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Blue Jackets' Dubinsky out with wrist injury

Published in Hockey
Wednesday, 25 September 2019 10:16

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Columbus Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky likely will miss the start of the season with a wrist injury.

General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Wednesday that the 33-year-old Dubinsky is out indefinitely. No other details were provided.

Dubinsky is entering his 13th NHL season. Last year he recorded six goals and eight assists in 61 games. He added one goal in 10 playoff games.

He has recorded 153 goals and 285 assists in 823 career games with the Blue Jackets and New York Rangers.

The Blue Jackets open the season at home Oct. 4 against Toronto.

Men's, women's teams announced for fifth East Lake Cup

Published in Golf
Wednesday, 25 September 2019 04:06

The field is set for the for the fifth annual East Lake Cup.

Texas, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest will compete on the men’s side. Duke, Auburn, Wake Forest and Arizona comprise the women's division.

The event will be contested Oct. 28-30 at East Lake Club in Atlanta, Georgia. The teams, both men and women, will play one day of stroke play to determine an individual champion and set seeds for match play.

Day 2 will be semifinal team match play, with the finals and consolation matches taking place on Day 3. Golf Channel will air all three days of competition, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on Oct. 28.

“Now approaching its fifth year, the East Lake Cup has become one of college golf’s marquee events,” said Tom Knapp, Golf Channel executive vice president, programming and partnerships. “This championship anchors Golf Channel’s year-round commitment to college golf, and introduces viewers to golf’s future stars for both the men’s and women’s game.”

Here’s the resume of the teams competing:

MEN’S DIVISION:

  • University of Texas: 2019 NCAA national championships runners-up
  • Oklahoma State University: 2018 NCAA national champions, 2019 semifinalists
  • Vanderbilt University: 2017 East Lake Cup champions, 2019 NCAA semifinalists
  • Wake Forest University: 2019 NCAA quarterfinalists, current top-ranked team in the country

WOMEN’S DIVISION:

  • Duke University: 2019 NCAA national champions; 2016 East Lake Cup champions
  • Auburn University: 2019 NCAA semifinalists
  • Wake Forest University: 2019 NCAA national championship runners-up, current top-ranked team in the country
  • University of Arizona: 2018 NCAA national champions, 2019 NCAA semifinalists

Germany saved from Nations League relegation

Published in Soccer
Wednesday, 25 September 2019 03:28

Germany will no longer be relegated in the Nations League after UEFA announced a revamp of the format for the 2020 edition.

JUMP TO: UEFA Europa Conference League

Joachim Low's team -- along with Croatia, Iceland and Poland -- were relegated from League A to League B in the inaugural tournament last year.

It meant they should have been playing alongside Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, Russia, Scotland, Serbia and Wales in League B.

But UEFA has decided to increase the number of nations in League A from 12 to 16, meaning the four nations who should have been relegated will now remain in League A.

- UEFA Nations League revamp: All you need to know

UEFA says it has taken the decision to "further minimise the number of friendly matches." It means that there will be no international friendly dates for major European teams following Euro 2020 until 2022, after World Cup qualifying has finished. The exception will be nations drawn into groups of five for World Cup qualifying, who will have two spare dates.

The draw for the 2020 UEFA Nations League will be held on March 3, with games being played between September and November, and the finals in June 2021. UEFA insists that nations will be relegated between Leagues this time. The format revamp also means Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia and Turkey avoid relegation from League B.

UEFA Nations League positions are set to decide the 12 nations who take part in a two-part playoff system for the final three places at the 2022 World Cup.

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UEFA Nations League 2020

Teams will be drawn into groups based on the following pools.

League A: Portugal (holders), Netherlands, England, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden, Croatia, Poland, Germany, Iceland

League B: Russia, Austria, Wales, Czech Republic, Scotland, Norway, Serbia, Finland, Slovakia, Turkey, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, Israel, Hungary, Romania

League C: Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Georgia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Belarus, Cyprus, Estonia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Moldova

League D: Gibraltar, Faroe Islands, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Malta, San Marino

UEFA Europa Conference League

UEFA also announced full details its new third-tier European competition, which will begin in the 2021-22 season.

The Europa League will be reduced from 48 to 32 teams, with the new UEFA Europa Conference League also featuring 32 teams. The aim is to give more regular European football to teams from smaller nations.

Europe's top five leagues will have only one team each, the lowest-ranked to qualify, and will enter in the final qualifying round. This year that would have been Wolves, Espanyol, Torino, Strasbourg and Eintracht Frankfurt.

