STEVEN Croft completed his ninth LV= County Championship century yesterday before watching three of his bowlers strike in their first over on four occasions as Lancashire ended a rain-affected second day on top against Leicestershire at Grace Road.

Croft posted his first ton of 2015 by moving from 98 overnight to 100 in the first full over of a day which did not begin until 3.30pm due to overnight and morning rain.

The stand-in captain reached three figures off 151 balls with 13 fours before falling caught at deep mid-wicket off Ben Raine for 102 as the Red Rose were bowled out for 368.

Kyle Jarvis, Jordan Clark and ex-Leicester seamer Nathan Buck then helped to reduce the Foxes to 78-4 in reply before they closed on 195-6 from 43 overs. Their Australian Mark Cosgrove is 65 not out.

Half of the day’s allotted 96 overs were lost, but the Division Two leaders still managed to advance the game in helpful bowling conditions as Tom Bailey also struck.

Despite their success, Lancashire could still have bowled better.

They conceded 47 extras, including Bailey bowling 10 no-balls and Clark conceded three lots of five wides.

But Leicester are a team short on confidence having not won a four-day match since September 2012.

Jarvis struck seven balls into the innings when he had Angus Robson, the brother of England opener Sam, caught at short-leg with five on the board.

Ned Eckersley was next to go in the ninth over, leaving the score at 44-2, when he played back to a Bailey delivery which kept low and bowled him.

Clark and Buck, who left Grace Road last September, then did further damage to the hosts.

Clark had opener Lewis Hill caught behind with a ball which surprised the batsman with extra bounce before Buck had Neil Pinner well caught at second slip by Croft as Leicester slipped to 78-4 in the 16th.

Jarvis later returned to the attack to bowl the 30th over and had Niall O’Brien caught behind as Leicester fell to 137-5, breaking a 59-run stand with Cosgrove in the process.

Buck picked up his second in the day’s penultimate over when Raine chopped on – 188-6.