GRACE ROAD

(Day one of four)

Leicestershire have scored 288 for four wickets against Northamptonshire

Lunch

Leicestershire won the toss on a bright morning at Grace Road and elected to bat, James Allenby standing in for Paul Nixon as the Leicestershire captain was absent having attended the birth of a daughter last night. On a well-grassed pitch, there was some early assistance fro the Northamptonshire seamers, and it did not take long for them to make a breakthrough.

Tom New, who had survived an impassioned appeal for a catch at the wicket off David Lucas, was beaten neck and crop by a fine delivery that hit the bails, leaving Leicestershire 17-1 in the sixth over. Matthew Boyce played some fluent strokes in his 37 until he was very well caught at first slip by Stephen Peters after driving at Andrew Hall. H.D. Ackerman was undefeated with 37 at the break, his compatriot Boeta Dippenaar 13 not out.

Tea

Boeta Dippenaar and Hylton Ackerman batted through most of the afternoon’s session, extending their third wicket partnership to 109 from 33 overs until the latter was caught at slip off Nicky Boje. Having already made four hundreds in all cricket this season, Ackerman looked set to for a fifth, driving beautifully in his 62 from 136 balls with ten fours. Boje, however, surprised him with some extra bounce.

Dippenaar was no less fluent, reaching his 50 from 92 balls, and was joined by James Allenby, who was unbeaten on 12 at tea. Windy conditions made bowling a challenge for Northamptonshire, who managed to get the ball changed in the 33rd over, but the replacement one swung no more than the first on a day when the batsmen, despite a well grassed pitch, enjoyed the better of the conditions.

Close

Conditions changed in the final session, with a heavy cloud cover replacing the pastel blue skies of the first two sessions. Northamptonshire’s bowlers, however, seemed not to receive any assistance from this change and it required an inside edge from a drive by Boeta Dippenaar, to lead to his downfall. Driving at Lance Klusener, Dippenaar was bowled for 80 from 149 balls with 14 fours. That ended a partnership of exactly 50 in 19 overs with James Allenby.

Allenby went on to complete his second Championship fifty of the season, from 108 balls, digging in towards the end of play, when he realised that it was important his side lost no further wickets. With Paul Nixon not arriving at the ground until mid-afternoon on account of his wife giving birth last night, Jacques du Toit was promoted up the order and gave Allenby solid support with an unbeaten 20.