Games will be played on a Thursday, alongside the Europa League. Group winners qualify automatically for the round of 16, with runners-up facing a playoff against third-ranked teams from Europa League groups. The UEFA Europa Conference League winners will qualify for the following season's Europa League.

When do the 2019 MLS Cup playoffs begin? Who has qualified?

Published in Soccer
Wednesday, 25 September 2019 10:12

The Major League Soccer regular season is nearing its conclusion, which means clubs have their sights firmly set on qualifying for the MLS Cup playoffs, which begin on Oct. 19.

Seven teams have clinched one of the 14 postseason berths, while two more have already been eliminated, including expansion side FC Cincinnati. In between those poles, things are wide open, especially in the Western Conference, where only one side -- LAFC -- has clinched a spot.

So, who's in? Who's out? Who has it all to play for?

- MLS standings | Schedule
- Watch every out-of-market MLS game live on ESPN+!

Clinched playoff places (seven per conference)

Eastern Conference: New York City FC, Atlanta United, Philadelphia Union, D.C. United, New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC

Western Conference: LAFC

Eliminated from postseason contention

Eastern Conference: FC Cincinnati

Western Conference: Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Still in contention: East

  • New England Revolution (41 points, 31 games played)

  • Montreal Impact (38 points, 32 games played)

  • Chicago Fire (37 points, 32 games played)

  • Orlando City SC (36 points, 32 games played)

  • Columbus Crew SC (35 points, 32 games played)

Still in contention: West

  • Seattle Sounders FC (50 points, 32 games played)

  • Minnesota United FC (49 points, 31 games played)

  • LA Galaxy (48 points, 31 games played)

  • Real Salt Lake (47 points, 31 games played)

  • FC Dallas (45 points, 32 games played)

  • San Jose Earthquakes (44 points, 31 games played)

  • Portland Timbers (44 points, 31 games played)

  • Colorado Rapids (39 points, 32 games played)

  • Houston Dynamo (37 points, 31 games played)

  • Sporting Kansas City (37 points, 31 games played)

Wednesday clinching scenarios

The LA Galaxy will clinch a berth in the MLS Cup playoffs with a win over Real Salt Lake OR a draw AND a San Jose draw against Philadelphia AND a Portland draw vs. New England OR a San Jose draw AND a Portland loss OR a San Jose loss AND a Portland draw. Minnesota United can book its first postseason place with a win vs. Sporting Kansas City OR a draw while San Jose and Portland both draw in their respective matches OR one of Portland and San Jose draws while the other loses.

Real Salt Lake will be playoff bound with a win against the Galaxy AND losses from both San Jose AND Portland. The Seattle Sounders, too, can secure their postseason place if both San Jose AND Portland lose or draw.

LAFC can lift the Supporters' Shield with a win over Houston OR a New York City FC loss to Atlanta. New York City FC will clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference if it beats Atlanta AND Philadelphia drops points against San Jose.

Wednesday elimination scenarios

The Columbus Crew's playoff hopes will be extinguished with a New England win or draw against Portland. The Montreal Impact will miss the postseason if New England beats Portland. Orlando City SC will also be eliminated if New England wins against Portland.

The Colorado Rapids will be eliminated if San Jose beats Philadelphia AND Portland tops New England OR a San Jose win over Philadelphia AND a Sporting KC win against Minnesota AND Portland drawing vs. New England. The Houston Dynamo will be knocked out of playoff contention with a loss to LAFC OR wins from both San Jose AND Portland. Sporting Kansas City will miss the playoffs with a loss to Minnesota OR wins from both San Jose AND Portland.

When do the MLS Cup playoffs begin?

In addition to the field expanding to 14 teams, the calendar has shifted ahead by two weeks to begin on Oct. 19 and been compressed by the elimination of two-legged ties, with a return to single-elimination knockout.

Here is playoff schedule, leading up to the MLS Cup on Nov. 10 (3 p.m. ET, ABC).

Round 1

  • Saturday, Oct. 19 (time TBD)

  • Saturday, Oct. 19 (time TBD)

  • Sunday, Oct. 20 (time TBD)

  • Sunday, Oct. 20 (time TBD)

  • Sunday, Oct. 20 (time TBD)

  • Sunday, Oct. 20 (time TBD)

Conference semifinals

  • Wednesday, Oct. 23 (time TBD)

  • Wednesday, Oct. 23 (time TBD)

  • Thursday, Oct. 24 (time TBD)

  • Thursday, Oct. 24 (time TBD)

Conference finals

  • Tuesday, Oct. 29 (time TBD)

  • Wednesday, Oct. 30 (time TBD)

MLS Cup

  • Sunday, Nov. 10 (3 p.m. ET, ABC)

Time to worry about Pulisic's lack of playing time?

