Adams knuckles down

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It barely mattered that Jimmy Adams took so long to reach his hundred, as he eked Hampshire into the lead towards stumps

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Hampshire, led by Jimmy Adams' second successive century, are making Lancashire fight hard to wrap up an LV= County Championship victory at Liverpool.

Adams battled for the whole of day three to back up his seven-hour 196 against Yorkshire at Scarborough last week with 109 not out off 283 balls as he wiped out a first-innings deficit of 238.

Adams and Michael Carberry resumed this morning on 15 for none, but partnerships of 73 inside 31 overs between Adams and Neil McKenzie for the third wicket and 78 inside 24 for the fifth between Adams and Sean Ervine held the hosts up.

The visitors closed on 275 for five from 103 overs, leading by 37.

Carberry was first to go when he fell trying to pull Kyle Hogg, top-edging to wicketkeeper Gareth Cross to leave his side 45 for one in the 22nd over of the innings.

Phil Hughes - named in the Australia squad for next month's tour of India this morning - looked uncomfortable at the crease for the second time in the match as he made only 12 before he was caught at first slip off Gary Keedy.

Hughes made room outside leg stump to try to cut the left-arm spinner but was undone by a turning delivery which he could only edge into his pads. Paul Horton did the rest.

Adams played solidly - as the situation dictated - but was strong against the short ball as he hit 12 boundaries.

Although McKenzie was also patient, he was one of two wickets to fall in the afternoon session to Tom Smith, who claimed 3-56.

Having offered a half-chance to Mark Chilton at point on 21, McKenzie edged Smith behind to depart for 31 off 111 balls.

When James Vince saw his off stump removed five balls later, Hampshire were 140 for four.

Ervine, perhaps not surprisingly, played the most attacking innings of the day. He hit six fours in his 48 off 70 balls and survived a massive caught behind shout off Smith two balls before he was ousted.

He hit a disdainful four through midwicket the ball after the appeal but then edged Smith to Horton at first slip to leave Hampshire 218 for five.

Lancashire were a bowler light due to Glen Chapple's calf strain, and there was also less in the pitch for the bowlers.

Adams, who passed 1,000 four-day runs for the season in the first innings, reached three figures off 273 balls after he had taken his side into the lead. It took him 91 balls to get through the eighties and nineties.

Wicketkeeper Michael Bates will resume alongside him tomorrow on 27.