Harris and Waters dominate Northants

Northamptonshire 253 v Glamorgan
Scorecard

James Harris and Huw Waters took three wickets apiece as Glamorgan bowled out Northamptonshire on the opening day of their County Championship Second Division clash on a seam-friendly wicket at Cardiff.

For Northamptonshire Stephen Peters and Andrew Hall both struck half-centuries but after being put into bat the visitors were dismissed for 253 in the penultimate over of the day.

Glamorgan captain Jamie Dalrymple would still have been disappointed his seamers had not got the visitors out for under 200 with the batsmen playing and missing on countless occasions.

Glamorgan named the same side which beat Worcestershire inside two days meaning there was no place again for veteran off-spinner Robert Croft, who has figured in just one of Glamorgan's first five four-day matches.

Niall O'Brien, who had only just returned from the World Twenty20 in the West Indies last Friday after Ireland's exit, led the Northamptonshire batting with 41 as new-ball bowlers Harris and David Harrison struggled for a consistent line and length.

It was first-change bowler Waters who slowed Northamptonshire's progress taking two wickets in the space of four balls. He first removed O'Brien with a brilliant, one-handed reaction catch by Gareth Rees at short leg and three balls later Mal Loye went for a duck after being trapped leg before half forward. Northamptonshire reached lunch at 83 for 2 with opener Peters crawling to 22 in the 30 overs before the break.

In the afternoon session, two fine slip catches accounted for both David Sales and Rob White. Sales was snaffled by Mark Cosgrove low down at first slip off Jim Allenby, who then dived to his left at first slip to remove White.

Peters eventually reached his fifty, off 147 balls, but then perished to Dean Cosker's third ball. The slow left-armer had Peters caught via an inside edge on to pad by Rees at short leg as Northamptonshire reached 173 for five in the 59th over.

Hall and captain Nicky Boje rode their luck to take Northamptonshire past 200 before Allenby, during a spell of 9-5-9-2, took a second wicket to bowl Boje through the gate.

After reaching his half-century from 95 balls Hall went caught at first slip off Cosgrove, who took the catch at extra cover to dismiss James Middlebrook. And before the close both David Lucas and Lee Daggett were both bowled by Harris and Waters respectively.