Published in Soccer
Wednesday, 25 September 2019 08:51

When Christian Pulisic's $73 million move to Chelsea was announced in January, there were equal parts excitement and trepidation.

The anticipation came from having the American heading to one of the world's biggest clubs for a fee more than three times the previous record for a U.S. international. If Pulisic could break through with the Blues, there was a chance that he could live up to the predictions -- or hopes -- that he would become the first transcendent American star.

But the enthusiasm was tempered by concern over how much he would actually play, especially coming off a season with Borussia Dortmund in which his time decreased due to a combination of injury and the emergence of Jadon Sancho. When Maurizio Sarri -- Chelsea's manager when Pulisic's transfer was agreed upon -- returned to his native Italy and Frank Lampard came in to replace him, the American's position looked even more vulnerable.

Just six weeks into the season, Pulisic has shown flashes of ability, like when he set up Olivier Giroud's goal against Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup, but has found minutes harder to come by recently. When he has featured, he struggled to make much of an impact, often opting to play it safe.

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"OK" is the word that keeps coming up from those assessing the American's performances. That hasn't been enough to keep Pulisic in Chelsea's starting lineup, even as he returned from international duty early. In fact, heading into Wednesday's Carabao Cup match against Grimsby Town (ESPN+, 2:45 p.m. ET), he has been an unused substitute three games in a row.

The lack of minutes has, in some cases, been circumstantial. During last weekend's 2-1 defeat to Liverpool, Lampard was forced to burn two substitutes in the first half when defenders Emerson Palmieri and Andreas Christensen were injured.

But other signs are more disheartening. When Mason Mount was injured early in Chelsea's 1-0 Champions League defeat to Valencia, Pedro was summoned, not Pulisic. The return of Willian, hurt at the start the season, has also made minutes tougher to come by. With Callum Hudson-Odoi also on the mend, the competition is set to get more intense.

"It's so early," said former U.S. international Landon Donovan, who enjoyed two loan spells in England with Everton. "You don't want to get carried away, but the signs don't look great so far for Pulisic, especially when you have Pedro, Ross Barkley and Michy Batshuayi also not starting in [the Liverpool] match. You would think he's moving down the pecking order."

Pulisic was already operating at a deficit, given that Mount spent all of last season on loan at Derby County, where Lampard was manager. While Mount has endured uneven moments of his own, he has scored three goals. Pulisic, by contrast, has yet to find the back of the net. Others like Pedro and Willian are more proven, even as they are getting on in years (32 and 31, respectively).

"The number that they bought Pulisic for helps, but the shake-up in management doesn't because there's no tie," said former Leicester, Tottenham and Fulham goalkeeper Kasey Keller. "Lampard isn't tied to Pulisic. He's not saying that this is the guy I wanted and give him the benefit of the doubt. He had nothing to do with signing Pulisic."

So how does the 21-year-old earn Lampard's faith? There's really only one way, and that is through his performances during training and in games.

"There's very little politics that goes into playing time over there," said Brad Friedel, who spent the bulk of his career in the Premier League with the likes of Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Tottenham. "It's a very straightforward scenario where the best play. It doesn't matter what your last name is. It doesn't matter generally how much they paid for you, although if you get into the stratospheric wages that can put a little bit of pressure on.

"It will be turning up for training, working hard, being better than the other players in your position, and the most important thing: scoring and assisting and winning games. If you're not involved in the scoring and winning and assisting and all that, you will not play over there, especially at a club like Chelsea, because they're going to be under pressure to win."

In some respects, the fact that Pulisic is having difficulty breaking through is not surprising. The Premier League, and Chelsea in particular, has witnessed supremely talented players struggle during their initial foray in England. Neither Kevin De Bruyne nor Mohamed Salah managed to make the grade at Stamford Bridge, only to return to England and flourish at Manchester City and Liverpool, respectively. It speaks to how difficult the adjustment can be, even if you're moving from a quality league like the Bundesliga.

"The Bundesliga, the quality is really high, but the EPL is just crazy physical, beyond what people can imagine," Donovan said. "There's definitely an adjustment period for any player going there. It's not easy."

