Northamptonshire are all out for 453

With an increasing cloud cover yesterday, Northants had opted to bowl first on the green-tinged surface, but it was only during the afternoon session that the home bowlers got on top, with seven wickets tumbling for 55 runs as Glamorgan were dismissed for 241. Stephen Peters and James Middlebrook then made 85 in the remaining 21 overs, with Glamorgan eager to break the opening stand this morning and to make inroads into the home batting.

Jim Allenby opened the bowling and was steered through backward point for four, before the home captain cover drove the all-rounder en route to an 80-ball fifty. He celebrated by leg-glancing Mike Reed for four, but with the total on 115, he edged a short rising delivery from the tall paceman into Allenby's hands at first slip. Middlebrook then scythed Reed over the head of gully before a more correct drive for four through the covers to reach his own fifty from 73 balls.

Middlebrook then pulled a short ball from Reed to the ropes at mid-wicket, but the bowler had the last laugh as next over Mark Wallace completed a regulation catch as the opener flashed outside off stump with Northants on 136/2. Alex Wakely then greeted the return of Graham Wagg by cover driving him for four, whilst David Sales clipped John Glover to the ropes at mid-wicket before biffing Wagg through mid-off.

Wakely then edged Glover just short of second slip as the together with Wagg he delivered a probing spell which kept the home side in check in the lead-up to the lunch interval. Sales had a life on 22 when Wagg nearly pulled off a stunning one-handed catch at second slip as the batsman edged a drive against the persevering Glover, but the fielder could not quite hold onto the ball one-handed above his head.

With Northants on 180/2 at lunch, Glamorgan brought Mike Reed back into the attack and the paceman beat the outside edge of David Sales' bat as well as getting further lift from the surface, whilst Dean Cosker having extracted some turn before lunch resumed at the Pavilion End and saw an inside edge from Sales speed away to long-leg. Play was then held up for over five minutes because of sunshine glinting off cars parked adjacent to the Indoor School.

When play resumed, Wakely advanced down the wicket and lofted Cosker over mid-wicket for six, but with the total on 196, Wagg at second slip dropped Sales who got a thick edge to another lifting delivery from Reed. Just to rub salt into Welsh wounds, Sales slapped the next ball to the cover boundary before Wakely did the same three balls later.

Sales secured another boundary as he steered Cosker through extra cover, but with the total on 215, Reed gained his third scalp as Wakely miscued a drive and spooned the ball to Gareth Rees at mid-on. Ben Duckett began with a pair of cuts against Cosker before pulling Reed for four, but he then sparred at a delivery from Cosker and Wallace pouched the edge at the second attempt.

226/4 saw Andrew Hall join Sales and the veteran Springbok began by cover-driving Reed, and with the surface assisting the left-arm spin of Cosker, Salter's off-spin was introduced at the Lyn Wilson End and with his eighth delivery Salter bowled Sales through the gate for 48. The teenage spinner fully justified his selection by striking again next ball as Steven Crook edged into Wallace's gloves as he propped forward with Northants on 236/6.

David Willey responded by opting for attack rather than defence, as he swept Salter for six and four, besides drilling him to long-off for four and six to take his side into a slender lead. Hall also on-drove Cosker for four before Willey twice despatched the left-armer through extra cover to bring up the fifty partnership, and then lofted Salter over long-on to reach 50 rom 51 balls in the penultimate over before tea,

Having reduced the home side to 236/6 after 70 overs, and their spinners extracting assistance from the green but worn surface, Glamorgan had harboured hopes of quickly polishing off the home side's resistance, but David Willey unleashed some furious blows in the overs leading up to tea, harpooning Cosker over deep mid-wicket for six in the final over before the interval.

This furious assault changed the complexion of the game and prompted Glamorgan to take the new ball after the interval, but Andrew Hall on-drove Mike Reed before Willey unleashed a pair of scorching off-drives against Graham Wagg, followed for good measure by a fierce flat-bat pull over mid-wicket for six . The fusillade of blows continued as Hall drove Reed through mid-off to bring up the century stand, followed by another rasping cover drive for four to break the record for the highest seventh wicket stand for the East Midlands side against Glamorgan, beating the stand of 105 by Bill Denton and Ben Bellamy at Swansea in 1922.

Willey celebrated by drilling Wagg over the pavilion for his sixth six, but next ball he edged the left-armer to Allenby at slip and departed for 81 from 73 balls. Hall then picked up the cudgels and cover drove John Glover for four. Trent Copeland also unleashed a couple of cover drives for four before Hall clubbed Glover to the ropes to complete an 85-ball fifty. The salvo of blows continued as Copeland top-edged a swat against Wagg for four before Hall scythed another four through backward point.

Copeland swatted another four over the keeper's head, prompting the posting of a fly slip, but with the total on 413, Reed struck again as he sent the Australian's off stump cart-wheeling out of the ground. David Murphy then lent good support to Hall, clipping Allenby for a pair of leg-side fours. In the 110th over Cooke at slip spilled a sharp chance as Hall edged Allenby, but it did not prevent Glamorgan from securing maximum bowling points as next ball, Murphy edged into Wallace's gloves.

Hall then straight drove Allenby for four before on-driving Cosker to the ropes as he approached his century in the closing overs. But three overs from the end Azharullah was trapped l.b.w. by Cosker as Northants ended on 453 with a lead of 212 runs.