Northamptonshire
Tail wagging, heads nodding
Northamptonshire could do with a few more runs from their top-order but everything else is going swimmingly well
Ashley Lambell
05-Jun-2013
Don't you just love a British summer? On Bank Holiday Monday I was sitting at Northamptonshire's Wantage Road ground bathed in glorious sunshine. Fast forward 48 hours and, on the same ground, I was crouching under a battered umbrella with a pac-a-mac on as ducks swam on the outfield.
I should really have seen it coming after Monday's miracle. The Bank Holiday saw Northants win their first home 40-over match for two years so it was no wonder the rain came in floods. Warwickshire were seen off on family fun day at Wantage Road and I'm pretty sure one child even fell off the bouncy castle in disbelief as Andrew Hall took the final Bears wicket.
After the shocking YB40 success, I felt a wave of optimism ahead of our County Championship clash with Hampshire, as we welcomed one of the 'pre-season favourites' to Northampton. As it turned out, wave was a very apt word to use as day one was completely washed out and part of day two was lost due to the soaked outfield.
Full post'Little' Northants make big statement
With three wins out of four in the Championship has sent shockwaves through Division Two and got supporters discussing promotion
Ashley Lambell
10-May-2013
Every time I have seen Northamptonshire take to the field in the County Championship this season, I have been pessimistically waiting for a bad day to come. But with four matches played, that bad day has yet to materialise and 'little' Northants sit comfortably at the top of Division Two, nearly 40 points ahead of second-placed Hampshire. Not a bad start for a small fish in a large pond.
Rain ruined any chance of success against Glamorgan in the opening game but the Wantage Road crowd were then left stunned, but delighted, as the county crushed Essex by an innings a week later. Success over a poor Gloucestershire outfit down at Bristol then sent Northants clear at the top of the table as an excellent start to the season was confirmed.
Supporters scratched their heads and looked at each other in the Bristol sunshine as we all wondered whether this was in fact Northants we were watching. Cautious optimism could be felt amongst the faithful - not a feeling we have been used to in recent years.
Full postPeters' appointment a shrewd move
Northamptonshire's 2013 prospects previewed by the ESPNcricinfo Supporters' Network
Ashley Lambell
03-Apr-2013
Quite what is in store for Northamptonshire in 2013 is anybody's guess but with a new coach at the helm and after a second-bottom finish last time around, the only way is up for players and supporters at the Wantage Road.
Head Coach David Ripley takes charge of his first full season and is tasked with the challenge of delivering the promotion the club has craved for so many years and needs in order to develop into a first-class county side. Despite losing important members of the squad in Jack Brooks and Niall O'Brien to Yorkshire and Leicestershire respectively, Northants moved swiftly to bring in all-rounder Matthew Spriegel from Surrey and Australian international seamer Trent Copeland to bolster their ranks.
After missing out on promotion by a single point in 2011, Northants had expected to use 2012 as a springboard to Division One but all didn't quite go according to plan. With too many drawn matches at home and with not a single victory to their name on the road, Northants struggled to make any sort of impression on the division last season and will know they have to do better this time around.
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