There's consensus that Pulisic will get additional opportunities, starting with Wednesday's Carabao Cup match. Lampard has said as much, while the fact that Chelsea is operating under a transfer ban until the summer gives the manager few options but to persist with what's at hand. The key for Pulisic is to seize his chance and leave Lampard with no choice but to play him. That will be an ongoing process, one that will be monitored closely stateside, given that World Cup qualifying starts next June.

"It's not time to hit the panic button, but by the middle of the season, if it's not changed, then he needs to consider what his options are because leading into [World Cup] qualifying and hopefully the World Cup, he needs to be playing games," Donovan said.

The flip side is that if Pulisic does break through, he'll emerge a stronger, more refined player. Moreover, time is on his side, given the size of his transfer fee and the fact that he signed a five-year contract.

"I think it's great for players when it happens, though it's probably not nice for them at the time," Friedel said. "But it really makes players grind out to earn their place and learn how to play in a new league. It should in the end be really good for him if he takes it the right way."

U.S. fans will be hoping that is the case.

'We're not going to harp on about conditions' - Aiden Markram

Published in Cricket
Wednesday, 25 September 2019 10:41

South Africa might still be carrying "a bit of baggage" from their last trip to India, opening batsman Aiden Markram has said. Markram wasn't in the set-up last time around, but several members of the current touring party were part of the team that lost the Test series 3-0 four years ago. Despite the challenges ahead, Markram insisted that South Africa would not be dwelling on the difficulty of the conditions in India.

"I remember watching that series a few years ago and it looked incredibly difficult," Markram said. "I'm sure there's a bit of baggage that certain players that were on that tour might still be carrying but that's completely fine. I think it's never an easy tour coming to anywhere in the subcontinent, let alone India. It's full of challenges, but if we can conquer those challenges it will be really rewarding."

Fresh from a hundred against India A, Markram is aiming to "nit-pick at those positives" that come from time at the crease, but expects conditions in the upcoming Test series to be very different.

"There's always a couple of positives from spending time at the crease. I'm trying to nit-pick at those positives and take as much as I can from those knocks," Markram said. "Preparation going into this series is gonna be massive and each little bit that we can take going into the series will help."

Markram is likely to open the batting for South Africa in the upcoming three-match series against India, starting on October 2 in Visakhapatnam, He tuned up for that challenge by top-scoring with 161 in Mysore last week.

His runs meant South Africa A were able to draw the game, having slumped to a seven-wicket defeat in the first four-day game in Thiruvananthapuram.

"From a personal perspective, it was nice to spend time out in the middle," Markram said. "I think the wickets we get [in the Tests] will be a lot different to the wickets we got in the A series. But like I said, it's nice to spend time out there. And in the field as well, it was nice for us as fielders to be on our feet for long periods of time and for our bowlers to bowl plenty of spells in these hot conditions. We took a lot from the A side games and we're ready to go in the Test matches.

"The guys are positive and upbeat and we're maintaining really good language in the change room, really strong language. At the end of the day, we're not going to harp on about conditions. We pretty much know what to expect and we just need to get the job done."

Markram is returning to a Test squad that has been shaken up by the retirements of some high-profile personnel, with Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn both bowing out. While players of that calibre undoubtedly leave a massive hole to fill, Markram said that the changes have been invigorating for the team environment.

"It's nice to be back in the camp," he said. "There's a lot of new faces and it's exciting times with the change of staff and quite a few new players as well. There's lots of new and refreshing energy in the camp and the guys look to be in good spirits so we're looking forward to the series."

Before the three-Test series begins in October, South Africa will play a three-day warm-up match against a Board President's XI starting on Thursday in Vizianagaram.

Derbyshire 199 for 4 (Hosein 56*, du Plooy 55) trail Middlesex 260 (Robson 93, Malan 72) by 61 runs

Dawid Malan and Billy Godleman joined something of an exclusive club as the game between Middlesex and Derbyshire meandered towards a draw on day three at Lord's.

The respective captains became just the fifth and sixth batsmen in Division Two to reach 1,000 Championship runs for the season on the campaign's penultimate day. Only Warwickshire's Dominic Sibley has managed the feat in Division One.

Malan's came in a score 72 out of a Middlesex total of 260, while Godleman achieved four figures when reaching 19, going on to make 27 as Derbyshire replied with 199 for 4.

