Sales held up by gloom

David Sales was unbeaten on 99 when bad light ended the second day of Northamptonshire’s LV County Championship Division Two clash with Gloucestershire at Bristol.

The experienced batsman rescued his side from a perilous 114 for five after losing the toss, receiving good support from Andrew Hall (43 not out) in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 98 which enabled Northants to close on 212 for five.

There were two wickets each for Oliver Newby, on loan from Lancashire, and all-rounder David Brown as Gloucestershire sought the points to lift them off the bottom of the table.

But neither skipper Jon Lewis, nor opening bowling partner Steve Kirby were able to break through as Sales batted comfortably throughout his 147-ball innings to move to within touching distance of a third century of the season.

After Stephen Peters and championship debutant Ben Howgego had negotiated the new-ball spells of Lewis and Kirby, it was Newby who struck with the total on 24 as Peters skied to Brown at midwicket.

David Sales was stranded on 99 when bad light ended play

The 23-year-old seamer, whose loan spell with Gloucestershire ends at the weekend, soon added the wicket of Niall O’Brien as Hamish Marshall picked up a good low catch at first slip.

The scoreboard read 67 for three after Howgego, who had battled his way to 15, drove at a wide ball from trialist Ian Saxelby and nicked a catch to wicketkeeper Steve Snell.

The youngster was entitled to feel unlucky as, without a further ball being bowled, the game was interrupted by rain.

After the first-day washout, a further 16 overs were lost at the start of the second day and, although the stoppage at the fall of Howgego’s wicket was short, the early finish meant that a total of 27 overs had gone from the day’s play.

Riki Wessels was dropped at gully the first ball after the resumption, but the miss did not prove costly as Brown beat his defensive shot and bowled him for 17.

Gloucestershire were right on top when Lance Klusener holed out to Kadeer Ali off Brown, who bowled 12 overs either side of tea from the Ashley Down Road End for impressive figures of 2-23.

But the home side’s over-rate was minus three at one stage and Lewis introduced off-spinner Marcus North and medium-pacer Marshall to redress the balance.

They did so, but Sales moved confidently to a half-century off 69 balls, with eight fours, and never looked troubled.

Hall hit four boundaries in lending sensible support and the pair turned the day Northants’ way.