Sanderson wickets give Northants edge over Glos

Rothesay County Championship, Division Two, Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol (day one) Gloucestershire 154: Price 50*; Sanderson 5-47 Northamptonshire 37-3: Procter 15*; Bell 2-13 Glos (1pt) Northants (3pts) Match scorecard Ben Sanderson produced an outstanding display of seam bowling as Northamptonshire edged the first day of the County Championship Division Two match against Gloucestershire in Bristol. Exploiting bowler-friendly conditions and a hybrid pitch, the 37-year-old right armer returned figures of 5-47 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 and Luke Procter, who weighed in with 2-54 and 2-24 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 and enabled Gloucestershire to recover from the wreckage of 19-4 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 and Gabe Bell sending back Conway and Calvin Harrison in quick succession as Northants reached the close on 37-3, still 117 behind, at the end of a day in which 25 overs were lost to rain and bad light. Sanderson and 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 and 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 and 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 7-3 in the fifth. That soon became 19-4, 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 3-4 in five overs by the time rain afforded shell-shocked Gloucestershire a brief respite.