Grace Road favours Joseph again

Robbie Joseph took his tally to 14 wickets in two home games for Leicestershire before rain brought a premature end to the first day's play in the Division Two match with Northamptonshire. After an uninterrupted morning session, rain swept in during the afternoon and the game was abandoned for the day shortly before 4.30pm, with the visitors on 99 for 3 having been put into bat.

Fast bowler Joseph, signed from Kent over the winter, claimed two of the wickets as he continued to make an impression following his sensational debut for Leicestershire a month ago - when he took 12 wickets in the opening game of the season against Glamorgan.

Since then Leicestershire have been on the road, playing three away games in the Championship, with Joseph managing only three wickets in that time. But the return to Grace Road seemed to bring the best out of him again and he walked off with figures of 2 for 36.

Fit-again Leicestershire captain, Matthew Hoggard, decided to bowl first after winning the toss and bagged the first wicket in his second over, nipping a delivery back to trap Robert Newton leg before wicket with only one run on the board. But Stephen Peters and Kyle Coetzer dug in to launch a Northamptonshire recovery, punishing some short length bowling by the Leicestershire attack.

The pair had three boundaries each when the 50 came up in the 17th over, and looked well set to share a big partnership, but Joseph returned for a second spell and snapped up a wicket with his first ball when he had Peters caught behind for 32 to end a stand of 73.

David Sales soon followed, also edging behind, as Northamptonshire reached lunch on 95 for 3. Only another eight balls were possible in the afternoon before the rain arrived, with Coetzer still there on 43.