminently achievable. But the first setback was not long in coming.

Philip DeFreitas, the best of Leicestershire's bowlers, found some early morning swing, removing Chilton with his fifth ball and sending Byas on his way soon afterwards. But Leicestershire's progress was not sustained and what followed constituted not so much a recovery as a transformation.

Graham Lloyd, whose loss of form last season was so catastrophic that he was banished to the second XI, gave full vent to his aggressive instincts. He launched ferociously into Carl Crowe's off-spin, smashing five fours and three sixes to reach 51 in 63 balls.

At lunch, Lancashire were 270 for 3, Lloyd and Stuart Law having put on 120 in 24 overs, making the most of an escape for Law, who was dropped on 31. Another 118 looked almost easy. It might have been, too, had Wells not pulled out two super deliveries to remove both in consecutive overs, defeating Lloyd, for a heartening 73, with unplayable late movement and inducing a slip catch from Law, on 69, with extra bounce.

At 288 for 5 Lancashire were not done, however. Gambling that he could keep the momentum going, Glenn Chapple survived a chance on eight to batter Wells out of the attack. With Warren Hegg, the captain, more or less keeping pace, and the bowling becoming ragged, 10 overs yielded another 66, culminating in an extraordinary over from Devon Malcolm that encompassed two lots of four byes, an overpitched ball driven for four and a slash from Chapple into the wicketkeeper's gloves.

With 37 needed, Hegg found brave support from the rookie Kyle Hogg, but as the pressure mounted wickets began to run out. Hegg, desperate to finish the job, was caught at first slip, the total still 12 short, and Peter Martin went first ball to Charlie Dagnall, whose slower ball had Hogg caught at backward point.

It left Gary Keedy and Mike Smethurst to score six. Easy? Smethurst was a rabbit trapped in the headlights, but Keedy gratefully thwacked a Malcolm full toss for four and ran two more to deep backward point to finish the job. Lancashire had not scored more in the last innings to win since 1935.