Richard Levi and Rory Kleinveldt went into one-day mode to help Northants to a healthy lead over Derbyshire in the Country Championship.
Kleinveldt was particularly brutal, smashing 50 off 20 balls and going on to 97 off 96. Levi spent most of the day watching the fireworks, until he took over the running when Kleinveldt was dismissed after mistiming a flick, having scored 13 fours and three sixes, three runs shy of what would have been his second first-class hundred.
He and Levi put on 140 for the seventh wicket, after Northants had been trailing by 70 at 254-6. When they were done, the hosts had gained the lead after Derbyshire had offered 324 in the first innings.
Levi, seemingly much more comfortable batting at No 5, was slightly more pedestrian as he went to 104 off 129 balls, just his seventh first-class hundred. But he helped Northants to a 146-run advantage.
It was all in vain, though, as the visitors held out for 60 overs, losing one wicket on their way to 229, when they declared and stumps were drawn.
Ryan McLaren can look back with some satisfaction at his efforts for Hampshire, despite the draw against Middlesex. The visitors had needed quick wickets after taking a 25-run lead from the first innings.
There was a solid display from Hampshire, though, and 46 from McLaren contributed to an unbroken stand of 104 with Adam Wheater (57) for the sixth wicket to put the game out of reach. Earlier he had taken 4-74 off 24 overs.
Somerset, too, escaped after being forced to follow on 180 runs behind Lancashire. They had been dismissed for 313. Marcus Trescothick’s century soon dampened Lancashire’s hopes of a breakthrough and Roloef van der Merwe wasn’t needed to bat again.
Jacques Rudolph‘s Glamorgan crashed to a 10-wicket defeat to Kent. They were always on the back foot after scoring just 260 in the first innings, thanks largely to Craig Meschede‘s 63. Kent responded with a solid 488, and although Glamorgan made a better effort second time around, accumulating 414 on the back of centuries by David Lloyd and Graham Wagg, they were too far in arrears. Kent needed just 187, and they made it look easy.
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