Dein erstes Forum » sacks.And gone are the blowouts of Strongs first

Lancashire 276 and 128 for 0 (Smith 66*, Hameed 58*) trail Nottinghamshire 476 (Patel 67, Wessels 62, Libby 54) by 70 runsScorecard A persistent breeze stiffened enough from time to time to ask less hardy spectators to consider putting on a jacket but at least it was a day that looked like summer. On the field, Stuart Broad worked up a sweat, eager to show his county the commitment that comes naturally to him in Test cricket. But an increasingly benign pitch was giving him very little back.Steven Mullaney, captain against his former county in the absence of Chris Read, was proactive, rotating the bowlers, frequently tweaking his fields, trying to make something happen. Broad ran willingly to where he was directed, chipping in too with suggestions on tactics to try. Deep into the last session, though, Lancashires openers had their sights on batting through to the close, determined that their concentration would not crack.They look like a side who believe in themselves. Promoted teams tend these days to find the step up a difficult one but Lancashire have established themselves among the front-runners. It would be a surprise if they are in first place at the end of the season but their players are not easily cowed.Tom Smith, a solid professional in the best traditions of county cricket, turned 30 now and with the wisdom and experience to go with it, locked horns again with Imran Tahir, as he had in the first innings. After a protracted battle, the legspinner had the last word then but this time Smith, so far, has the upper hand.At the other end, moreover, he had an ally who already looks equally at home playing the long game. Haseeb Hameed is not yet 20 in years but temperamentally seems much older, at least with bat in hand. The pair have been Lancashires best opening partnership so far this year, the first to put 100 or more on the board.In doing so, they have probably saved this game for Lancashire, who trailed by 198 on first innings, a scenario that looked unlikely after Nottinghamshire had lost half their wickets while still 35 runs behind.Steven Croft, as willing and versatile as he is, is not a wicketkeeper and it is a demanding position from which also to captain a side. Whether he could have done much differently, though, is a moot point, given that of all the things Mullaney tried later, none achieved a breakthrough.It has been a different match for Neil Wagner, who took 11 wickets when Lancashire beat Nottinghamshire handsomely at Old Trafford in May. His reward for 33.1 overs of toil this time was 3-107.It was hard out there, on an unresponsive and flat wicket, he said. I thought we bowled well, we asked questions and we bowled better than we did yesterday, when we did not hit our lengths consistently and got hurt.We thought if we could get a couple of quick wickets this morning we might be in with a shout but credit to Nottinghamshire they batted very well. Riki and Samit batted really well, as did Broady and the others who came in after. They never really gave us a chance.But it was a great partnership between Haseeb and Tom and although there is a lot of work to do yet hopefully we are in a good position now to save the game.Patel and Wessels could not be parted for more than an hour, adding 43 to an overnight lead of 27 before Patel, who had been watchful for the most part, feathered the thinnest of edges to Croft off Smith, who dismissed Wessels soon afterwards. Looking to accelerate the pursuit of bowling points, Wessels went after Smith and picked up his ninth boundary but was undone by the next delivery, which pushed him on to the back foot and took the edge, Liam Livingstone backpeddling from slip to take the catch.Wessels had to leave the field with a finger injury later in the day, handing the wicketkeeping gloves to Brendan Taylor for a period, but was able to resume after treatment.The end of one significant partnership, one that was worth 105 runs, merely introduced another. Broad, who has given good value to his county with the bat as well as the ball this season, combined with Brett Hutton to add another 79 for the eighth wicket, 31 of which came within the space of 18 deliveries, 24 from Broads bat, to clinch maximum batting points for Nottinghamshire with just one ball to spare.In an innings notable for unconverted starts - nine players made between 30 and 67 - neither Broad nor Hutton reached 50 but the lead kept stretching. Even Harry Gurney, a genuine number 11, made it into double figures, for only the eighth time in 95 first-class innings.The win that Nottinghamshire need rather more urgently than their opponents seems unlikely, however, unless Tahir can do something remarkable on the final day.Air Jordan China . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. Air Jordan Outlet . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. https://www.jordanchina.us/ . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon. Fake Jordan . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. Clearance Air Jordan Store . JOHNS, N.AUSTIN, Texas -- The losses keep coming for Charlie Strong, no matter what promises were made in the past.For the third year in a row, Strongs Texas Longhorns have lost at least five games, rekindling questions of whether the program has improved enough for him to earn a fourth year and another $5 million, or if the losing is just too much for one of the nations blue-blood schools to stomach.I look at how were playing. I dont ever make excuses. There are no excuses, Strong said Monday. The losses are mounting. Theres games we should win and we had our opportunity.Rewind to November 2014, when the Longhorns were 6-5 in Strongs first season and he boldly predicted that five losses will never happen in this program again. Texas finished that year 6-7, then went 5-7 and missed the postseason in 2015.The dreaded five-loss threshold was crossed again over the weekend with a 24-20 home loss to No. 10 West Virginia, when the Longhorns never led and couldnt win despite forcing four turnovers. Texas (5-5, 3-4 Big 12) still isnt bowl eligible with two games left at Kansas on Saturday and at home against TCU the Friday after Thanksgiving.Strong was asked how he would sell that his team is making progress if he were in a job evaluation.You still have a football team thats still competing, still playing hard. Thats what you like to see happening, Strong said.There are tangible improvements he could have noted.Texas has two wins over top 10 opponents Notre Dame and Baylor, even though neither program is anywhere near that lofty status any more. The offense under first-year coordinator Sterlin Gilbert and led by powerhouse running back DOnta Foremman, who averages 178 yards per game, is a complete turnaround from the previous two seasons.dddddddddddd Other than Foreman, Texas best players have been sophomores and freshmen, including quarterback Shane Buechele, giving whoever coaches Texas in 2017 a bright future.Were a good team, Buechele said. Coach always says our record doesnt define us ... We can beat anybody.Even a defense that was bad early has improved once Strong took over the play-calling. The Longhorns rank among the best in the nation with 36 sacks.And gone are the blowouts of Strongs first two years, when his teams lost nine games by 18 points or more. Texas is 12 points from 8-2. They are also 12 points from 2-8.In other words, Strong is dancing on a razor-thin difference between dominant and disaster, only to find himself balancing on mediocre.Texas President Greg Fenves and athletic director Mike Perrin have publicly supported Strong all season. Fenves will look carefully at Strongs entire resume to decide if he gets a fourth season on a guaranteed five-year contract.The president will take a long look at it, Strong said. We still have two games left.Getting to a bowl game would be a good step forward, even if its still far short of the leap Texas fans -- and college football -- expected after a thrilling double-overtime win over Notre Dame in the season opener.We have to get to a bowl game, Strong said. Our seniors deserve to get to a bowl game.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '