Northants match ends as a draw
Tue 16 Aug 2016
Northamptonshire versus Leicestershire, Specsavers County Championship, Day 4:
SCORECARD | Available through ESPN Cricinfo HERE
INTERVIEW | Reaction from the draw at Northants is available HERE
HIGHLIGHTS | The highlights of the fourth day are available HERE
REPORT | Batsmen continued to dominate the Specsavers County Championship meeting between Northants and Leicestershire, meaning that the game ended in a draw at Wantage Road.
Leicestershire started the final day 171 runs ahead having all ten second innings wickets intact with a minimum of 96 overs remaining.
However, any push for victory was going to be without leading wicket-taker Clint McKay, who suffered a lower limb muscle injury in the final session yesterday, while Neil Dexter was also struggling with a niggle.
Paul Horton (99) and Angus Robson (84) shared an opening stand of 184 as Leicestershire moved to 292-6 in their second innings, setting Northants a target of 415 in a minimum of 51 overs.
Chasing those runs or taking ten wickets proved too much and the hosts closed on 118-1 in their second innings, captain Alex Wakely leading the way with an unbeaten 53.
Leicestershire took 11 points from the game to move up to second place in Division Two but the team are now 23 points behind leaders Essex, who they meet at the Fischer County Ground next Tuesday.
Openers Horton and Robson continued the progress made on the third evening, recording big scores in extending their overnight partnership of 49 by 135.
Horton, who played a couple of delightful cover drives off the spinners this morning, was first to 50 from 96 balls (5x4). Robson followed suit from 85 deliveries, hitting half a dozen boundaries along the way.
Another beautiful stroke through extra by Horton beat two diving fielders in the 35th over while Robson produced a trademark cut for four as the openers continued to knock the slow bowlers around.
As the session developed, skipper Wakely introduced himself while Adam Rossington also had a rare bowl.
Leicestershire’s second innings tally ticked past 150 in the 41st over and Horton and Robson went on to collect maximums over long-on from the bowling of Zaib in the 46th.
The breakthrough also arrived in that over as Robson pulled the slow left armer’s final delivery to Rob Newton at mid-wicket. It was a well-earned first Championship wicket for the youngster given he had gone close to taking a return catch to dismiss Robson on two previous occasions.
Zaib was then on a hat-trick as Horton edged the opening ball of his following over to Rory Kleinveldt, falling agonisingly short of his century.
The score progressed to 197-2 at lunch with Dexter and Mark Cosgrove at the wicket, Leicestershire having a lead of 319 with 63 overs remaining.
County batted on after the interval, adding a further 95 runs for the loss of four wickets in the space of ten overs. A change of wicket-keeper arrived as Rob Keogh took the gloves to allow David Murphy to operate from the Wantage Road End.
Zaib collected a third wicket as Cosgrove (5), in all out attacking mode, drove straight to Newton at cover. Runs still came at a pace as Pettini struck three fours in the 52nd over while Dexter clouted a couple of sixes.
The spinner then completed a five-for by dismissing both set batsmen, Pettini (23) smartly stumped by stand-in ‘keeper Keogh before Dexter (33) was leg before on the sweep.
Niall O’Brien struck two big sixes and a quartet of fours as he made a quickfire 36 not out off 17 balls but there was a memorable moment for Murphy before the innings ended. Ned Eckersley (1) holed out to Wakely at long-on to become the bowler’s maiden first-class wicket.
The declaration arrived after 58 overs and Cosgrove made an interesting move as Rob Sayer shared the new ball with Ben Raine.
Sayer had an early appeal, the ball ballooning up as Newton pushed forward, but there was no willow involved. The opener went on to score 22 including a pulled six off Raine but the all-rounder responded emphatically, removing Newton’s off stump.
The spinner continued to ask questions in his fourth over as Murphy edged beyond slip while Wakely, playing defensively, nearly saw Eckersley snap up a sharp chance at short leg after one came off both bat and pad.
Murphy and Wakely were on 18 apiece at tea with Northants on 65-1 after 21 overs and the match would go on to end as a draw.
Cosgrove shuffled his pack and opted for some overs of spin for Robson and Eckersley but Wakely played some fine shots, including six boundaries, as he progressed to a 97-ball fifty.
He was still in the middle to shake hands with Cosgrove at 5pm with Murphy also not out on 36, meaning next week’s meeting with Essex will be between the division’s top two.
Bowling figures for Leicestershire: Raine 9-2-25-1, Sayer 12-0-48-0, Shreck 9-3-18-0, Dexter 2-1-1-0, Robson 5-1-17-0, Eckersley 1-0-2-0.
