Northamptonshire v Derbyshire: Scores and match report from County Championship Division Two

Match scores (Northampton)

Northamptonshire win by 128 runs  

Northamptonshire 1st inns: 218 all out (Newton 67, Kleinveldt 40; McKerr 5-87)

Northamptonshire 2nd inns: 277 (Newton 108, Wakely 79; McKerr 5-54, Palladino 3-60)

Derbyshire 1st inns: 176 (Hughes 62 no, Thakor 45; Sanderson 5-52)

Derbyshire 2nd inns: 191 (Taylor 69; Sanderson 4-31; Buck 3-38)

Day three report

Ben Sanderson took four second-innings wickets to push Northamptonshire back into promotion contention with a 128-run win over Derbyshire.

Sanderson's four for 31 on day three of this Specsavers County Championship match followed his five for 52 in the first innings and saw Northants comfortably defend 319 for a fourth win in six matches.

It looked like Derbyshire were rolling over having slipped to 58 for six shortly after lunch, but Tom Taylor made a bright half-century in a stand of 106 with Daryn Smit that avoided humiliation. It merely delayed Northants' victory until after tea, with Derbyshire eventually bowled out for 191.

It was another remarkable day where 16 wickets fell - as they did on day one. Nine of them came in the morning session where Derbyshire's hopes of a first victory in two years was raised, only to be dashed before lunch.

Northants resumed four down with a lead of 289 which they wanted to push to 400. But their ambitions were destroyed as Conor McKerr, 19, took a second five-wicket haul in the game, becoming the youngest bowler to take 10 in a match for Derbyshire as he surpassed FE Bracey, whose 10 came back in 1907.

McKerr swung a full ball into the pads of Ben Duckett to trap him lbw for just eight and took out the leg stump of Josh Cobb who recorded a pair. And when Rory Kleinveldt was cleaned up looking for runs with only the number 11 for company, McKerr had 10 for 141.

It completed an outrageous Northants collapse from 225 for one and from four overs before the close on the second evening, Northants lost eight for 33 in 18 overs.

It meant Derbyshire were right back in the game but with still a testing 320 to chase. Twenty overs in, their dreams were shattered.

Before lunch, they lost three cheap wickets to Sanderson. Billy Godleman miscued a pull that came off a top-edge to square leg, Jeevan Mendis was trapped lbw to an inswinger and Shiv Tahkor also fell pulling, his a full-blooded shot that was very well held by Cobb at square-leg.

After lunch, Sanderson's fourth came when Wayne Madsen chopped into his middle stump and Gary Wilson was run out from a direct hit running to his right from point. Nathan Buck also removed Alex Hughes lbw trying to pull.

Derbyshire were in desperate need of a resistance if only to save face and Taylor counter-attacked to good effect, driving Buck down the ground, Rob Keogh past extra cover and sweeping the same bowler.

He should have gone for 28 when he was caught at deep square off a Buck no-ball but survived to go through to a second first-class fifty in 44 balls with a clip through midwicket - his ninth four.

Together with Smit - bravely resisting with an injured right hand - the pair added 106 for the seventh wicket at over five-an-over to bring to target down to 156 and make Northants sweat a little.

But Taylor fell playing in the manner that had brought him his fine fifty - trying to hook Buck and getting a faint edge through to wicketkeeper Duckett.

When the same bowler had Tony Palladino held at second slip for two it looked as if the game would be over before tea but Smit's resistance continued and he and McKerr got Derbyshire through to the break, only for the latter to be bowled by Keogh two overs into the final session.

Day two report

Rob Newton made his first Specsavers County Championship century of the season as Northamptonshire took control against Derbyshire at Wantage Road, reaching 247 for four and a lead of 289 by the close of day two.

Newton, who was awarded his county cap before the game, followed up a first innings 67 with a century in 189 balls - his 12th in first-class cricket - reaching three figures by flicking Jeevan Mendis past midwicket for his 10th boundary.

The second 50 was quite hard work on a fairly slow wicket against the older ball, taking 123 balls and scoring just two further fours, as the boundaries that flowed before and just after lunch dried up and Northants ground Derbyshire down with steady accumulation.

Northants are not accustomed to playing in such a manner - Newton's century was just the second they have made in the Championship this season and the century stand he shared with Alex Wakely was just the fifth of the year.

Wakely was also forced to play carefully and struck just one six - heaving a Mendis full toss over midwicket - and one four in his half-century from 100 balls.

He fell for 79 in the final over of the old ball, driving at Tony Palladino and getting an edge to wicket-keeper Daryn Smit who took a good low catch. And when Conor McKerr sent a full ball into the stumps of Rob Keogh, Derbyshire opened a route back into the game.

