Lancashire coach slams Chelmsford pitch after 26-wicket day against Essex

Shane Snater finished Day 1 with figures of 4-6

Hosts Essex took on Lancashire in the opening day of their County Championship Division One bout on Tuesday, September 20. As it turns out, the match has forwarded rapidly, with wickets tumbling throughout the day at Chelmsford.

With as many as 26 wickets falling on Day 1, Lancashire coach Glen Chapple has come out to strongly criticise the surface being used at the County Ground.

County Championship 2022: Glen Chapple lambasts Chelmsford surface

Lancashire captain Dane Vilas won the toss and opted to bat first. However, they scored just 131 in their first innings as they were dusted out within 40 overs of the opening day, courtesy of a five-fer by Simon Harmer.

Despite a paltry first-innings score, the visitors still ended up with a 24-run lead by dismissing the Essex batters for just 107. Tom Bailey snared a remarkable five-wicket haul and he received much assistance from Will Williams and others.

If the two batting disasters on a single day were not enough, Lancashire returned to the crease and sustained an even worse collapse, slipping away to 7-6 at one stage. Shane Snater collected four wickets, including three in an over, as the visitors finished the day at 25-6.

At the end of the farcical Day 1 proceedings, Lancashire coach Glen Chapple came down heavy on the pitch used at the ground. He said:

“Obviously the surface of the pitch looks poor. The ball is coming off it different every time. If you watch the batters’ innings through, they can’t lay a bat on it. Obviously, we’re going to try and fight to get as many in front as we can and see what happens to the pitch in the remaining part of the game.”

He also added that the conditions worsened once his side came out to bat for their second innings in the closing stages of the day.

“For the first three-quarters of the day there was a ball with your name on it, that was a given. The last 30 minutes, completely ridiculous.”

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