Northants get back on track

Daggett: Claimed 4-25 for the visitors

LV County Championship - Division Two
New Road - Day Three
Worcestershire 287 (O B Cox 59, M S Mason 51 no, D A Wheeldon 50, D S Lucas 4-68) & 93 (L M Daggett 4-25) v Northamptonshire 158 & 226-6 (A G Wakely 68)
Northamptonshire (19pts) beat Worcestershire (5pts) by 4 wkts

Related links

Teams

• Northamptonshire
• Worcestershire

Also see

• Sky Sports experts
• Scores
• Free Sky Player
• £5 Free Bet
• Fixtures/Results

Northamptonshire got their promotion bid back on track with a four-wicket win over Division Two rivals Worcestershire at New Road.

Alex Wakely hit a vital knock of 68 to help the visitors chase down a target of 223 and seal their sixth triumph in the LV=County Championship this season.

Their bowlers had set up the victory by bowling the Pears out for just 93 - the third lowest total in the Championship this summer - having mopped up the final two wickets for addition of only 21 runs.

Northamptonshire's run chase was given a solid start by Stephen Peters (37) before Wakely combined with David Sales, who made 46 from 67 balls, in a crucial third-wicket stand worth 73.

Rob Newton weighed in with 33 before the Steelbacks suffered a late wobble, losing three wickets for 12 runs. Wakely was one of them, caught at short leg off the bowling of Moeen Ali, having hit 12 boundaries.

However David Murphy eased his side over the finishing line with two fours in the second over after tea on the third day and seal a 19-point haul.

Day Two

Worcestershire dismissed Northamptonshire for their lowest total of the LV= County Championship season before suffering a collapse of their own on day two at New Road.

Experienced seamers Matt Mason (3-34) and Alan Richardson (3-28) took advantage of the favourable conditions to bowl out the visitors for 158 but saw their hard work undone as the Pears slipped to 72-8 at the close.

After resuming on 3-1, the visitors suffered a number of early setbacks as James Middlebrook (two), Ben Howgego (eight) and David Sales (0) all capitulated to leave the score on 16-4.

After Alex Wakely (20) and Rob Newton (23) steadied the ship with a fifth wicket stand of 40, the collapse continued, with skipper Andrew Hall trying in vain to hold things together.

When Hall was run out for 28, the follow-on looked likely with the visitors stranded on 98-8, but tailenders David Murphy (26) and David Lucas (24) rode their luck to combine for 43 before Richardson accounted for them both.

The hosts looked set to take total control as they began their second innings 129 ahead but Lee Daggett ripped through the top order with 4-25 in 10 overs.

Only Alex Kervezee (24) and opener David Wheeldon (14) managed to make it into double figures as Worcestershire finished the day with a lead of 201 and two wickets remaining.

Day One

Worcestershire recovered to post 287 in the first innings of their LV County championship match against Northamptonshire, who failed to drive home their advantage at New Road.

The hosts had stumbled to 158 for seven but the last three wickets conjured 129 runs with Ben Cox and Matt Mason both making half-centuries.

And to make matters worse for the visitors, they lost opener Stephen Peters in the first over of their reply as Northants finished on 3-1.

Worcestershire won the toss but gleaned little benefit despite opener David Wheeldon's dogged 50 from 150 balls.

The rookie was the fifth man out though after the hosts had struggled to 55 for one at lunch, Daryl Mitchell (23) edging a catch to gully off Elton Chigumbura.

Left-armer David Lucas removed Vikram Solanki and Moeen Ali in one over after lunch - both caught in the slips - before spinner James Middlebrook ended Alex Kervezee's breezy-by-comparison run-a-ball 28.

Wheeldon then played on to Chigumbura before Shakib Al Hasan fell cheaply to the same bowler, and James Cameron then edged Lucas to 'keeper David Murphy, who took a diving catch.

Teenager Cox and veteran Mason led the revival after tea though, the latter's 51 not out coming off only 33 deliveries with six fours and two sixes, while Cox made 59 from 86.

Mason added 54 for the last wicket with Alan Richardson (11) and then removed Peters for a duck with Mitchell taking the catch.