Match Reports

Northamptonshire v Gloucestershire

Day 3

Northamptonshire took just 32 minutes on the third day to wrap up a 10 wicket victory over Gloucestershire at Wantage Road to claim their first win in the Specsavers County Championship this season.

Having resisted on the second evening to take the game into day three, Gloucestershire could last only another 17 balls to be bowled out for 250, leaving a target of only 31 that Ben Duckett knocked off himself in just four overs.

Brett Hutton removed the final two wickets within three balls to finish with 8 for 57 - the third-best figures for Northants this century.

Matt Taylor only added a single to his overnight 37 before pushing at a length ball and edging to second slip where Richard Levi dived to his right to take a sharp catch. No. 11 Chris Liddle then lost his off stump for a duck leaving Craig Miles stranded on 38 not out.

The chase was over very quickly as Duckett played an emphatic extra-cover drive off Miles, a flick through midwicket and two top-edged pulls over the wicketkeeper’s head.

Another pull off Miles took Northants to within one hit of victory before an outside edge found the third man fence to complete the win.

 

Day 2

Gloucestershire closed the second day 245 for 8 in the pink-ball match, leading only by 25 runs.

 

Sanderson’s 5 for 16 helped bowl Gloucestershire out for just 62 in the morning session  - to conceded a lead of 220. 

 

Gloucestershire found two solid partnerships to avoid the ignominy of an innings defeat and extend play into a third day. Gareth Roderick and Ryan Higgins shared 100 for the sixth wicket before Craig Miles and Matt Taylor - who added an unbeaten 73 - nudged Gloucestershire into a lead.

 

The wickets began to fall in the first over of the day. Sanderson had the pink-ball on a string and struck first to remove Benny Howell caught behind before nipping two deliveries into Gareth Roderick - pushing forward - and Graeme van Buuren - shouldering arms - to win lbws.

 

One bounced on George Hankins to bowl him via his gloves and when Ryan Higgins got a feather edge behind, Sanderson completed his first five-for of the season.

 

Rory Kleinveldt took out James Bracey’s leg stump with a full ball that nipped back, Steven Crook had Craig Miles well caught at mid-off trying to pull and removed Matt Taylor’s middle stump before Hutton finished the job by bowling No. 11 Chris Liddle.

 

Gloucestershire lost 9 for 37 in 18.1 overs and having been bowled out against Northants, were asked to bat again and in the final over before lunch, Howell hooked at Kleinveldt and gloved a catch to Adam Rossington.

 

Gloucestershire found a partnership as Roderick and Higgins repelled Northants for 25 overs either side of tea. Higgins, after being dropped by Levi on 4, went through to a career-best 63 - his second first-class fifty - with 10 fours.

 

At 172 for 8, still trailing by 48, a two-day finish looked likely, however Miles and Taylor battled Gloucestershire through to the close.

 

Day 1

Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire had a busy opening day of the pink-ball Specsavers County Championship match at Wantage Road.

 

Northants were all out for 282 in their first innings with Matt Taylor the pick of the Gloucestershire bowlers with 4 wickets to his name. 

 

After being bowled out with 13 overs left in the day, Northants struck in the final over of the day with Steven Crook trapping Chris Dent lbw for 11 and Gloucestershire closed 25 for 1.

 

Until that wicket, Gloucestershire had fought back well into the day after Northants made a steady start earlier on in the day. But two mini-collapses prevented that early initiative being converted into a commanding total.

 

Duckett made a positive start for Northants to reach fifty in just 44 balls with nine fours - five of them in successive deliveries in the third over of the game bowled by Matt Taylor - for his first half-century in the Championship this season.

 

But Taylor returned and Duckett chased a full wide delivery to edge behind for 52, Ricardo Vasconcelos steered a catch to first slip off the same bowler for a nine ball duck and Alex Wakely was caught and bowled by Kieran Noema-Barnett for just 3 as Northants lost three wickets for 13 runs in five overs.

 

Just after lunch, Procter went to fifty in 93 balls with nine fours but having got to 70, top-edged a pull against Taylor and James Bracey ran back from slip to claim the catch. It was Taylor’s third wicket, and he went on to claim 4 for 70 in 12 overs.

 

The wicket of Porcter brought about the second Northants collapse as three wickets went down for 34 runs in eight overs. Adam Rossington lazily cut Taylor to first slip and Levi, having struck 13 fours in reaching 63 with a number of eye-catching strokes, pushed forward and was caught behind giving Ryan Higgins his first wicket before Northants settled to 247 for 6 at tea.

 

Saif Zaib fell in the first over of the evening session, trapped lbw by Noema-Barnett and after Rory Kleinveldt received a far more questionable lbw decision to fall for 9, Higgins removed the final two wickets - Crook caught a slip and Brett Hutton caught behind - to finish with 3 for 52.