Brown, Swann plot home team's demise

Notwithstanding the late surrender of its first two second innings wickets, Northamptonshire has continued to defy its underdog status on day two of an absorbing County Championship match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. Buoyed by an inspired display of off spin bowling from Jason Brown and Graeme Swann, the visitors had forged their way to an overall lead of 126 by the time that stumps were drawn.

It was Brown and Swann's effort in snaring nine Warwickshire wickets between them - around an innings of steely resolve from Dominic Ostler - which was the main story of another day of fluctuating fortunes. On a dry pitch, the spin twins initiated a mid-afternoon collapse which saw their opponents lose their last seven wickets for a mere sixty-eight runs and plunge to an eighty-two run first innings deficit in the process. Brown claimed 5/88 in what is only his fifth game since returning to the team last month while Swann added lustre to what has already become another fine all-round game for him with a return of 4/74. Both gained appreciable turn from the wicket and neither was especially afraid to flight the ball.

Only Ostler's fine 88 held the innings together in retrospect. The young opener, whose 818 runs make him easily Warwickshire's most productive first class scorer to this stage of the season, had enjoyed himself yesterday by holding four catches at slip to help Ashley Giles on his way to a haul of 6/118. But he must have pushed the boundaries of his delight even further today with his enterprising innings. He indulged himself early on with some beautifully timed drives through the off side before raising the tempo even further with some punishing attacking shots through the middle stages of his 192-ball stay. It was a measure of his centrality to his team's cause that its innings subsided almost completely once he once he was caught by Adrian Rollins at short-leg off Brown with the score at 188.

On its return to the crease, Northamptonshire purposefully set about extending the lead with openers Rollins (8) and skipper Matthew Hayden (35*) taking the score swiftly to 43. But that was before the ball showed signs of turning sharply again. In this latter sense, it was not a surprising development that Rollins and night-watchman Paul Taylor (0) fell in quick succession as Giles (whose seven wickets already in the match must surely provide more food for thought for England's selectors) and Neil Smith sent the match hurtling back toward a position of parity once more.