Kyle makes Lancashire smile

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Kyle Hogg followed up his excellent display with the ball by scoring 81 to put Lancashire in command against Hampshire

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Lancashire are on course for their fifth LV= County Championship win of the season after taking charge against Hampshire at Liverpool on day two.

The hosts, replying to Hampshire’s below-par first-innings 160, posted a commanding 398 from 134 overs today.

Kyle Hogg, who impressed with the ball yesterday, top-scored with 81 off 111 balls – the highest score of the match so far.

Facing a deficit of 238, Hampshire openers Michael Carberry and Jimmy Adams then reached 15 for none from seven overs of their second innings at the close.

Resuming the day on 124 for two, Lancashire were made to work hard for their runs early on.

They only scored two in the first eight overs, with left-arm paceman James Tomlinson bowling eight maidens to Mark Chilton and Shivnarine Chanderpaul in his first 10 overs of the day.

The former was the first Lancashire wicket of the day to fall when he was caught behind by Michael Bates standing up to Tomlinson.

He departed for 48 off 175 balls, the seventh time this season he has fallen in the forties.

Steven Croft was also caught behind by Bates off Chris Wood, Hampshire’s other left-arm quick bowler.

When Chanderpaul was run out for 38 by Carberry’s direct hit from square-leg, Lancashire were 144 for five in the 68th over.

At that stage, Hampshire would have fancied their chances of staying in the game but Gareth Cross, Tom Smith, Sajid Mahmood and Hogg boosted the total.

Cross and Smith, who made 44 and 31 respectively, added 75 in 25 overs for the sixth wicket.

Mahmood and Hogg then united for the highest stand of the match thus far - 89 for the eighth wicket inside 15 overs.

Wood, who had earlier removed Cross, also trapped Smith lbw to reduce Lancashire to 225 for seven in the 97th over.

But Mahmood, who smashed Wood over long-on for a lusty maximum, passed 500 runs for the season with a series flicks, chops and drives on the way to a 58-ball 47.

He fell to the medium-pace of Neil McKenzie in the first over after tea, though, providing the South African with only the eighth wicket in his 209-match first-class career.

He soon took his ninth, having Glen Chapple caught by Adams at point before Hogg brought up a belligerent fifty off 86 balls, with seven fours.

The 27-year-old left-hander hit four more fours and a six over midwicket as part of a 10th-wicket stand of 54 with Gary Keedy.

But he fell trying one big shot too many off left-arm spinner Danny Briggs. James Vince took a juggling catch.