Kendal’s Louis Backhouse had a day to remember playing in a second team game for Lancashire against Middlesex.
The 24-year-old seamer enjoyed his first five-wicket haul on a day when Middlesex piled up the runs at Liverpool.
The Cumbria Development Team bowler, playing in only his second full four day game for Lancashire’s second team, ended the day with figures of 5/91 from 18 overs.
He was Lancashire seconds’ most successful bowler as Middlesex closed on 442/7 from 96 overs.
The Cumbrian produced a 32-ball spell of four for 21 to add to the breakthrough wicket the Kendal C.C. seamer had claimed in the morning session to have the visitors on the back foot at 218 for six at the halfway point of the day.
But a youthful Red Rose second-string, showing seven changes from last week, struggled to contain the Middlesex lower order who swung the day back in favour of the visitors by reaching the close on 442 for seven.
It was Backhouse who took the only wicket of the morning after Rob White and Josh de Caires had posted a century opening partnership.
Both have considerable County Championship experience but White somewhat carelessly chopped a wide delivery from Backhouse onto his stumps for 54 with the score on 110.
The visitors reached lunch on 130 for one with de Caires going along nicely on 67, but Backhouse changed the nature of the afternoon with a purple patch of four wickets.
It started with de Caires, son of former England skipper Mike Atherton, who edged a forward defensive push to wicketkeeper Joe Moores for 90.
Middlesex skipper Joe Cracknell, who had won the toss earlier, was well caught at slip by Cian Dickinson off Dominic Hayes for four before Backhouse stepped in again.
He had James Isbell lbw for one; the experienced ex-white ball skipper Steve Eskinazi caught at first slip after making 40 and Blake Cullen taken at third slip for two.
The visitors rallied with a positive seventh wicket partnership of 97 between Caleb Falconer and Jack Nelson either side of tea, ended when Nelson ballooned a catch off a leading edge from Arav Shetty to Backhouse for 63.
But on a hot, humid day Falconer and Thilan Walallawita produced a fine, unbroken partnership of 127 over the rest of the evening session to reach stumps with Falconer 93 not out and Walallawita unbeaten after hammering 82 off 77 balls, including three sixes and ten fours.
But no doubt about the star of the show for Lancashire – proud Cumbrian Louis Backhouse.
Lancashire are being captained by Harry Singh who played for Cumbria in their early T20 matches this season.
