Du Toit and Nixon pile on the agony

Paul Nixon celebrated the birth of his child on Tuesday with a quickfire innings of 79

Jacques du Toit scored a maiden first-class century as Leicestershire piled up their biggest total for nearly two years on the second day of the LV County Championship Division Two clash with Northamptonshire at Grace Road.

South African-born du Toit, who will qualify for England by residence in October, made 103 out of the home side's score of 527, while Leicestershire captain Paul Nixon celebrated the birth of a daughter 24 hours earlier with an aggressive 79 that included 10 fours and a six.

West Indian fast bowler Jermaine Lawson added to Northants' misery by hammering a quickfire 35 off 29 balls and then bowling opener Stephen Peters for 17 with a leg-stump yorker.

But Niall O'Brien produced a blistering 76 not out to keep the visitors well in the game as they closed on 143 for one, still 387 behind.

Leicestershire added 12 runs to their overnight 288 for four before losing their first wicket of the day.

James Allenby, who had struck 12 boundaries in an impressive knock of 70, was trapped lbw by a full-length ball from Johannes van der Wath.

Claude Henderson fell to the same bowler 18 runs later, with Andrew Hall clinging on to an excellent low catch at first slip.

But any hopes Northamptonshire might have had of finishing off the innings quickly were shattered by a seventh-wicket stand of 129 in 28 overs between Nixon and du Toit.

Niall O'Brien retaliated with a blistering 76 to help his side to 143 for one © Getty Images

The 28-year-old South African, signed after two years playing for Leicestershire's second XI, struggled early on against some short-pitched bowling but then prospered as he grew in confidence.

He reached 50 off 115 balls, having hit 10 fours, and followed up with a sweetly-struck straight six off Nicky Boje.

Nixon was at his pugnacious best with a six over long-on and a trademark reverse sweep to the boundary off Boje, helping him to a half-century off 57 balls.

Leicestershire went past 400 for the second time this season and the next landmark was du Toit's century.

It came up off 184 balls when he produced a neat late cut to the boundary off Jason Brown for his 16th four.

But, on 103, du Toit was surprised by a delivery from Boje that turned and bounced and he edged behind.

The same bowler then had Nixon lbw trying to sweep but Lawson blasted four fours and two sixes in a last-wicket stand of 44 with Nadeem Malik.

Boje was Northants' most successful bowler, claiming four for 120 off 38.3 overs.

Lawson's early breakthrough with the total on 49 could have had the visitors on the back foot but O'Brien, in sparkling form, took the fight to Leicestershire by racing to 50 off 65 balls hitting 12 fours.

He was still there at the close, having made 76 with 64 of the runs coming in boundaries, with Northamptonshire 143 for one.