Hussey keeps Northants' Division One hope alive

Mike Hussey dominated yet another day's Championship cricket at Wantage Road, taking an unbeaten 150 off Leicestershire's attack to earn Northamptonshire the honours on a rain-shortened opening day.

The 26-year-old Australian carried his run-tally for the season past 1,600 as the hosts closed on 266-5 from 72 overs - no play being possible after tea due to light rain.

Hussey cracked 23 fours in a chanceless 212-ball knock, and shared a third-wicket stand of 104 in 22 overs with Russell Warren (37) after Northants had lost Alec Swann and Matt Cassar cheaply.

It looked a good toss for David Ripley to win, and he certainly had no hesitation in opting to bat first. The pitch is the same one used for the previous Championship match at Northampton, against Kent, and has already offered some help to the slow bowlers.

Anticipating that, Leicestershire drafted in left-arm spinner Richard Davis, 35, who played his last first-class match for Gloucestershire in 1997 after spells with Kent and Warwickshire. He also appeared in limited-overs cricket for Sussex in 1998.

Davis's first day back on the circuit featured the wicket of Graeme Swann, caught at silly point, and also a catch to dismiss Warren who carved a short ball from Devon Malcolm to third man.

But Hussey coped expertly with the conditions and became the first Northants batsman to reach 1,500 runs in a season since Rob Bailey and Alan Fordham both did so in 1992.