Adams double ton blunts Northants

LV CC Division Two, Ageas Bowl

Close, day three: Northants 438 v Hampshire 515-9

Northants 5pts, Hampshire 5pts

Hampshire skipper Jimmy Adams emulated Rob Keogh's double century earlier in the game as Northants endured a day of toil in the field at Southampton.

Adams passed 200 for the second time this summer with a six off James Middlebrook as the home side reached 515-9, a lead of 77, at the close.

He also hit 35 fours before falling to Matt Spriegel for 218 late in the day.

Neil McKenzie (52) helped add 102 for the third wicket and Michael Bates (71) shared in a stand of 152.

With a draw now certain barring a surprise turn of events on the final day, the pressure will intensify on second-placed Northants as Essex, the team immediately below them, closed the points gap by wrapping up an innings victory over Leicestershire.

Their attack was generally tidy, but received little assistance from the pitch and they gave away 56 runs in extras and five penalty runs when wicketkeeper threw a glove at the ball and hit it.

After Hampshire added 105 runs during the morning for the loss of McKenzie, who was bowled by Azharullah, Steven Crook and Trent Copeland accounted for Sean Ervine (22) and Adam Wheater (19) after lunch, but Adams and Bates were together for 41 overs to see their side into the lead.

Bates was eventually caught by Copeland at point, cutting at a ball from Azharullah, prompting a brief flurry of wickets that saw Matt Coles and Adams, who batted for nine and a half hours and fell one run short of equalling his best score of the summer, departing.

Play came to an end when Ruel Brathwaite gave a return catch to off-spinner James Middlebrook.

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Rob Keogh's 158no inspires Northants comeback against Hampshire

Keogh’s previous top score in six first-class matches was 44, and his perfectly-paced innings came after Hampshire had dominated the first session.

Northants ended the first day on 323 for six with Keogh, called in at the last minute following injuries to David Willey and Graeme White, having faced 280 balls and struck 23 fours. Matt Spreigel was 61 not out.

Reece Topley and Greg Smith helped promotion hopefuls Essex took full control of their match against Worcestershire at Chelmsford.

After 19-year-old paceman Topley returned career-best figures of six for 29 as the visitors were routed for 102, Smith followed up his century against Gloucestershire in the previous match with 94 as the home side reached the close on 199 for four.

Home batsman Ben Wright was the only man to reach a landmark as 15 wickets fell on the first day of Glamorgan’s clash against Kent at the Swalec Stadium.

Wright claimed the lone half-century as Kent’s Darren Stevens took four for 34 in 15 overs including the first three wickets to fall.

He helped reduce Glamorgan, who won the toss, to 158 all out in 60 overs before Kent also struggled to reach 102 for five by the close, trailing by 56 runs.

All-rounder Will Gidman returned career-best bowling figures as Gloucestershire assumed the upper hand against Leicestershire at Bristol. Gidman claimed six for 15 as the visitors were shot out for 117 in 41.2 overs.

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David Willey's century in vain as Northants' place in YB40 semi-final proves elusive

Northamptonshire missed out on a place in the YB40 semi-finals in agonising circumstances despite David Willey plundering 167, his maiden senior century, in the rout of Warwickshire.

Northamptonshire were denied the Group A title by Nottinghamshire’s win over Kent at Canterbury and wins for Glamorgan and Somerset in Group C then dashed their hopes of progressing to the semi-finals as the best runner-up.

It was 40 minutes after Muhammad Azharullah yorked Recordo Gordon before Northamptonshire discovered their fate which meant an anticlimactic end to a day dominated by Willey, who hit 10 sixes and 12 fours in a spectacular 101-ball innings of clean hitting against a depleted and demoralised attack.

The left-hander had struck his first Twenty20 half-century and claimed a hat-trick in Northamptonshire’s Twenty20 final win over Surrey at Edgbaston nine days earlier and he again made the ground a home-from-home by racing from a 40-ball fifty to his first century in any competition in only 22 more balls.

Willey was surprisingly overlooked for England’s Twenty20 squad against Australia but his inclusion in the England Lions squad for last week’s match against Bangladesh A proves that he is on the selectors’ radar.

This innings was another reminder of Willey’s talents but it was made against a threadbare Warwickshire attack which included only three specialist bowlers and only one of them, off-spinner Jeetan Patel, a senior player. Only Patel, who took two for 32, escaped punishment from Willey who took four of his sixes off Darren Maddy, who was given the honour of leading out Warwickshire in his final one-day appearance at the end of a 20-year career.

Maddy was given a guard of honour by Northamptonshire’s players when he came out to bat, but little went right for him from the moment that Willey lifted his fifth ball over long on for the first in his fusillade of sixes.

Maddy managed only a single from three balls before he was smartly stumped by David Murphy down the leg side off Trent Copeland and departed to a standing ovation.

Willey failed by five runs to equal Wayne Larkins’s Northamptonshire record 40-over score of 172, also made against Warwickshire at Luton 30 years ago, when he scooped Tom Milnes to long on seeking his eleventh six.

But Northamptonshire easily reached their highest 40-over total with Rob Keogh, who gave Willey excellent support in a fifth wicket stand of 101, reaching his first senior fifty.

