Northants 66-0 v Leicestershire 122

Opening batsmen Luke Procter and Rob Newton continued the outstanding work done by seamers Ben Sanderson and Richard Gleeson as visitors Northamptonshire began to establish a dominant position against Leicestershire.

Sanderson (5-38) and Gleeson (5-49) made the most of the humid conditions after captain Alex Wakeley exercised the away team's right to bowl first at the Fischer County Ground. 

Needing to win the match to retain a chance of promotion, Northants suffered an immediate blow when leading wicket-taker Rory Kleinveldt pulled up with an injury after bowling just 11 deliveries.

With the ball swinging, however, Sanderson and Gleeson made light of Kleinveldt's absence by bowling straight and pitching the ball up, giving it time to move. Sanderson had Michael Carberry, with an in-swinger, and Ned Eckersley, with a delivery that went straight on, plumb leg before, before Gleeson produced a bouncing, seaming delivery which Sam Evans, making his championship debut for the Foxes, inside-edged to the wicket-keeper.

Gleeson then accounted for Mark Cosgrove, the Leicestershire captain inside-edging an attempted drive at a full delivery on to his off-stump, and Aadil Ali became Sanderson's third leg-before victim before Gleeson first had Lewis Hill leg before before bowling Neil Dexter with an unplayable delivery which left the South African off the pitch.

Raine, dropped by Richard Levi at second slip on 15 off Gleeson, and Chappell – who should have been easily run out on 5, only for wicket-keeper Murphy to fumble a simple take – then counter-attacked to some effect until shortly before lunch, when Chappell edged a Sanderson outswinger to second slip.

Raine went past 50 before steering a Sanderson delivery straight to Procter at point after the break, before Procter (27 not out) and Newton (32 not out) set about building a solid platform when the visitors began their reply.