The loss of much of the first two days to rain means without contrivance this game will peter out on the final day of the season on Thursday.

Middlesex began a day which started 45 minutes late on 199 for 5 and Malan, left on 999 for the season overnight, raised his landmark by stroking his first ball to the cover boundary, but departed soon afterwards, lbw to Luis Reece, who claimed 4 for 61.

Reece claimed his fourth wicket when Toby Roland-Jones was lbw playing no shot before Fynn Hudson-Prentice mopped up the tail, leaving James Harris 25 not out.

Godleman and Reece started with a flurry of boundaries, the openers added 49 in fewer than 10 overs before Ethan Bamber removed the latter lbw for 26 with the score on 49. When Wayne Madsen went the same way first ball Bamber was on a hat-trick, but excitement got the better of him as a leg-stump delivery on the hip was tucked away for two runs by new batsman Leus Du Plooy.

Nevertheless, Derbyshire were 55 for 3, having lost three wickets for six runs, when Godleman edged Roland-Jones to Malan at slip.

Du Plooy and Alex Hughes steadied matters with a stand of 48, but Tim Murtagh returned to have the latter caught by Miguel Cummins at wide mid-off just before tea.

The third session saw Derbyshire in charge, du Plooy finding an ally in wicketkeeper Harvey Hosein, the pair prospering against Middlesex's seamers who persistently banged the ball in too short. Hosein was first to reach 50 from 80 balls with six fours, while Du Plooy took 31 deliveries more, but with eight boundaries.

Bad light ended play shortly afterwards meaning another 16 overs were lost in this weather-ruined fixture.

Kyle Abbott signs new Hampshire deal despite Kolpak uncertainty

Published in Cricket
Wednesday, 25 September 2019 10:01

Kyle Abbott has signed a new three-year deal with Hampshire, a week after recording the best first-class figures since 1956, and effectively ended any chance of an international comeback.

Abbott, 32, signed a Kolpak deal with the club in 2017, and has repeatedly maintained that he has no regrets about the decision to put a premature end to his international career.

He has taken 182 County Championship wickets in the past three seasons, and has the most wickets of any seamer in the country this year. He took 39 wickets at 22.71 in his 11 Tests for South Africa, but said that he had "never felt far away from being dropped" throughout his international career.

"I'm delighted to have signed a new three-year contract with Hampshire," said Abbott. "We have a great bunch of players and coaching staff all striving to achieve success for the club and I look forward to contributing to winning trophies in the coming years."

Asked by ESPNcricinfo last week if he had any regrets about giving up international cricket, Abbott said: "No, absolutely not. I haven't from the day I walked away.

"All I want to do is play cricket and enjoy it. Hampshire have brilliant in giving me a home since that day in early 2017. I love playing here, I love the club, my team-mates, and I couldn't be happier."

There remains uncertainty over whether Kolpak deals will be honoured after the UK leaves the European Union.

The ECB sent an email to counties earlier in the year explaining that in the event the UK leaves without a deal before the end of 2019, new applications for Kolpak/EU registrations would become void, although those with existing contracts would be permitted to continue under existing terms until the end of the 2020 season.

That said, the Daily Mail has reported that the ECB is considering an increase in the number of overseas players permitted in the County Championship from one to two, and that several contracts contain clauses that would trigger a switch to overseas status after Brexit.

Hampshire's press release made no mention of Abbott's Kolpak status, nor the possibility that the final two years of his new contract could theoretically be rendered void if no such clause exists.

Rilee Rossouw, who signed for Hampshire at the same time as Abbott, will not play red-ball cricket for the club next year. He returned to South Africa after the culmination of the Vitality Blast group stages, and is expected to return to play in the Blast in 2020, though it remains unconfirmed whether he will do so as an overseas or a local player.

It is unclear whether Rossouw intends to resurrect his international career - which may prove tricky after the circumstances of his departure - or instead to continue plying his trade on the global T20 circuit.

The club's director of cricket, Giles White, said he couldn't "speak highly enough" of Abbott.

"He has once again shown what a valuable asset he is to the team," White said. "He continually puts in match winning contributions, he is a great role model for the younger players and he shows a great passion for playing for the club.

"For all these reasons we are delighted he will be with us for the long-term."

Essex 25 for 0 trail Somerset 203 (van der Merwe 60, Abell 45, Harmer 5-105, S Cook 4-26) by 178 runs

Andy Hurry has insisted Somerset can still win their first County Championship title despite a wash-out on the third day of their match against Essex.