Keogh also timed the ball sweetly on an excellent batting pitch and reached his fifty with his only six, pulled off a Gordon full toss, before he skied the last ball of the innings to midwicket.

Warwickshire suffered the embarrassment of finishing bottom of their group, below minnows Holland, and without a home win just a year after they suffered a last-ball defeat to Hampshire in last season’s final.

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Levi leads Northants to victory

Friends Life t20, Midlands, Wales & West Group, Worcester

Northants 137-6 (20 overs) beat Worcestershire 132-6 (20 overs)

Richard Levi struck six sixes in his innings of 70 as Northamptonshire claimed a five-run win over Worcestershire in the FLt20.

The big-hitting South African also hit five fours in his 43-ball knock but Northants were restricted to 137-6.

Andre Russell looked to be guiding Worcestershire to victory but once he fell for 44 the innings faded.

With 21 needed off the final over, Joe Leach hit a four and a six off Lee Daggett, but it was not quite enough.

Levi, who scored 110 not out against Gloucestershire last week, hit Leach for three sixes in a row as he raced to his half-century.

But once he fell to Gareth Andrew's first ball the rest of the innings stuttered as Northants could only muster 35 off their last six overs.

Worcestershire lost three quick wickets as they fell to 35-3 but captain Daryl Mitchell and Russell put on 64 for the fourth wicket.

David Willey (3-13) took the crucial wicket of West Indian Russell and Mohammad Azharullah chipped in with 2-22 as Mitchell was left stranded on 38 not out.

The win means Northants stretch their lead at the top of the Midlands, Wales & West Group to four points and are all but certain to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Worcestershire sit bottom with just two wins from their six games.

Match scorecard

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Ripley wants Northants home quarter

Northamptonshire head coach David Ripley has said his side hope to top their group to earn a home quarter-final in the FLt20.

Wins in both of their final two games - against Glamorgan and Worcestershire - would secure that achievement.

"Being at home is going to make a big difference to us," Ripley told BBC Radio Northampton.

"We haven't lost at home, we know the dimensions, we know the pitch. It's something we are definitely targeting."

Northants recovered from Saturday's defeat at Warwickshire by beating Worcestershire at Wantage Road on Sunday to further tighten their grip on the Midlands, Wales & West Group.

But Ripley's men had to rely on the standout bowling performances of David Willey (3-13) and Mohammad Azharullah (2-22) to make up for the 137-6 they scored with the bat.

"We're still having individual contributions which are papering over the cracks," said Ripley.

"But Twenty20 cricket is a little bit hit and miss, there is an element of that for most teams.

"It's something we need to improve. If we're going to be competitive on quarter-final or finals day, we're going to have to bat a little bit better as a unit."

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Ripley wants Northants home quarter

Northamptonshire head coach David Ripley has said his side hope to top their group to earn a home quarter-final in the FLt20.

Wins in both of their final two games - against Glamorgan and Worcestershire - would secure that achievement.

"Being at home is going to make a big difference to us," Ripley told BBC Radio Northampton.

"We haven't lost at home, we know the dimensions, we know the pitch. It's something we are definitely targeting."

Northants recovered from Saturday's defeat at Warwickshire by beating Worcestershire at Wantage Road on Sunday to further tighten their grip on the Midlands, Wales & West Group.

But Ripley's men had to rely on the standout bowling performances of David Willey (3-13) and Mohammad Azharullah (2-22) to make up for the 137-6 they scored with the bat.

"We're still having individual contributions which are papering over the cracks," said Ripley.

"But Twenty20 cricket is a little bit hit and miss, there is an element of that for most teams.

"It's something we need to improve. If we're going to be competitive on quarter-final or finals day, we're going to have to bat a little bit better as a unit."

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Levi leads Northants to victory

Friends Life t20, Midlands, Wales & West Group, Worcester

Northants 137-6 (20 overs) beat Worcestershire 132-6 (20 overs)

Richard Levi struck six sixes in his innings of 70 as Northamptonshire claimed a five-run win over Worcestershire in the FLt20.

The big-hitting South African also hit five fours in his 43-ball knock but Northants were restricted to 137-6.

Andre Russell looked to be guiding Worcestershire to victory but once he fell for 44 the innings faded.

With 21 needed off the final over, Joe Leach hit a four and a six off Lee Daggett, but it was not quite enough.

Levi, who scored 110 not out against Gloucestershire last week, hit Leach for three sixes in a row as he raced to his half-century.

But once he fell to Gareth Andrew's first ball the rest of the innings stuttered as Northants could only muster 35 off their last six overs.

Worcestershire lost three quick wickets as they fell to 35-3 but captain Daryl Mitchell and Russell put on 64 for the fourth wicket.

David Willey (3-13) took the crucial wicket of West Indian Russell and Mohammad Azharullah chipped in with 2-22 as Mitchell was left stranded on 38 not out.

The win means Northants stretch their lead at the top of the Midlands, Wales & West Group to four points and are all but certain to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Worcestershire sit bottom with just two wins from their six games.

Match scorecard

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