NORTHAMPTON

(day two of four: Leicestershire won toss)

Northamptonshire 373 (D J G Sales 151, S D Peters 65, L Klusener 65, J Allenby 3 for 41, D du Preez 3 for 80); Leicestershire 173 (J Allenby 47, D S Lucas 4 for 54, A J Hall 3 for 29, J J van der Wath 3 for 35) and 8 for 1.

Lunch

The ball was moving about for the Leicestershire bowlers on another overcast morning but David Sales and Lance Klusener took their fifth wicket partnership to 136 in 36 overs before Northamptonshire wickets started to tumble.

Klusener completed his eighth championship fifty of the season but, as on the seven pervious occasions, failed to convert it into his 20th first-class century. He had made 65 off 95 balls with eight fours when he was bowled swinging across the line against Dillon du Preez.

Sales moved imperiously from his overnight 113 to 151 and it was a shock when he lost his middle stump to James Allenby after batting for six hours 18 minutes, facing 378 balls and hitting a six and 21 fours.

His dismissal triggered a collapse that saw Northamptonshire lose their last five wickets for 22 in 10 overs.

Tea

The importance of Sales’s 151 was readily apparent as soon as the Northamptonshire bowlers went to work with the ball seaming and swinging in the oppressive atmosphere.

Johannes van der Wath had Matthew Boyce brilliantly caught by Nicky Boje in the gully and after that it was a sorry procession as David Lucas and Andrew Hall took two wickets apiece and van der Wath picked up another to reduce Leicestershire to 89 for six..

Lucas had Tom New caught at third slip and Jacques du Toit caught behind, Hall claimed both Hylton Ackerman and Boeta Dippenaar caught behind and van der Wath squared up Paul Nixon to have him caught in the gully.

Close

It did not get any better for Leicestershire immediately after tea. Lucas claimed Tom Smith caught-behind and Claude Henderson leg-before and Hall had Dillon du Preez caught at second slip before Northamponshire ran into unexpected resistance.

Allenby, who had been alone in showing the necessary patience and application, found an unlikely ally in Nadeem Malik and they put together the biggest stand of the innings for the last wicket.

It was worth 50 in 16 overs when Van der Wath had Allenby caught at second slip for 47, leaving Malik gallantly unbeaten on 27, his highest score of the season.

Leicestershire still had to follow on 200 runs behind and Malik went in again as nightwatchman. He survived only one more over before Lucas flattened his stumps.