NORTHAMPTON

(day one of four: Leicestershire won toss)

Northamptonshire 274 for 4 (D J Sales 113 not out, S D Peters 65, L Klusener 44 not out)

Lunch

The absence of Johann Louw, Northamptonshire’s overseas player, with a side strain reduced the South African element to five players in each side but two of them still combined to give Leicestershire an early breakthrough after they had put their East Midlands rivals in to bat on a cloudy morning.

Dillon du Preez had Niall O’Brien, driving ambitiously caught at second slip by Boeta Dippenaar in his third over but Rob White began positively, square driving du Preez for four and playing two cracking drives, one straight, one through extra cover, off Nadeem Malik.

White had struck four fours in his 20 when he pushed tentatively at James Allenby’s first ball and was caught behind but Stephen Peters and David Sales denied Leicestershire any more success before lunch.

Tea

Leicestershire should have picked up a third wicket when Peters, who had moved painstakingly to 37, wafted airily at Malik and edged to first slip but Hylton Ackerman put down a straightforward catch.

Peters was in trouble again soon afterwards when a ball from Tom Smith reared off a good length and struck him on the arm but he carried on after treatment and when he got another lifter from Smith he slashed it over the slips for his sixth four to reach 50 off 166 balls.

Next over, Sales, who had given Peters 17 overs start, drove Claude Henderson gloriously through the covers for his 10th four to reach his 50 off 121 balls. Sales followed that by sweeping Henderson over midwicket and out of the ground and the third wicket partnership was worth 114 when Tom New, bowling his medium pace, surprised Peters into jabbing his first ball to short midwicket.

Close

New, a former England Under-19 wicketkeeper who now opens the batting for Leicestershire, could not repeat his magic after tea and was given only 11 more balls before the proper bowlers returned.

Du Preez soon had Riki Wessels caught behind but there was no stopping Sales who completed his second century of the season and the 22nd of his career with a full-blooded pull off Smith. He had faced 224 balls and hit a six and14 fours.

Lance Klusener was also going well at the other end and by the close the fifth wicket had put on 90 to make it a satisfying day for Northamptonshire and a frustrating one for Leicestershire .