Northants pull off nervy run chase

David Willey was the only batsman to pass 40, and his knock brought Northants back into contention in their run chase

Northamptonshire put themselves back in the LV= County Championship Division Two promotion race with a nail-biting two-wicket victory over second-placed Derbyshire at Chesterfield.

Derbyshire appeared to be favourites when Northants slipped to 168 for seven, chasing a target of 243, but youngsters David Willey and Graeme White added 40 in nine overs.

When Willey (42) became Steffan Jones' fourth victim, the visitors still needed 35 runs but White and David Lucas rode their luck with their ninth-wicket partnership to earn Northants 18 points for the win.

A gripping third day began with Derbyshire's last two wickets adding 21 runs in the morning with Tim Groenewald scoring his first half-century for the county.

Mark Lawson showed he was prepared to take the quick bowlers on by pulling Johan van der Wath over the square-leg boundary for six before he was bowled aiming a big drive at David Lucas.

There was more frustration for van der Wath when he had Groenewald dropped at second slip by Rob White on 45. The Derbyshire seamer made the most of the let-off by clipping Lucas for his seventh four to reach fifty.

Van der Wath got his revenge in the next over when he bowled Groenewald, to leave Northants a testing target on a pitch still helping the bowlers.

Niall O'Brien was caught behind off Jones for 13 and then Wavell Hinds found some extra bounce to remove Stephen Peters before a heavy shower held up play.

At that stage, the game was in the balance at 64 for two, but Derbyshire struck a big blow when the dangerous Rob White went with the score on 83.

Another breezy half-century from Rob White set Northants on their way, before a middle-order flutter raised Derbyshire hopes

White had taken a six and five fours off Nantie Hayward before the rain break but when he went for another big drive at Groenewald, he gave Jamie Pipe his third catch.

Alex Wakely and Riki Wessels adopted a more cautious approach to add 47 in 14 overs before Wakely edged a defensive push at Jones into his middle stump.

Jones struck again in his next over when Wessels was well caught at backward point for 31 to leave Northants on the back foot at 137 for five.

Willey survived a hard, low return chance to Jones on 10 and the odds were shifting back towards the visitors when Hayward gave the game another twist.

Andrew Hall and Willey had added 31 in nine overs but Hayward tore in from the Lake End to have the stand-in Northants skipper caught at slip off a lifting ball for 20.

It was a big wicket and there was another two balls later when van der Wath edged low to slip where Chris Rogers held a fine catch.

The momentum was now with Derbyshire but Willey and White put their team back in the hunt until the former drove at Jones and Rogers took another good catch.

Two more brief stoppages for rain added to the drama which saw White and Lucas edge just short of the slips as Derbyshire's seamers hurled everything at them.

The game could still have turned again when White edged Jones high to Rogers at second slip but the ball went off his hands for two.

Lucas then edged the winning boundary off Hayward to seal a memorable win for Northants who now trail Derbyshire by 14 points with two games in hand.