Cumbria face a mammoth task on the final day of their NCCA Championship game with Cambridgeshire.
Set to score 359 for victory they had lost four wickets in 44 overs and were only on 83, so need to accumulate 276 runs on the final day or bat through all three sessions for an honourable draw.
Callum Guest, who took 3-21 when Cumbria were bowled out for 98 on the opening day has already taken 3-19 second time round.
The day had opened with the Cambridgeshire openers continuing their response after being on 18 overnight and building on a first innings lead of 78.
Cumbria began promisingly and at 41-3 they were back in the contest but a series of solid partnerships saw the visitors’ total grow and they eventually were bowled-out for 280.
Opener Alex Person (50), Joe Tetley (69), Mohammad Danyal (54), Ben Clilverd (33) and Jacob Squire-Wood (26) all enjoyed varying degrees of success with the bat.
For Cumbria the left arm spin of Matthew Siddall was the most successful. He wheeled away for 43 overs and finished with 5-130, which included three of the five main scorers. Skipper Mike Slack had 2-12 and Siddall’s Cockermouth team-mate Matthew Sempill took 2-12.
Young Carlisle off spinner Josh Stirling took the other wicket, finishing with 1-49 from 12 overs.
Ben Davidson and teenager Evan Williams made a measured start and had reached 41 in 72 minutes when the Carlisle batsman was dismissed for 16.
Williams, showing maturity beyond his years, stuck at it but when he had reached 37 off 102 balls and after 106 minutes at the crease he was bowled by Guest.
Worse was to follow as Guest clean bowled Nico Watt first ball and 63-1 had suddenly become 63-3.
Cumbria were looking for former skipper, the experienced Gary Pratt and Lancashire 2nds debutant Ben Walkden to see them through to the close but Guest struck again when he had the newcomer trapped leg before.
It left almost ten overs before stumps in which Pratt (10no) and Sempill (5no) took Cumbria on to 83-4 – and hopefully, one way or the other, a long day ahead.
