Unchanged Foxes ready for Northants challenge

* Upon presentation of their Leicestershire CCC Membership card, LCCC Members can gain entry to the game at Wantage Road free of charge as part of the reciprocal arrangement between the two clubs:

Ned Eckersley is thriving on Leicestershire’s situation as the Specsavers County Championship reaches a critical stage, starting with Saturday’s trip to Northamptonshire (11am start).

The recently turned 27-year-old has been an excellent performer for the club over the years; he scored in excess of 1,200 first-class runs in 2013, including two centuries in a County Championship match against Worcestershire.

Eckersley again achieved that feat, for just the 13^th time in Leicestershire’s history, in the latest game against Derbyshire.

The scores of 117 and 104 arrived with the team at 138-5 and 103-5 respectively with Eckersley becoming the first number seven batsman to score two hundreds in a County Championship match since Ian Blackwell in 2001.

He also became only the second Leicestershire player to score a hundred in both innings of a game more than once in first-class matches, with only Maurice Hallam (1959 v Glamorgan, 1961 v Sussex and 1965 v Worcestershire) achieving the feat three times.

It followed on from impressive performances at Worcestershire, where he scored 94 not out, again at seven, and Gloucestershire, where he provided vital first innings support for Angus Robson after the home side threatened a revival.

Eckersley’s form has been an outstanding reaction to the disappointment of sustaining a pre-season finger injury but he is not about to rest on his laurels.

“We’re right in the mix, and it’s exciting after a few seasons when we’ve struggled, but the hard work really starts now, we have to keep pushing,” said Eckersley.

“In the first few years of my time here I haven’t really played in games that meant as much, but this was a crucial match and that’s when it really matters to stick your hand up.

“As a team that’s the attitude we’re taking into the next few weeks, and hopefully we can get over the line. Those knocks will go down as my favourites in a Leicestershire shirt without question.”

Eckersley said that the team’s response to a tough third day shows the quality and character in the dressing room, while his efforts were praised by Leicestershire Elite Performance Director Andrew McDonald.

“We probably missed a trick or two on the third day against Derbyshire and were in a tricky position at the start of the fourth, so to then shut them out of the game and give ourselves a sniff of winning late on was more what we’re about,” said Eckersley.

McDonald said: “It’s all about the team, but every now and then an individual performance stands out, and coming in under pressure in both innings, and after a disjointed season due to injury, Ned demonstrated how much class he has.”

The Foxes have lifted themselves into third in Division Two, 11 points behind leaders Essex, who travel to the Fischer County Ground in two weeks, and ten behind Kent, on whom they have a game in hand.

Leicestershire have had a few days to prepare for their next challenge at Wantage Road, and McDonald and Club Captain Mark Cosgrove are looking forward to the trip down the M1.

“The only positive from not qualifying for the T20 quarter-finals is that the players have had a few days to recharge and be ready to take on Northants,” said McDonald.

“We’re getting to the sharp end of the season, but with five games to go there is a lot of cricket to come. There are a lot of good sides in the division, and it’s so tight you have to be on your game from first ball to last to get maximum points.

“We’ve probably only “lost” four or five sessions of Championship cricket this season, and if we can take that consistency forward while lifting again, it should be an exciting few weeks.

“We’ll be giving Northants full credit and respecting them. Division Two is so tight that if you’re not on your game, then you can lose any game. It’s an evenly matched contest and control on day one and two will go a long way to deciding the outcome.”

Cosgrove added: “We’re sitting in a decent spot in the table, in third place and 11 points off the top, and these are now five massive games for the club.

“Northants are a dangerous side, we have got to be on the money and play the way that we want to play. We need to build pressure, get in a good position and capitalise on that.”

Leicestershire have named an unchanged 13-man squad for the trip to Wantage Road with Lewis Hill and Rob Sayer travelling with the XI that drew to Derbyshire.

Northants have had a different look in red ball and white ball cricket and that may continue given their hectic schedule in all competitions over the next fortnight.

The club is hosting a Royal London One-Day Cup quarter-final against Surrey next week and are also looking forward to a third successive NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day following Tuesday’s excellent seven-wicket success in their last eight tie against Middlesex.

Although Northants have been going great guns in limited overs cricket, Leicestershire will not be underestimating the opposition given they had an emphatic win at Glamorgan in their most recent Specsavers County Championship fixture.

McDonald said: “Northants have a couple of big games coming up in white ball cricket so that may force their hand into some changes but we’ll be on our guard. It’s ultimately about respecting your opponent, and if you don’t they can bite you.

“We give due diligence, it’s not the same preparation for every game but we’ll look at the opposition and plan for them. Northants could come with a couple of players that we don’t know a lot about, but we’ll do our homework.”

Rob Newton, Rob Keogh, David Murphy, Saif Zaib and Ben Sanderson are among those who could return to the XI while there were two debutants at Swansea.

The talented Laurie Evans is on loan from Warwickshire for the Specsavers County Championship while fellow batsman Sean Terry, once of Hampshire, also made his bow on the South Wales coast.

Leicestershire (from): Horton, Robson, Dexter, Cosgrove (capt), Pettini, O’Brien (w/k), Eckersley, Hill, Raine, McKay, Jones, Shreck, Sayer.