Captain Cosgrove does the trick again

Leicestershire 330 for 5 (Cosgrove 111, Pettini 109*, Sanderson 3-39) vs Northamptonshire
Scorecard

Centuries from Mark Cosgrove and Mark Pettini saw Leicestershire enjoy a healthy opening day in the Specsavers County Championship at Wantage Road. The pair helped the visitors recover from 61 for 3 to close 330 for 5.

Cosgrove, Leicestershire's captain, made his fourth century of the season and steered his side out of trouble with a stand of 281 for the fourth wicket with Pettini, whose own hundred was his second of the campaign.

After tea, Cosgrove flicked a boundary to reach three figures in 167 balls, taking him over 900 Championship runs in the season. But he fell for 111 trying to pull Azharullah - he only found mid-on - shortly before the second new ball.

Pettini was very patient after the second break but eventually seized on the chance to twice pull Richard Gleeson into the leg side fence to raise his hundred in 189 balls.

The pair saw Leicestershire take control of the day in the afternoon session where they added 151 runs in 36 overs. It was fairly unspectacular with few memorable shots, yet exactly what the visitors were looking for having won the toss.

Northamptonshire toiled as their early success was undone but did respond with the second new ball with Gleeson removing Niall O'Brien lbw for 5 and 78 runs came in 32 overs of the final session.

Before then, Cosgrove, first to his half-century, in 90 balls with eight fours, found good touch having survived two loose hooks that fell short and then wide of long leg. He was joined by Pettini, whose own fifty took 85 balls and nine fours - the last of which a thick outside edge to third man.

It was frustrating for Northants who were in control in the morning session with three wickets for Ben Sanderson reducing Leicestershire to 61 for 3.

Fresh from a 10-wicket haul at Swansea, Sanderson picked up wickets in three consecutive overs in the middle of an 11 over spell from the Wantage Road end. All three came in similar fashion with straightening deliveries to take outside edges behind the wicket.

First Paul Horton, after five boundaries, edged to Adam Rossinton at first slip, Angus Robson - after a very patient 10 in 56 balls - got a thicker edge to Rory Kleinveldt at third, before Neil Dexter received Sanderson's best delivery, a lifted that took the shoulder of the bat to wicketkeeper David Murphy.