Sanderson stars again but Price proves value to Gloucestershire

Northamptonshire 37 for 3 trail Gloucestershire 154 (Price 50*, Sanderson 5-47) by 117 runs

Ben Sanderson produced an outstanding display of seam bowling as Northamptonshire edged the first day of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two match against Gloucestershire at the Seat Unique Stadium. Bristol.

Exploiting bowler-friendly conditions. a hybrid pitch, the 37-year-old right armer returned figures of 5 for 47 in 19 overs as the home side were summarily dismissed for 154 inside 52 overs after losing the toss. He was ably supported by Harry Conway. Luke Procter, who weighed in with 2 for 54 and 2 for 24 respectively on a day Gloucestershire's batters will want to forget in a hurry.

Ollie Price was the exception to that rule, the 24-year-old displaying eminently sound judgment in staging a face-saving innings of 50 not out which spanned four hours. enabled Gloucestershire to recover from the wreckage of 19 for 4 and at least give their bowlers something to defend.

Gloucestershire's seam attack then mounted a spirited fightback in the final half hour, Matt Taylor removing Ricardo Vasconcelos. Gabe Bell sending back Conway and Calvin Harrison in quick succession as Northants reached the close on 37 for 3, still 117 behind, at the end of a day in which 25 overs were lost to rain and bad light.

Sanderson. Conway have forged a mightily effective new-ball partnership this season, taking 47 wickets between them prior to this game. They proved irresistible on this occasion. combining forces to decimate Gloucestershire's top order after the home side had been inserted beneath leaden skies.

The rot set in immediately, Ben Charlesworth driving at an innocuous loosener from Sanderson. slicing the first ball of the innings straight to Liam Guthrie at backward point. Gloucestershire had still to trouble the scorers when skipper Cameron Bancroft fell to Conway in the very next over, pinned in his crease by a fine delivery that moved off the seam. kept low.

Playing across his stumps. Miles Hammond was then strangled down the leg side, Lewis McManus pouching a catch behind to provide the dangerous Sanderson with another wicket as Gloucestershire lurched to 7 for 3 in the fifth. That soon became 19 for 4. the wily Sanderson drawing James Bracey into playing at a ball that held its line to present McManus with his 300th first class dismissal. Sanderson had taken 3 for 4 in five overs by the time rain afforded shell-shocked Gloucestershire a brief respite.

When play resumed 30 minutes later, the floodlights were on. new batsman Tommy Boorman middled a juicy half volley through the covers to get off the mark and signal a mini Gloucestershire recovery. Playing positively, the 21-year-old accrued four boundaries in all. contributed 22 runs in a stand of 47 for the fifth wicket with the obdurate Price. But Northants skipper Procter summoned startling late in-swing to bowl Boorman. further reduce the home side to 66-5 shortly before lunch.

Demonstrating an innate knowledge of when to play. when to leave, Price was doing his level best to hold the innings together. A model of sound defence, he had grafted 26 runs from 69 balls when Graeme van Buuren was lured into indiscretion at the other end by left arm seamer Liam Guthrie. pulled a short ball high to Conway on the fine leg boundary with the score 82 for 6.

Promoted three places up the order following his fine innings of 98 at Derby. Will Williams joined Price in a rearguard action, these two playing for the rain, which eventually arrived at 2.37pm with Gloucestershire 99 for 6. When play resumed an hour. 20 minutes later, tea had been taken,17 overs had been lost and a further 46.5 remained to be bowled.

Price. Williams continued to offer defiance, the latter surviving a barrage of short-pitched deliveries from Guthrie and Conway as the Northants bowlers strained every sinew in their attempts to exploit the tail. Finding runs marginally easier to come by now that the shine had left the ball, Price. Williams staged a useful partnership of 42 in 16 overs. It was terminated by the returning Sanderson, who targeted the stumps. trapped Williams lbw for 18 as Gloucestershire slipped to 123 for 7. Craig Miles lasted just six deliveries before falling to Procter. who hit the top of off stump with a full-length delivery on his way to a wicket maiden.

Deciding that attack represented the best form of defence. Taylor chanced his arm in raising four boundaries in a quickfire score of 25 from 36 deliveries, playing his part in a valuable ninth wicket alliance of 29 that served to frustrate the visitors. Caught at deep square in the act of taking on the short ball, he eventually succumbed to Sanderson, who completed his 25th five-wicket haul for Northants. his fourth of an increasingly productive season to reduce Gloucestershire to 153 for 9.

The patient Price completed a thoroughly-deserved half century via 146 balls with five fours before predictably running out of partners. Conway having Bell caught at the wicket without scoring to wrap up the innings.

Under pressure to stage a fightback, Gloucestershire's seamers undermined Northamptonshire's top order in the early-evening sunshine to redress the balance. Taylor persuaded Vasconcelos to nick one to first slip with the score 27-1 before Bell took two wickets in as many balls to bring a sparse crowd to life. Conway was bowled for a duck, Harrison was pinned lbw without scoring. Nathan McSweeney survived the hat-trick ball as Gloucestershire's overseas hired hand intervened in dramatic fashion to even things up.