Leicestershire on the verge of victory

Leicestershire, who finished bottom of Division Two last season, are on the brink of victory in their first County Championship game of the new campaign at Grace Road.

They need just 51 more runs on the final day to beat Northamptonshire after enforcing the follow-on and bowling the visitors out for 269, leaving a victory target of 65.

Leicestershire closed on 14 for one as new captain Matthew Hoggard decided against claiming the extra 30 minutes. But with good weather forecast again tomorrow, victory should be a formality when play resumes. It was Hoggard who wrapped up Northamptonshire's first innings when he had Lee Daggett caught behind by Tom New in the fifth over of the day.

The visitors had added just 11 runs to their overnight total of 179, giving Leicestershire a lead of 205 and Hoggard had no hesitation in asking them to bat again. Left-arm spinner Claude Henderson finished with splendid figures of six for 21 off 20 overs and Hoggard, in his first game for his new club, took two for 35.

But Northants put up much sterner resistance second time around with Robert White hitting a brisk 68 and David Lucas an unbeaten 40. Lucas led some excellent late resistance to frustrate the Leicestershire attack, sharing a last-wicket stand of 52 with Daggett. It was a strange innings from the visitors. Despite losing wickets at regular intervals, they also scored at a rapid rate, with 170 out of their total of 269 coming in boundaries with 41 fours and a six.

After Henderson's heroics in the first innings it was Leicestershire's battery of seamers that did the bulk of the damage this time with Wayne White taking four for 58, his best Championship figures since he joined Leicestershire. Nathan Buck also impressed with a return of three for 36, while Henderson took two more wickets to finish with a match haul of eight for 68.White, although often erratic, produced some excellent deliveries to remove Paul Harrison, Mal Loye, Robert White and Northants captain Nicky Boje.

They were vital scalps and at one stage it looked as though the home side would snatch victory with a day to spare. But Lucas and Daggett kept them at bay and when Matt Boyce fell to Lucas for three at the start of Leicestershire's innings, Hoggard decided to delay the victory charge until the final day.