Prince steers Lancashire to safety

Ashwell Prince followed up his first-innings 74 with a valuable unbeaten century as Lancashire claimed a draw against Notts

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Ashwell Prince’s first century for Lancashire led them to an important LV= County Championship draw against Division One rivals Nottinghamshire at Old Trafford today.

The 31-year-old South Africa batsman helped his side recover from 39 for three as they attempted to overhaul a first-innings deficit of 178.

Championship debutant Luke Fletcher (2-33 from 15 overs) took two out of the three wickets to fall in the day, trapping both Tom Smith and Francois du Plessis lbw.

Paul Horton was caught behind by stand-in wicketkeeper Bilal Shafayat off the bowling of Ryan Sidebottom.

Nottinghamshire skipper Chris Read left Manchester on Friday night to attend the birth of his first child and overseas player Adam Voges took over the captaincy for the final day.

Lancashire had been bowled out for 189 in their first innings and looked in trouble within 12 overs of their second innings.

But Prince shared an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 191 with Mark Chilton (56 not out) to help the hosts to 230 for three declared and both sides agreed to shake hands just before 5pm.

Run-scoring had been difficult for most of this game with swing and a little bit of extra bounce making life difficult for the batsmen. But today offered the easiest conditions for batting.

Mark Chilton provided solid support for Prince with a gutsy knock of 56 not out

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Prince had a brief spell as Nottinghamshire’s overseas player at the back end of last summer but did not show anywhere near the kind of form he has for the Old Trafford outfit so far.

This was his fourth consecutive score above fifty in the championship. He will stay with Lancashire until VVS Laxman returns from the Indian Premier League at the end of the month.

When he reached his 25th first-class career century, off 152 balls with 10 fours and two sixes, Lancashire had wiped out their first-innings deficit.

He reached three figures with a four through third-man off the bowling of Fletcher in the over before tea and had hit his two sixes straight off the bowling of England off-spinner Graeme Swann.

Prince’s run of scores reads 56, 91 not out (both at Sussex), 74 and now 135 not out - a score which took him past 10,000 first-class runs.

Nottinghamshire had looked very well placed to force victory when Smith went for seven, Horton for 14 and du Plessis for four.

But Prince and Chilton steadied the ship with the feature of their partnership being some decisive and energetic running between the crease over more than two sessions.

Chilton’s knock was also a continuation of his good start to the championship season after he hit 89 in the first innings of the win at Sussex.

He reached his half-century early in the last session of the match, off 157 balls with three fours.

Nottinghamshire, who top Division One after two matches, take eleven points from the game and Lancashire, who are second, seven.