Monty Panesar was leaping around in celebration with the same enthusiasm that has made him England’s most popular player on the way to returning his best figures of the season - six for 65, including five for 38 yesterday - as Northamptonshire secured the victory that had long seemed probable a quarter-hour before lunch.
He was on course to beat his previous career best of seven for 181, against Essex two years ago, until Steven Crook finally exploited Ben Edmondson’s nervousness against the short ball, ending 47 minutes of tenth-wicket resistance with Vikram Banerjee.
The real damage was inflicted earlier on a chilly morning as Gloucestershire chased 331 to win. Panesar struck with the second and fourth balls of the first over of the day, bowling Chris Taylor with a beauty that hit off stump having pitched on middle-and-leg. Steve Adshead was undone by turn and bounce before Hamish Marshall, who spent 139 balls over his careful 58, fell leg-before and Carl Greenidge was beaten in the flight.