County Championship: Northants stutter chasing 284 against Sussex

Sussex’s bowlers dealt Northamptonshire a double blow late in the day at Wantage Road to close in on victory and the chance to stretch their advantage at the top of County Championship Division Two.

Set a target of 284, Emilio Gay’s 67 appeared to have given Northamptonshire a fighting chance – but he and skipper Luke Procter both fell in the space of four balls to leave the visitors as clear favourites in a low-scoring contest.

Seamer Nathan McAndrew, who dismissed Gay leg before, ended with two wickets for 37 runs as the home side closed on 137-4 – still needing another 147 to pull off a first win of the season.

Procter played a key role with the ball earlier in the day, recording season’s best figures of 4-45 as Sussex were bowled out for 237 in their second innings, while Ben Sanderson took 3-44.

The opening day’s play had encompassed 22 wickets – and more of the same looked on the cards when Tom Alsop departed in the first over, edging Sanderson behind with no increase to Sussex’s overnight lead of 129.

Sanderson dismissed nightwatchman Sean Hunt and Luke Procter trapped James Coles lbw before Broad claimed Oli Carter and Fynn Hudson-Prentice after lunch.

McAndrew’s leading edge off Procter looped up towards mid-off, with the bowler racing to gather it, colliding with the substitute fielder and dumping the ball on the turf in his follow-through – yet the catch stood.

Procter swiftly polished off the last two wickets, including that of John Simpson for 40, to leave Northamptonshire almost a session and a half’s batting and they lost Ricardo Vasconcelos prior to tea, trapped in his crease by McAndrew’s second ball.

Prithvi Shaw and Gay built a partnership of 69, the highest of the match, until Hunt knocked back Shaw’s off stump on 37.

Gay and Procter dug in to reach 118-2 before Sussex prised them out in successive overs – off-spinner Jack Carson persuading the captain to nudge to Simpson and the swift loss of Gay left Matthew Breetzke and Rob Keogh with the task of ensuring Northamptonshire at least live to fight another day.