Somerset need to defeat Essex if they are to leapfrog them to the title on the final day of the season. But with rain allowing just 72.4 overs over the first three days of the match and the forecast for Thursday not especially encouraging, their task is now close to impossible.

The pitch is likely to remain very helpful for spin bowlers and there will be a maximum of 96 overs available, but it is hard to see Somerset being able to take not only 20 wickets, but squeeze in a second innings of their own. Essex, as a consequence, are on the brink of claiming their second Championship title in three years.

Somerset supporters may bemoan their bad luck with the weather and even a seeming unwillingness to play on behalf of the umpires. In truth, however, they are a side that has lost three games - Essex have lost just one - have no batsman averaging even as much as 32 and who allowed Hampshire to recover twice (once from 88 for 7 and once from 103 for 8) to lose their previous match just as the title appeared to be in their grasp. Few can dispute that Essex will be deserving champions.

So while the frustration of a decent-sized crowd was understandable as they waited until 4.40pm for the announcement of an abandonment and a new bank of rain swept in every time it seemed a resumption was imminent, there was little the groundstaff or officials could do. After several hours of mopping and verti-draining, there was a danger that any further use of machinery on the relevant areas would result in something resembling a ploughed field. And the umpires felt that areas close to the wicket were unstable and therefore unsafe. It really has rained a great deal and, long after players and spectators had left, the groundstaff were still working on the outfield.

But while you could be forgiven for concluding that Hurry, Somerset's director of cricket, was attempting an impression of Monty Python's Black Knight - "Tis but a scratch" et al - in honour of John Cleese's presence at this game, it is worth remembering that he is a former Royal Marine. And they're probably not a breed terribly comfortable with accepting defeat.

"We've put too much on the line for too long a period to wave the white flag," Hurry said. "It's definitely not the end. There's belief in the dressing room and it's really important we bring that tomorrow.

"The challenge now becomes stiffer. But I think it's important we don't lose the courage, conviction and belief we've demonstrated throughout the whole season overnight. It's a funny old game. We've got to keep believing."

While Hurry's method for the final day - "get runs on the board and bowl them out" - sounded admirably straightforward, it ignored the pesky fact that Essex have only just started their first innings. But Somerset, runners-up in the Championship five times this century already, are now in a position where pretty much only a miracle can help them. Belief and positivity are just about the only weapons left to Somerset; they may as well use them.

Leicestershire 155 (Gleeson 6-43) and 40 for 0 (Horton 30*) lead Lancashire 170 (Croft 44, Mike 3-41) by 25 runs

Leicestershire's bowlers needed just 47.3 overs to bowl Lancashire out after play finally got underway on the third day of the Specsavers County Championship match at the Fischer County Ground.

Overnight rain on an already sodden outfield - no play at all had been possible on day two - meant it was 2pm before the umpires decided the ground was fit for play, with a possible 59 overs to be bowled.

Lancashire had moved from their overnight score of 2 for 1 to 20 for 1 when Alex Davies edged a Dieter Klein delivery low to second slip, where Colin Ackermann held a neat low catch.

Liam Livingstone had made 10 when a fine out-swinger from Ben Mike found the edge and wicket-keeper Harry Swindells dived to his right to take the catch. Mike was finding more movement than any other bowler, and Rob Jones was clearly anticipating plenty of out-swing when he left a delivery which pitched on off and duly thumped into the top of off stump.

Josh Bohannon played well in going to 20 but was drawn into playing an airy drive at another Mike out-swinger, succeeding only in edging a catch to Paul Horton at first slip, and the champions were reduced to 77 for 6 when captain Dane Vilas also played a head-up drive at a delivery from Klein that swung back, beat the bat and hit middle stump.

Tom Bailey then chipped a straight delivery from Wright towards mid-on, and 12th man Arron Lilley threw himself forward to get his hands under the ball just before it hit the ground.

Liam Hurt, on his first-class debut, joined Steven Croft in adding 60 for the eighth wicket before Croft drove at Klein and Leicestershire captain Horton took a fine catch diving low to his right at first slip.

The Foxes' left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson then took revenge on his twin brother Matt when he trapped him leg before wicket - appropriately enough, the self-same dismissal inflicted by Matt on Callum in Leicestershire's first innings.

Parkinson then ended Hurt's knock in exactly the same manner, before Horton and Hassan Azad put together an untroubled and unbroken partnership of 40 for the opening wicket when the Foxes began their second innings.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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