Assistant coach Gary Yates insists Lancashire showed enough in their draw with Kent to head into next week’s match with Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay in positive mood.
The Red Rose looked to force victory on the final day of their LV=County Championship Division Two clash but were left frustrated by a commanding third-wicket stand.
But having secured a healthy first innings lead, Yates accepts the visitors deserve respect for resisting Lancashire’s charge during the final few sessions.
“We are pleased with how we are playing, and frustrated that we lost quite a bit of time to the weather,” he told Lancashire’s official website.
“Maybe if we had more time we may have been able to force a result but fair play to Kent, they batted well and we never really got into a position to force a victory.
“We were very confident overnight of being able to force a victory, we were trying to set it up by getting a decent lead close to 200.
“That would have given us a good two-and-a-half sessions to bowl them out but Kent made it difficult for us.”
Lancashire restricted Kent to a first innings score of 244, with returning England seamer James Anderson claiming 4-57 and Kyle Hogg 3-32.
In reply, the Red Rose declared on on 395-7 with Simon Katich top-scoring with 93 with Karl Brown, Ashwell Prince and Steven Croft notching half-centuries.
But it was Katich’s contribution which made the headlines, as his knock meant the former Australian Test batsman passed 20,000 first-class runs.
“It is a very proud moment,” he told the Lancashire website.
“For me it has always been about playing in winning teams and I have been lucky to do that.
“I am lucky it happened here at Emirates Old Trafford because I am not sure it would have been announced at any other ground like it was here. It was a nice touch.”
Despite Simon Kerrigan and Glen Chapple dismissing Kent openers Sam Northeast and Rob Key early in their second innings, a draw was always the most likely result.
And that is what Lancashire had to settle for as West Indian Brendan Nash and Mike Powell shared a third-wicket stand of 148.
Lancashire ended with eight points while Kent took five from the game, although Yates was pleased with what he saw from the Lancashire players.
“We played very good cricket over the four days,” he added.
“The way the game progressed was very similar to the match against Worcestershire.
“We are delighted that it is the second match running that we have been able to get a first-innings lead of more than 100 and done it with only five wickets down at that stage.”
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