CRICKET: Titchard sustains Lancashire

LANCASHIRE 322-4 V ESSEX

As Arkwright, that fictitious northern grocer, might have said: "It's been a funny day." Steve Titchard, Lancashire's near-centurion, would have agreed and gone a stage further as to it being a funny season.

Titchard expected to play in a second-team Bain Hogg match at Farnsfield, a village in north Nottinghamshire, yesterday. Instead, he was dashing back to Manchester after Neil Fairbrother felt unwell and withdrew. His 96 not out and an unbroken partnership of 151 with Michael Watkinson sustained Lancashire.

Oddly enough, Titchard is becoming well used to outrageous fortune. He owed his only previous Championship innings of 57 and 81 this summer to deputising for Michael Atherton, the England captain, during the Texaco Trophy. Titchard then chipped a finger in a second-team match and marked his return at that level this week with a century against Nottinghamshire. While Titchard was on the motorway, depleted Lancashire were relishing an opening partnership of 123 in 36 overs between Nick Speak and Jason Gallian.

Without Atherton and Peter Martin, on Test duty, and the injured pair Glen Chapple and Ian Austin, as well as Fairbrother, Lancashire needed this confidence-nurturing start. Speak's half-century occupied only 70 balls, but two wickets in seven deliveries from John Childs, bridging lunch, accounted for his cohorts, Gallian and John Crawley.

Mark Ilott bowled Speak, who was aiming towards midwicket, and a six- strong Essex attack showed recuperative powers on a dazzling Mancunian afternoon when a Tannoy announcement warned spectators to "beware excessive sun and drink plenty of non-alcoholic beverages".

Ronnie Irani returned to his old county with the distinct mission of making an impression. He did so within 45 minutes, when Dickie Bird warned him about running on the pitch in his follow-through.

Graham Lloyd was yorked by Irani, but Essex were in the twilight zone of success while Lancashire revelled in its full glare. Watkinson was dropped twice by Robert Rollins as his team maintained their match average this season of three batting points.