Siddle, Jarvis roll on Lancashire momentum

Northamptonshire 198 for 6 (Wakely 59, Siddle 2-41) v Lancashire
Scorecard

Peter Siddle and Kyle Jarvis kept up Lancashire's momentum from last week's win over Kent as they claimed a narrow advantage over Northamptonshire at Wantage Road. After putting the home side in, the Red Rose eventually saw reward as the home side finished on 198 for 6 on day one of their Division Two contest.

On a day of condensed action due to the weather, Northamptonshire were without vice-captain David Willey - who looks set to make his senior England debut in Friday's one-day international against Ireland in Dublin. Former Lancashire favourite Steven Crook took his place.

The decision to bowl first by stand-in captain Steven Croft produced a hint of reward when Siddle's second over removed Richard Levi - Croft taking the catch at second slip, despite a juggle. After the breakthrough, an unchanged Lancashire were too short, with both Siddle and 24-year-old Tom Bailey at fault.

Northamptonshire's opening 50 included eight boundaries, with Stephen Peters dominant through the point area. The 36-year-old reached a second successive fifty off 68 balls, but such was the generosity of the bowling, that the hosts reached their 100 in the 22nd over. 85 of them came up in threes and boundaries.

When captain Alex Wakely brought up the century partnership two balls before tea, his side had dominated the session to reach 115 for 1. Then Clark was brought on to bowl into the wind from the Pavilion End. In just his second first-class match, the Cumbrian may have been seen as support for Siddle - but the 24-year-old delivered the breakthrough with Peters caught by Croft at slip in his first over after tea.

Six overs later, Clark squared up Rob Newton - who offered wicketkeeper Alex Davies his first of four catches. In the next over Wakely fell for 52 to Siddle - his first half-century since missing the whole of 2014 with a ruptured Achilles.

Adam Rossington and Rob Keogh counter-attacked with a partnership of 47, with the former - signed permanently from Middlesex in the winter - keen to get on the front foot and drive Clark through the covers. Rossington was unbeaten on 33 at the close, but not before Division Two's leading wicket-taker Jarvis had replaced Siddle and removed Keogh and Josh Cobb in successive deliveries in fading light.

Frustratingly for the Northamptonshire players, umpires Paul Baldwin and Martin Saggers took the players off for bad light just 10 balls later. It leaves the hosts marginally behind after a truncated if thrilling day's cricket, in which 45.4 overs were lost.