Stephen Eskinazi's unbeaten 150 puts new team on top

Stephen Eskinazi hit an excellent unbeaten 150, his first century for his new county Leicestershire as the Division Two champions pressed home their advantage on day one of this Rothesay County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

Former Middlesex batter Eskinazi, who joined Leicestershire on loan after The Hundred prior to joining full time next season, led a fightback after pacer George Scrimshaw's double strike reduced the visitors to 122 for 4 at lunch.

Eskinazi shared a fifth-wicket stand worth 98 off 145 balls with Jonny Tattersall (47) before adding 76 with Liam Trevaskis (37), and 64 with Logan van Beek (26). His 150 was his highest Championship score since 2018, Leicestershire closing on 392 for 7.

Northamptonshire spinner Rob Keogh, who bowled with a lot of drift either side of tea, accounted for both Tattersall and Cox and finished with figures of 2 for 44.

Leicestershire had got off to a flyer in the morning, Sol Budinger smashing five fours and two sixes in his 44 in an opening stand of 70 with Rishi Patel (44), but Scrimshaw (2 for 80) arrested their rapid early progress with two wickets in two overs.

It was a determined display with the ball from Northamptonshire's youthful looking attack, but they were left to rue periods in both afternoon and evening sessions when they erred in line and length, allowing Leicestershire's batters to settle and get back into the game after the early fall of wickets.

Earlier Northamptonshire almost broke through with the day's first delivery when Patel edged Justin Broad to first slip, Saif Zaib shelling a regulation chance, Budinger then inside-edging Ben Whitehouse just past leg stump.

But Leicestershire soon found runs easy to come by, Budinger pulling Whitehouse for six and crashing his next ball through extra cover, while Patel pulled and cut Scrimshaw for back-to-back boundaries.

Budinger brought up Leicestershire's 50 in style, pulling Scrimshaw over fine leg for six but was undone by a fine delivery from Broad which nipped back to trap him lbw as he moved across his stumps.

Skipper Ian Holland (4) played the anchor role as Patel accelerated, coming down the ground to attack teenage spinner Nirvan Ramesh.

But Scrimshaw's dual strike removed Holland when he edged behind, cutting too close to his body and Patel who miscued a straight pull, Whitehouse taking the catch as he ran across to mid-off.

Ramesh then got among the wickets when Lewis Hill bottom edged a sweep, keeper Lewis McManus taking a sharp catch behind the stumps.

After lunch though Leicestershire grew increasingly comfortable, Tattersall taking back-to-back boundaries off a wayward Ramesh, while Eskinazi meted out similar treatment to Broad. Scrimshaw meanwhile was guilty of offering too much width, Tattersall prospering as he collected consecutive boundaries.

Ezkinazi brought up Leicestershire's 200 runs in the 48th over before punching Whitehouse through the covers to bring up his half-century.

Tattersall though fell just short of his fifty when he edged behind off Keogh, the ball ballooning up off the keeper's gloves, Broad taking a juggling catch at first slip.

Ezkinazi continued to accumulate, smashing Whitehouse through extra cover, while reverse sweeping Keogh for four more.

Ben Cox (20) deposited a Whitehouse full toss over deep square leg for four and almost collected a six off Zaib, only for some sharp boundary work from James Sales which saved five runs. Keogh though struck on the brink of tea, spinning one back in to bowl Cox and leave Leicestershire on 252 for 6.

After tea Ezkinazi hit Keogh over long-on for six to move into the nineties before running a single to move to his tenth first-class ton off 168 balls.

When Justin Broad took the second new ball, Eskinazi responded by stroking three silky cover boundaries in an over. Trevaskis, who had struck Keogh down the ground for back-to-back boundaries, departed though when he flashed outside off-stump against Whitehouse, nicking a catch through to second slip.

New batter van Beek made the most of a reprieve when he was dropped in the slips off Broad, crunching the bowler for consecutive boundaries down the ground.

With his 150 in sight, Eskinazi was given a life when Scrimshaw bowled him, only to be called no ball for overstepping, and duly brought up the milestone soon afterwards.