But until those late wickets, their hopes of a first four-day victory for two years were fading with just one wicket in the first 65 overs of the Northants second innings - that of Max Holden - pinned lbw by a McKerr yorker for 31.

Their attack was very ill-disciplined in the morning session as Northants raced past 50 in just the 11th over. They regained a little control of the run rate after lunch with Alex Hughes bowling wicket-to-wicket and a good second spell from Tom Taylor.

Coming in from the Wantage Road end, Taylor provided some hope in his seven overs where he found a little movement to beat the bat several times. But it was the only period of concerted pressure Newton and Wakely faced as they grew the lead.

Their second effort with the bat ensured a great day for Northamptonshire after Ben Sanderson completed his first five-wicket haul of the season in the morning session to bowl Derbyshire out for 176 and handing Northants a handy first innings lead of 42.

Sanderson struck in the eighth over of the morning to end a seventh-wicket stand of 59 that had frustrated Northants on the first evening. But Taylor, who survived 48 balls to the close of day one, added only three runs before shouldering arms and losing his off stump.

Sanderson's five-for came when Palladino tried to pull and got a thin edge to wicket-keeper Ben Duckett.

Hughes, who was dropped in the gully to the second ball of the morning, was left to try and farm the bowling from McKerr, but calling him back for a second run that was most certainly available, McKerr simply did not respond and was run out without facing a ball. It left Hughes stranded on 62.

Day one report

Conor McKerr picked up a maiden five-wicket haul in just his second first-class match but his Derbyshire side ended the first day only even against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

McKerr, the 19-year-old on loan from Surrey, took five for 87 as Derbyshire bowled Northamptonshire out for just 218.

Northants produced a marginally better display with the ball and through Ben Sanderson and Nathan Buck, reduced the visitors to 108 for six before Alex Hughes battled away with an unbeaten half-century to seer his side to the close 153 for six, trailing by 65.

Sanderson struck with the first ball of the Derbyshire reply, trapping makeshift opening Jeevan Mendis lbw, and in his second spell snared an edge from Gary Wilson that was taken at the second attempt by stand-in wicketkeeper Ben Duckett, and one that came back in to fix Daryn Smit lbw for four, continuing the South African's poor form.

In between there were two poor strokes - Billy Godleman driving loosely and presenting an edge to Alex Wakely at second slip off Rory Kleinvelt, and Shiv Thakor, who made a quick 45 including seven boundaries before flashing outside his off stump and getting a thin edge to Duckett.

Thakor's wicket was the first of the game for Buck, who followed up by winning an lbw verdict against Wayne Madsen, another South African out of touch.

But a stand of 43 between Hughes - who went past fifty in 83 balls with five fours - and Tom Taylor, who ate up 47 balls for his seven not out, battled Derbyshire back into the game.

Until that point, Northants had got themselves back on top. They had little to play with after a batting effort lacking in discipline to occupy the crease on a green-tinged wicket but not one offering excessive seam movement.

Derbyshire arrived buoyed by a near-miss at Trent Bridge last week and with McKerr to add an edge to their attack, hurried Northants away from 134 for three when Rob Newton and Duckett were going very well in a stand of 78 for the fourth wicket.

Newton played with fluency, driving confidently and pulling Alex Hughes to the long mid-wicket boundary. A well-timed off-side push brought him a fourth Championship fifty of the summer in 83 balls with seven fours. Only later in the day did his 67 realise its true value.

Duckett, returning from England Lions duty, also looked full of confidence and struck two perfect straight drives and took further boundaries with flourishing strokes through extra-cover off Tony Palladino to reach 36.

But it was Palladino who found the breakthrough to begin the collapse. Duckett dragged a cover drive into his stumps and Newton followed three overs later to the same bowler, trying to punch off the back foot and edging to wicketkeeper Daryn Smit. Palladino also removed Nathan Buck who dabbed at a ball just outside off and got an edge into his stumps.

Before Buck's wicket, McKerr - who removed Alex Wakely and Rob Keogh before lunch - returned to have Josh Cobb splendidly held in the gully by Hughes for a sixth-ball duck, driving far too loosely outside his off stump, and picked up a fourth wicket with Sanderson held in the gully.

But the most galling dismissal of the innings was that of Chesney Hughes. Trying to pull a long hop from part-time off-spinner Madsen he got a miserable top-edge to extra-cover.

Kleinveldt lifted two sixes over point and a third over mid-wicket - all to the short boundary - as Northants limped to a first batting point. Kleinveldt was last man out miscuing a pull that was taken by Smit to hand McKerr a first five-wicket haul.