Honours even as rain hits opening day of Northants' clash at Glamorgan

The predicted rain finally arrived after 44.5 overs on Sunday with Northants 128 for four.

The Glamorgan seamers picked up four wickets, with Timm van der Gugten leading the way with three fir 35 from 13 his overs.

Northants won the toss and decided to bat despite the thick cloud covering overhead.

Left handers Ricardo Vasconcelos and Emilio Gay opened the innings and had to face an opening pace barrage from Glamorgan’s Aussie duo of Michael Neser and Michael Hogan.

Skipper Vasconcelos sent the first ball from Neser, playing his last championship game of the season before returning to Australia having signed a new two-year deal with the Welsh county, to the boundary.

He did the same to Dan Douthwaite’s first ball in the 13th over as the second change bowler, taking Northants past the 30 run mark in the opening hour.

Northants had won the opening Group 3 clash between these sides by seven wickets at home, and both teams came into the game knowing that whatever the outcome they would both be moving into Division Two play-offs of the re-vamped County Championship.

Van der Gugten finally got the breakthrough for the home side in the 14th over when he got Gay caught behind by skipper Chris Cooke the ball after the Northants opener had edged a ball through the slips for four. That made it 40 for one with Gay departing for 22.

Van der Gugten then removed Vasconcelos, caught at short mid wicket by Kiran Carlson, to make it 55 for two in the 20th over.

The Northants skipper had just gone through 700 championship runs for the season on his way to 25, while the bowler ended his super seven over spell in the opening session with two for 18.

Charlie Thurston (16 no) and Rob Keogh (12 no) successfully steered the visitors through to lunch and they resumed the second session on 81 for two.

Van der Gugten took up where he left off before lunch by getting Keogh caught at first slip by Billy Root with the eighth ball after the resumption.

Neser continued the home side’s great start to the afternoon session when he trapped Luke Proctor lbw for three going around the wicket to the left hander.

When the rain arrived Charlie Thurston had moved on to 36 in 31 overs at the crease, his highest championship score of the season, and Saif Zaib had scored 16.

Play was called off for the day at 4.30pm after continuous rain and the players will resume the match on Monday morning.

.