Seamers Late Surge Leaves Hosts Struggling

Report from day one of Hampshire's LV= County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road

NOrthamptonshire v Hampshire
LV= County Championship
Day One: Wednesday 2 May 2012
Wantage Road

Summary: Hampshire trail Northamptonshire by 176 runs
with seven wickets remaining in the first innings
Northamptonshire: 218
Hampshire: 42-3 (17 ovs)
Scorecard

Northamptonshire Team
Peters, Newton, Coetzer, Sales, Wakely, Hall*, O'Brien, Middlebrook, Willey, Daggett, Brooks
Hampshire Team
Terry, Dawson, Carberry, Katich*, Vince, Ervine, Bates⁺, Wood, Riazuddin, Balcombe, Griffiths

A pugnacious early evening spell in which Hampshire took five wickets for the price of just 21 runs saw the visitors take control on day one of this LV= County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

Seamers Chris Wood (4-52) and Sean Ervine (3-32) cleaned up the tail in superb fashion after team-mates Davids Balcombe (1-62) and Griffiths (2-28) did the hard work in softening up a spirited Northants top-order early in the day.

Indeed, only the hosts’ top three made it beyond 30 with Stephen Peters (44) and former Durham and Scotland player Kyle Coetzer (41) perhaps feeling a little unlucky to fall short of their half-century.

The only downside for the visitors came in the last few overs of the day as they lost three wickets (albeit, one was that of nightwatchman, Hamza Riazuddin (0)) before close to leave their side on 42-3; 176 runs behind their opponents with seven wickets remaining in the first innings.

Having won the toss and elected to bowl first, Hampshire initially made hard work of it, allowing their hosts to bat to the brink of lunch with only Rob Newton (39) back in the hutch.

But just as minds were turning to food, Peters made a dog’s dinner of a Griffiths delivery that moved away off a pitch that, up until then, had played well. That left Northants 95-2 as the interval was taken.

And things were still a little messy a few overs after the re-start as Ervine couldn’t hang on to David Sales (9) in the slips off Griffiths, only to juggle (as Simon Katich had done for the second wicket) an edge from the very next ball. This time it stuck and Northants were 105-3.

Calm heads were called for and Coetzer was the man for the job. He has previous with Hampshire having scored a 50 for his Saltires side in last season’s Clydesdale Bank 40 competition. That was against an attack that included four out of the six front-line bowlers on show today.

And it was his partnerships of 43 with Alex Wakely (27), 21 with returning captain Andrew Hall (8) and 24 with wicket-keeper Niall O’Brien (10) that saw his side through the tea interval and to the brink of a first batting bonus point. But once he bottom edged Wood onto his stumps to leave his side 197-6, the tables turned.

Just over half an hour later two wickets each from Wood and Ervine would sew things up, the hosts all out for 218.

Nevertheless, Hampshire found it hard to capitalise. Without captain Jimmy Adams, who misses out for personal reasons, youngster Sean Terry is deputising at the top of the order and he would have been keen to make runs having shown what he could do with a 59 not out against Loughborough University at the start of the season.

However, a rejuvenated Hall, who plays his first game back having missed the start of the season with a calf injury, was equally as up for it and with his second ball in the attack he beat Terry’s (12) defences, leaving Hampshire 27-1.

Riazuddin and Michael Carberry (4) would also both fall before close, leaving Hampshire with Liam Dawson (14*) and Katich (4*) looking to regain the initiative in the morning.

 

Catch Up

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Live audio commentary for the match will be broadcast on the Internet by the volunteer team of commentators attached to the Northampton Association for the Blind. To listen in, please click www.northantscricket.com/commentary.

Preview:

White Contemplates Spin Options for Northants Clash

Weather Forecast

Tickets

Words: Simon Vincent
Interview: BBC Radio Solent's
Kevan James
Images: LMI Photography

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