Luke Procter marshals Northamptonshire fightback

Northamptonshire skipper Luke Procter led from the front as his team fought back on the second day of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two match against Derbyshire at Derby.

Procter made an unbeaten 97 and shared an opening stand of 143 with Ricardo Vasconcelos who passed 50 for the first time this season, scoring 82 off 117 balls, as the visitors closed on 236 for 3 in reply to Derbyshire's 307.

Procter also finished with figures of 3 for 61 with Justin Broad claiming 4 for 60 as Derbyshire lost their last six wickets for 80 runs, including Brooke Guest who top scored with 91.

Northamptonshire's bowlers had something to prove after a below par performance on the first day and they delivered a much improved display in terms of control and discipline.

Guest had played a counter-attacking innings which had disturbed the bowler's lines and he resumed with a crisp straight drive down the ground against Liam Guthrie to move into the nineties.

But Guthrie had the last word when Guest went to drive a widish ball and dragged it into his stumps to give the visitors the early breakthrough they needed.

When Broad replaced Guthrie, he found some inswing to trap Anuj Dal in front and then beat Martin Andersson's loose drive to reduce Derbyshire to 267 for 7.

Zak Chappell edged a forcing stroke behind to give Broad his third victim of the morning and Derbyshire were in danger of falling below 300 when Luis Reece was caught down the legside aiming to pull Guthrie.

Blair Tickner secured a second bonus point when he pulled Dom Leech to the ropes before Procter took the new ball and had Jack Morley caught behind.

It was a good session for the visitors who dominated the afternoon with Vasconcelos and Procter batting through to tea. Vasconcelos was close to being lbw to Tickner early in his innings but after a sketchy start, a glorious on drive off the New Zealand paceman showed his confidence and touch was returning.

As well as he and Procter batted, it was not a good session for Derbyshire's bowlers who failed to maintain the consistent lines to build pressure. An off drive off Andersson brought Vasconcelos his 10th four and took him to 50 before he whipped Reece to the midwicket boundary to bring up the 100 stand which came from 135 balls.

Procter completed his half-century after tea and when Wayne Madsen could not cling on to a fierce chance at second slip off Tickner when Vasconcelos was on 76, it threatened to be expensive.

It certainly looked that way when the opener pulled the next delivery for four but when Tickner tempted him with a wide-ish ball, he slashed it to gully where Andersson made no mistake.

Vasconcelos knew he had thrown away the chance of a hundred and had to drag himself from the crease but he and Procter had given their team a good platform to build on.

Procter was building another partnership with George Bartlett until Chappell got enough lift off a length to have the latter caught behind and James Sales never got going, playing across a full ball from Reece.

Derbyshire were much better in an extended final session but Procter and Rob Keogh reduced the arrears to 71 before bad light ended play.