Northants claim innings victory

Date: Friday 25 September 2009

Northants (22 pts) 600-8 dec (White 193, Hall 159, Boje 90*, Benning 2-53) beat Leicestershire (3 pts) 218 (Nixon 52, New 46*, Hall 4-41, Boje 2-14) and 186 (Benning 72, Henderson 42, Taylor 30*, Lucas 7-45) by an innings and 196 runs.

Leicestershire put up some spirited resistance before eventually slipping to an innings defeat in the Championship inside three days to Northamptonshire, who moved a step closer to promotion with victory at Wantage Road.

County had slumped to 45-6 on the third morning but James Taylor (30*) and James Benning (72) shared a fine 86-run stand before the teenager added a further 52 with Claude Henderson as the team went on to post 186.

Although it still meant a heavy defeat, at least Leicestershire showed the battling qualities that we have seen plenty of times over the 2009 Championship season.

The game looked as though it could be heading for an extremely early conclusion with David Lucas wreaking havoc. He claimed the first three wickets of the morning to fall to complete his five-for, and returned later to take 7-45 overall.

However, Benning made his maiden first-class Championship half-century for the club in fine style and Taylor, as he has so often done this summer, placed a high price on his wicket.

The duo formed an effective and contrasting association at the wicket. While Benning went for his strokes sensibly in a hard-hit but controlled 72, Taylor patiently accumulated and defended defiantly.

Henderson, like Benning had been before, was also in aggressive mode. Remarkably, both men scored more than four-fifths of the run-scoring in their stands with Taylor, who again showed a maturity at the wicket.

It is easy to get carried away when players are scoring freely at the other end, but Taylor went about the innings in his usual manner. It was fitting that the talented youngster remained unbeaten at the wicket; finishing the 2009 campaign with the guts, determination and class he has demonstrated throughout.

The partnerships were a welcome respite to what had been the worst possible start. County lost four wickets for fourteen runs in the opening exchanges but Taylor, Benning and Henderson stopped the rot, ensuring the team went down fighting.

Leics needed a solid and wicketless first hour if they harboured hopes of avoiding an innings defeat or indeed saving the game – but got exactly the opposite.

County suffered an immediate blow when Paul Nixon became the third victim of the David Lucas-Niall O’Brien second-innings duopoly. The batsman got a bottom edge with the overnight score extended only by one run.

That became two when Greg Smith – who had played one exquisite pull through mid-wicket – was trapped on the crease and became Lucas’ fourth victim of the innings.

It bought Taylor to the crease alongside Cobb, and for the second time in the game, neither had a run when the partnership started. Things were showing no sign of improvement. Cobb was yorked by Johannes van der Wath for a single and Tom New then played onto Lucas to become his fifth victim.

It was an awful start and County had now lost six wickets for 19 runs from the moment Matthew Boyce was dismissed last night. The team needed a regroup and Taylor and Benning did the job impressively; finding boundaries through mid-wicket and backward point respectively.

Benning also drove impressively through the covers as he took twelve from Lucas’ eleventh over of the innings and then played Andrew Hall through mid-off when the all-rounder entered the attack.

A switch of ends for van der Wath ended Lucas’ initial burst and the left armer now had figures of 5-40 from twelve. It did not have the desired effect for Northants as Benning continued his fine knock. He took four boundaries off the over, including three drives either through or over cover and another pleasant stroke through mid-off.

A two into the leg-side made it eighteen for the over, with the stand passing fifty in the process. Benning was now being peppered by short balls but the batsman was prepared to take it on and profited with a boundary that bisected the two deep men perfectly.

Benning was playing beautifully and after bringing up a 49-ball fifty which contained eight fours, found the boundary twice more with strokes through cover and mid-on.

The batter greeted Lee Daggett’s arrival into the attack with two more well-timed off side strokes, and a push down to third man bought up another four.

It was an all-action passage of play and Benning would have been run out by some distance had van der Wath managed a direct hit from the last ball of that over. He survived, although did not make Northants pay for that missed opportunity.

He holed out to Lucas, who was stationed three-quarters back at mid-off from the bowling of Nicky Boje. It was a disappointing way to end a mighty-fine knock.

Henderson also scored freely, and was unbeaten on 11 at lunch with County on 144-7. Taylor, meanwhile, looked extremely solid and hard-working in making 19 not out from 60 balls.

Henderson continued to be aggressive with a series of trademark drives through cover and extra, while Taylor was not fazed by anything and kept battling.

The batsman drove elegantly for his second boundary as the fifty-run partnership came up, but he became Lucas’ sixth victim when the left armer bowled the batsman to end an entertaining knock of 42.

Wayne White, who had suffered an insect bite in the warm-up which forced him to slip down the order, then came to the crease. He was not feeling 100 per cent and nicked Lucas to Riki Wessels at second slip as the bowler now had seven victims.

He did not get an eighth, as van der Wath returned to bowl Harry Gurney without scoring. It was his 50th Championship wicket of the season and a fine way to end an excellent performance.

Taylor’s unbeaten 30 meant he finished with more than 1,200 first-class runs for the season, which was a fine effort from the batsman.

As far as this game is concerned, it was a poor way to end the season with the side finishing at the foot of the table. However, although in the record books it will go down as a hefty setback, Leicestershire had opportunities in the game.

At 44-4 on the first morning, the side was well on top, and even after Northants amassed 600-8, a lot of hard work had been done with County on 106-1 during the afternoon on day two.

Northants, meanwhile are waiting on the result at Derby before they can celebrate. As Essex posted 300 in their first innings, a win for the visitors tomorrow would mean Northants do not gain promotion. Therefore, the champagne is on ice for the time being.