Bartlett a happy man as he digs in to help Northants to unlikely draw with Lancashire
George Bartlett was a happy man after his marathon final-day innings secured an unlikely draw for Northants against Lancashire at the County Ground on Monday.
The County looked to be in dire straits as they slumped to 50 for six after 32 overs in pursuit of 321 to win.
But Bartlett dug in battle his way to an unbeaten 95 from 197 balls to steer his side to safety, with significant help from James Sales (24 from 83 balls), Lewis McManus (27 from 116) and Ben Sanderson (4no from 35) along the way.
Lancashire were still big favourites to win when last man Sanderson came to the crease with Northants on 181 for nine and more than 15 overs remaining in the day.
But the final pair negotiated everything the Red Rose could throw at them, with Northants closing on 213 for nine to secure a 12-point haul.
“We were in a bit of trouble this morning, so it was a tough day," admitted Bartlett. "Many different factors came into it in the end, but I’m so happy.
"To get a draw out of that from where we were is really good and testament to all the boys from one to 11.
“We wanted to win going into the morning, and we thought we could win.
"So that was the plan first and foremost but then obviously things changed and they bowled well, as they did all game, to be honest.
"So when things changed, we kind of adapted and just looked to bat time, and from there, it was just a matter of how much resilience did we have.
“Everyone in the lower order did their part and soaked up balls and played well.
"So, hopefully, we can continue this into the next couple of games and yeah, just happy for everyone that we got a result out of this, and hopefully we can build on it and get some wins under the belt.
“It was nice to contribute and stand up and show what I'm capable of."
Northants are back in action on Friday when they make the trip to Canterbury to face a Kent side that began their season with a draw at Durham.
Quotes courtesy of Jeremy Blackmore