NORTHAMPTON (second day of four): Gloucestershire, with five first-innings wickets in hand, are 93 runs behind Northamptonshire
MIKE HUSSEY, who scored 5,194 runs in three seasons with Northamptonshire, showed his former county what they have been missing this summer by shoring up the Gloucestershire batting.
The day began with Kepler Wessels, the Northamptonshire manager, revealing that Graeme Swann, the offspinning all-rounder whose England prospects have been revived by his inclusion in the national academy squad this winter, is considering offers from Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire. It ended with Hussey holding up their bid for what would be only their second championship win.
In between times, Usman Afzaal fell four runs short of his fourth century of the season as Northamptonshire lost their last five wickets for 23 runs, three of them without a run being scored off the second new ball. Afzaal had faced 277 balls and hit 12 fours, when he was caught behind down the leg side off Jon Lewis.
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There was still something in the pitch for the seamers, even though Ian Fisher had picked up three wickets in 31 overs of left-arm spin, and Johann Louw, a South African who is an overseas player at the moment but is expected to return with a European qualification, was quick to exploit it. Louw removed Philip Weston, Craig Spearman and Steve Adshead but he could not shift Hussey, the Australian, who was still there at the close on 58, having struck nine fours from his 149 balls.
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE: First Innings
T W Roberts b Lewis 7
J W Cook c Hussey b Averis 2
T B Huggins lbw b Averis 0
U Afzaal c Adshead b Lewis 96
*D J G Sales c Fisher b Sillence 10
G L Brophy c Lewis b Fisher 34
G P Swann c Averis b Fisher 29
J Louw c Hussey b Fisher 13
B J Phillips c Adshead b Averis 1
P C Rofe not out 0
J F Brown c Adshead b Lewis 0
Extras (b 3, lb 8, w 1, nb 18) 30
Total (95.4 overs) 222
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-14, 2-14, 3-24, 4-45, 5-133, 6-190, 7-216, 8-222, 9-222.
BOWLING: Lewis 23.2-13-64-3; Averis 13-7-25-3; Sillence 14-4-33-1; Gidman 2.2-1-5-0; Fisher 31-11-63-3; Hussey 2-1-6-0; Ball 10-3-15-0.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE: First Innings
W P C Weston lbw b Louw 2
C M Spearman c Brophy b Louw 20
M E K Hussey not out 58
*C G Taylor c Huggins b Phillips 20
S J Adshead c Swann b Louw 6
I D Fisher lbw b Brown 17
J M M Averis not out 0
Extras (lb 2, nb 4) 6
Total (5 wkts, 55 overs) 129
A P R Gidman, R J Sillence, M C J Ball and J Lewis to bat.
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FALL OF WICKETS: 1-12, 2-29, 3-79, 4-92, 5-123.
BOWLING: Louw 18-3-53-3; Rofe 13-3-41-0; Phillips 16-9-21-1; Cook 4-1-12-0; Brown 4-4-0-1.
Bonus points: Northamptonshire 2 Gloucestershire 3
Umpires: B Dudleston and J H Evans.