Warwickshire dominate Lancs on rain-affected day
Vitality County Championship Division One, Emirates Old Trafford (day three)
Warwickshire 284: Davies 127; Bailey 3-49 & 96-3: Barnard 40*
Lancashire 149: Bell 40; Bethell 4-20, Lintott 3-10, Hannon-Dalby 3-39
Warwickshire (4pts) lead Lancashire (3 pts) by 231 runs with seven second innings wickets remaining
Warwickshire dominated a rain-affected third day with Lancashire to give themselves a chance of a first victory of the season.
They took the last six Lancashire wickets for 36 runs to bowl them out for just 149 with career-best figures for left-arm spinners Jacob Bethell (4-20) and Jake Lintott (3-10).
Then after slipping to 34-3 in their second innings, Ed Barnard batted well to reach 40 not out before a combination of more rain and the threat of thunder and lightning ended play early at Emirates Old Trafford.
The Bears will resume on 96-3 on the final day, leading by 231 as they aim to set up a declaration before putting pressure on Division One's bottom team.
Rain delayed the start of play and when it did begin with Lancashire resuming on 66-3, New Zealand batter Tom Bruce (3) lasted only five balls before he was bowled by Olly Hannon-Dalby.
Captain Keaton Jennings and George Balderson had added 44 in between two further brief rain delays before Bethell began to work his magic.
He got one to turn on left-hander Balderson (12), which was caught at slip, although replays suggested the batter had not hit it.
Then in his next over, Bethell claimed the key wicket of Jennings, lbw for 36 off 140 balls to one that may have drifted down leg, to have Lancashire teetering at 116-6.
It did not take long after lunch for Warwickshire to wrap things up as the two Toms, Aspinwall and Bailey, both fell to Bethell, with Aspinwall (3) chipping one to mid-off and Bailey (4) stumped by miles.
Having only grabbed two first-class wickets before, Bethell trebled his career tally in one innings.
Then T20 specialist Lintott, playing his first red-ball game for nearly 12 months, grabbed the last two Lancashire wickets for his best-ever first-class figures as well.
It was the third time that the Red Rose have been dismissed for under 150 in their first innings this season, underlining why they are struggling in the Championship.
With a first innings lead of 135, Warwickshire lost both openers cheaply with Rob Yates caught behind off Balderson for five and captain Alex Davies (17) bowled off an inside edge by Nathan Lyon.
When Will Rhodes was leg before for five to one that kept very low from Jack Morley, they had edged 169 in front, but Barnard and Dan Mousley (18 not out) took the game away from the hosts.
They batted with real intent to add 62 at more than a run-a-ball under darkening skies before bad weather arrived to curtail the final session.
