County's batsmen fight hard for lead
Sat 22 Aug 2015
* An interview with captain Mark Cosgrove with BBC Radio Leicester’s Richard Rae is available HERE
Mark Cosgrove scored a hundred for the second successive LV=CC game and Niall O’Brien was also in sparkling form as Leicestershire produced a fine batting performance to secure a first innings lead of 47 at Northamptonshire.
Captain Cosgrove (110) started a recovery with Aadil Ali in the morning session before O’Brien played an astonishing innings after the interval as Leicestershire scored 372.
Out of a partnership of 116 in 22.1 overs, O’Brien smashed 95 off just 84 balls with 14 fours and a six to put Leicestershire in a good position at his old stamping ground.
Cosgrove then formed another important stand of 74 for the seventh wicket with Wayne White, who helped restore parity with Clint McKay.
The Australian went on to post his first half-century in Leicestershire colours as part of a last wicket stand of 47 with Charlie Shreck that gave County a handy first innings advantage.
Leicestershire battled hard on a day that carried the major themes of Northants’ first innings. The hosts were 42-4 yesterday and the visitors found themselves slightly worse off at 34-4 when losing nightwatchman Rob Sayer in the fourth over of the morning.
The off-spinner edged to David Murphy as Rory Kleinveldt replicated his overseas counterpart McKay’s feat of taking the first four wickets to fall in the first innings.
Later in the day Kleinveldt mirrored McKay in taking a five-for, Rob Keogh (3-61) finished as second leading wicket taker with almost identical figures to those that Shreck returned yesterday, Murphy matched O’Brien’s five dismissals and Leicestershire were 325-9 after Northants posted the same score.
The most important part of the symmetry as far as Leicestershire were concerned was Cosgrove following Wakely in producing a captain’s innings in building substantial middle order partnerships. Cosgrove’s stand of 71 for the fifth wicket with Ali was identical to that added by Wakely and Josh Cobb on day one.
The first landmark of a stay that lasted more than five-and-a-quarter hours was an 81-ball fifty with consecutive twos off seamer Ben Sanderson, whose first six overs conceded just seven runs.
Ali, who again played a mature innings of 14 off 62 balls, was caught behind by Murphy off Sanderson in the penultimate over before lunch with Leicestershire trailing by 216 runs.
O’Brien added impetus by taking eight from the first over after lunch and 112 runs came in 20 overs following the break. The 'keeper played a number of his trademark strokes, including two cuts and a flourishing cover drive before a hook brought him an eighth boundary and fifty in just 42 balls.
O'Brien was cruising to a first century of the season before pulling Keogh towards deep backward square leg where a stunning catch diving forward was taken by David Willey. The Yorkshire-bound all-rounder was one of four substitute fielders used by Northants, including Head Coach David Ripley.
A six off Keogh took Cosgrove to the brink of three figures and the landmark came courtesy of a single off the 169th ball he faced. The skipper hit eleven fours and that aforementioned maximum along the way, and by tea had taken his alliance with White to exactly 50.
Cosgrove was eventually trapped in front by Kleinveldt (25-12-68-5) having taken his first-class tally for the season to one shy of 900 but Leicestershire kept working hard despite losing their mainstay.
White scored 43 off 109 balls and although he was the first of two victims for Keogh (23-4-62-3) when the scores were level – Ben Raine (0) being the other, caught behind – McKay played with typical aggression in recording his maiden fifty for the club from 71 balls with five fours and two sixes.
The Victorian was offered excellent support by Shreck (15), who made his highest score of the season before becoming the 300th first-class career victim of Muhammad Azharullah. The day ended four balls early but Leicestershire were entitled to be delighted with their day’s work.
