Tremlett and Vince outshine Flintoff (From Daily Echo)

Tremlett and Vince outshine Flintoff

6:30pm Thursday 18th June 2009 in

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Hampshire are 124-4 in reply to Lancashire's 208

All eyes were on Andrew Flintoff but Chris Tremlett, England’s forgotten man, made his own outstanding comeback from injury, against Lancashire at Liverpool.

Flintoff was proving his fitness ahead of the Ashes, which start in less than three weeks, but Tremlett showed why he would also be a useful addition to England’s attack against Australia in his first championship match after six weeks out with an abdominal strain.

Tremlett finished with 4-49 after a potent second spell (9-3-25-4), a haul that included the big wickets of VVS Laxman and Francois du Plessis, as Lancashire were restricted to 208 after winning the toss at an overcast Aigburth.

It doubled his tally of championship wickets for the season and was his biggest haul for more than a year.

Lancashire raced to 47-0 against the new ball but collapsed to 127-7 in the damp, bowler-friendly conditions, succumbing initially against the swing-and-seam skills of Dominic Cork and Dimi Mascarenhas before Tremlett’s bounce caused constant problems from the River End.

Flintoff was surprisingly promoted to number three when Mal Loye became the first of Cork’s three lbw victims in the 11th over.

But after lofting Mascarenhas for a straight six that landed on the steps of Liverpool CC’s Edwardian pavilion, he edged the next ball to Chris Benham at third slip.

After Mascarenhas trapped Paul Horton lbw, Tremlett replaced Cork at the River End, from where his aggression saw Lancashire collapse from 101-3 to 127-7.

He began with a bouncer that Laxman (21) top edged, attempting to hook.

And in his next over, the in-form du Plessis (6) was superbly caught by Benham, diving low to his right at third slip just before lunch.

Another rising Tremlett delivery found Steven Croft’s outside edge in the fourth over of the second session.

Four overs later, a fuller length delivery, saw Tremlett claim Kyle Hogg (9) as his last victim.

Lancashire’s last three wickets yielded 81 runs, with Sajid Mahmood cracking a run-a-ball 30 not out, which included a towering straight six against Imran Tahir and three successive driven boundaries against James Tomlinson.

Three lbw decisions eventually ended Lancashire’s resistance, with Cork rewarded for his wicket-to-wicket persistence on a track that offered some variable bounce.

Batting against Flintoff, James Vince’s mature 34* (66 balls, five fours) was the highlight of the final session as Hampshire’s more experienced batsmen came and went.

Jimmy Adams (9) drove and glanced Sajid Mahmood for confident fours before nicking a Glenn Chapple beauty and Vince arrived at the crease when Michael Lumb (1) was lbw to Kyle Hogg in the 14th over.

Michael Carberry hit Mahmood out of the attack, but after seeing Vince bat out a Flintoff over with impressive ease, he and Chris Benham were dismissed in successive Gary Keedy overs.

Left-hander Carberry (25) was caught at short leg and Benham (1) top edged a sweep against the veteran slow left armer, which wicketkeeper Luke Sutton caught one-handed as the ball looped over his head.

No matter. Vince and Pothas saw off a hostile Flintoff (7-3-16-0), who tested both with some rapid bouncers without looking as penetrating as Tremlett.

They put on an unbroken 53 together for the fifth wicket, the highest partnership of the match, during the last 13 overs of the day.

Pothas struck an unbeaten 35 from just 43 balls, including a straight six against Keedy.

But Vince’s quality batsmanship against one of the championship’s best attacks, in bowler-friendly conditions, was especially encouraging.

Hampshire bowling: Tremlett 13-3-49-4, Tomlinson 9.5-0-54-1, Cork 16-4-43-3, Mascarenhas 15-4-46-2, Tahir 7-2-14-0