Lancashire raised hopes of escaping relegation from Vitality County Championship Division One as bowlers Tom Bailey and Anderson Phillip shone against Worcestershire.
Bailey and Phillip reduced Worcestershire to 22 for five and then 56 for seven in seamer-friendly conditions at New Road.
The duo both picked up three wickets to give Lancashire an ideal start to a game they must win to keep alive their chances of remaining in the top flight for another season.
Worcestershire had already guaranteed their safety with three wins in in four matches, and their eighth-wicket pair of Matthew Waite (47 not out) and Logan van Beek (24 not out) led a partial recovery to 119 for seven.
Lancashire began the game 15 points adrift of third from bottom Nottinghamshire, who managed only 15.2 overs in their relegation scrap against Warwickshire at Trent Bridge.
A Nottinghamshire victory would ensure they retain their top-tier status, while Warwickshire need five points to confirm survival.
Nottinghamshire were 33 for two at the close of a truncated day as Ed Barnard and Oliver Hannon-Dalby – with his 49th wicket of the summer – claimed the respective scalps of Haseeb Hameed and Ben Slater.
On a rain-ravaged day across the country most of the action came at Taunton, as 15 wickets fell on the first day of Hampshire’s trip to Somerset.
Somerset were dismissed for 136 in 53.5 overs with Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s 63 supplying almost half their total.
Liam Dawson (four for 28) and Kyle Abbott (four for 37) did most of the damage with the ball.
Hampshire, two points above Somerset in second place and seeking their highest Championship finish since 2005, struggled in reply, especially against Jack Leach.
The England spinner was nearly unplayable with figures of three for nine from nine overs as Hampshire – with opener Toby Albert unbeaten on 38 – ended proceedings on 62 for five.
Kyle Abbott nearly had two wickets in two balls…
But a towel fell out of Abbott’s back pocket in his delivery stride, and it was deemed a dead ball. pic.twitter.com/9jTYDoABfk
— Vitality County Championship (@CountyChamp) September 26, 2024
Champions Surrey saw only 28.3 overs possible on the opening day of their Chelmsford clash with Essex.
Dean Elgar and Tom Westley shared an unbeaten second-wicket stand of 112 before persistent heavy rain drove the players off the pitch nine minutes before lunch.
Elgar passed 1,000 runs for the season on his way to 54 not out, and captain Westley (52 not out) ensured that Surrey suffered a rare day on the back foot as Essex closed at 116 for one.
An overnight downpour ensured no play was possible between Durham and Kent at the Seat Unique Riverside.
There was no play in Division Two, with all four games failing to get under way.
Promotion favourites Yorkshire and visitors Northamptonshire were left frustrated with puddles visible across the outfield when play was abandoned for the day at 1.30pm.
Yorkshire sit second in the table, 15 points clear of Middlesex in third with 24 points to play for.
Middlesex’s opening day against already-promoted Sussex at Hove was also ruined by rain.
Bottom-placed Derbyshire’s hopes of avoiding a 16th wooden spoon were hit by inclement weather ruling out a start in the East Midlands derby with Leicestershire.
Glamorgan are the only team that Derbyshire can overhaul, needing only to avoid defeat against Gloucestershire in Cardiff to make that impossible. That prospect was aided by heavy rain that left the Sophia Gardens outfield waterlogged.
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