Moores the merrier as Lancs escape

Warwickshire 324 (Bell 75, Chopra 52, Smith 4-67) and 95 for 5 (Chopra 50, Kerrigan 4-38) drew with Lancashire 247 (Horton 83, Woakes 5-63) and 196 (Horton 84, Patel 4-44)
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It has been a tough start to the season for Warwickshire. Beaten by Sussex in their first game and deprived for various medical reasons of Ian Westwood, Jonathan Trott and Rikki Clarke, they perhaps needed a spring fillip.

Fortunately for Ian Bell's men, Lancashire's batsmen have begun this County Championship campaign in accommodating mood and it was their dismissal for 196 in the second innings of this game which set up a victory opportunity for the visitors. Much less fortunately for Warwickshire, neither Simon Kerrigan nor the Manchester weather were anything like so amenable and the match ended in an absorbing draw.

As Varun Chopra led the pursuit of 120 in 29 overs, Lancashire's slow left-armer Kerrigan revived memories of previous heroics by taking four wickets, including the vital scalp of Ian Bell, caught at long-off by James Anderson. When Chopra, helped by a resourceful Ateeq Javid, had reduced the requirement to a mere 25 runs off 27 balls, bad light intervened to bring a premature end of what had threatened to be one of the finishes of the season so far.

It was gripping stuff in the Manchester gloom and it even overshadowed, as you might say, the fact that this was Peter Moores' last match as Lancashire coach.

For his part, Warwickshire coach Dougie Brown may feel deeply aggrieved. Denied in similar circumstances against Somerset when chasing the title last August, Brown had seen his players establish a winning position here by dint of fine, purposeful batting and accurate, penetrative bowling. Few things in this game were as rewarding as analysing Bell's intelligent deployment of his attack on this final day, notably his withdrawal of Javid when the part-time offspinner had removed Jos Buttler in his single over.

For all that Lancashire may be comforted by the acquisition of nine points from this game. Desirous of giving Moores a warm farewell before he leaves Old Trafford, their batting frailties will be a cause for concern, even this early in the season. On what was effectively a third-day wicket - it spun, but not outrageously so - Glen Chapple's side lost all their second-innings wickets for 150 runs in 63.2 overs and their last six for 39 runs in 86 balls.

Following their first-innings failures in both their matches so far, Lancashire do not seem to possess the proficient, reassuring top- order upon which successful Division One campaigns are based. If Ashwell Prince fails or Paul Horton is unable to drop anchor, it is not always easy to see how Chapple's batsmen can put together substantial totals. For all that people will remember this game for Bell's batting, Chris Woakes' bowling, Horton's limpet-like resistance and Moores' departure, the dismissals of Prince for 0 and 3 were vital in shaping the architecture of the contest. The South African was third out in the second innings, beaten in the flight and stumped playing defensively to Jeetan Patel.

As for Horton, he followed his 83 in the first innings with a 220-ball vigil for 84 in the second as he sought to save the game. The problem was that once Luis Reece had been caught at slip by Bell off Keith Barker in the third over of the day, no one seemed particularly keen on staying with the watchful opener. At times during the final day it seemed that Horton almost suffered the same fate that befell Mickey Rooney: he nearly ran out of partners.

Instead, Horton was perhaps emboldened to an act of outrageous daring by hitting two boundaries in three balls off Woakes. He gallivanted down the pitch to Patel, was beaten in the flight and heard the death rattle. That dismissal left Lancashire on 157 for 5 and it marked the beginning of the end of their innings.

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Cook confirms groove with second ton

Essex 306 (Dunn 5-60) and 258 for 4 dec (Cook 127) drew with Surrey 237 (Smith 65, Mills 4-45)
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An inevitable draw to what could have been a compelling encounter came to pass at The Oval. Were it not for an England captain registering a second consecutive hundred, having been battered from pillar to post in the winter and since, there would have been little to cheer but the afternoon sunshine and pre-rush hour finish.

Alastair Cook's was an entertaining century - 127 coming off 202 balls in more than four hours at the crease - not least because it gave us an indication of what kind of form he was in. His biggest tell is the drive; out of nick, he seems almost allergic to it. Here, he was getting his nose to the ball, breathing it in before thrashing it to the boundary. "To me, it indicates I've got good balance," he said afterwards.

Another comfort for Cook was the ECB announcement confirming Paul Farbrace's role as England's new assistant coach. Cook, who was coached by Farbrace at England age-group level, is currently satisfied with his own game. Work away from the limelight has benefitted him greatly.

"The most important thing for me personally is I've gone back to hitting the ball nicely," he said. "I had a good month-and-a-half away from playing in the public eye, working in the nets with Paul Grayson.

"You never turn a corner as such but to get two hundreds at the start of the season, especially in April, is pleasing. I'm genuinely quite chuffed with how things have gone in the past few weeks."

Cook will meet Peter Moores and, presumably, Farbrace on Friday, before Essex's game against Gloucestershire. That might be his last county appearance for a while, with an England training camp being planned for the first week of May, ahead of the ODI with Scotland on May 9, which clashes with Essex's game at Leicestershire.

He looked relieved - a word he corrected himself from using - even taking time to talk shop with young Surrey opener Dom Sibley. Elbows were raised, in the batting, not the football sense, as they discussed technique and Sibley hung on every word. At the end, they shook hands and Cook wished Sibley good luck. Whatever you think of his leadership, Cook has his moments of excelling as a statesman.

Essex made light work of finishing off Surrey's first innings in the morning. While Jason Roy was able to take 14 off David Masters' second over of the day, a sharp over from Mills saw Chris Tremlett's stumps splattered and Jade Dernbach caught on the off side, going for a wild hack to leg. Graham Napier's first ball was full and straight to trap Roy in front and, with Zahar Ansari not batting, Essex took a lead of 69 into the second innings.

While Jaik Mickleburgh took some time to get used to the pace of the pitch, which was also displaying some variable bounce, Cook was in his element. He was troubled once by a ball that died a touch and hit him in front but the vociferous appeals were turned down; it looked to have pitched outside leg stump.

Everything else that strayed on to his pads was dispatched accordingly. Full balls were defended or driven; balls there to cut were, well, you know the rest. Matt Dunn was unable to get the better of him this time around, but the young Surrey quick had his sixth victim of the match when Mickleburgh, who had started to look settled, edged behind.

That the afternoon resembled square practice to Cook is no fault of the home attack. Assistance off the pitch declined with each over and the England captain was more committed with his footwork than at any point. In the 44th over, he hit Dernbach through extra cover and signed off the shot with an outlandish flourish that had his bat finishing parallel to his back.

It was a cathartic moment, a release through flamboyancy - a trait he is not associated with. He was almost apologetic after, playing out the rest of the over in dot balls, before returning to manoeuvring the ball from his back-foot base. A guide behind point, follow by a cut in front of it took him to 96, before a procession of singles, culminating in a squirt into the leg side, got him to three figures.

Those that remained in the ground awoke 20 minutes before the close when Dom Sibley let out a dull shriek for his maiden first-class wicket, as Ravi Bopara attempted to guide a ball on off stump down to third man, but missed. If both had the opportunity to do it all again, you hope they would decline.

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Bedraggled Glamorgan survive Gidman mauling

Glamorgan 145 (Wagg 54*, Payne 3-29, Gidman 3-34) and 146 for 9 (Gidman 6-50) drew with Gloucestershire 231 (Dent 52, Cosker 5-46)
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Rain and a defiant last-wicket stand combined to thwart Gloucestershire's victory bid on the final day of their Championship Division Two clash against Glamorgan in Cardiff.

The visitors appeared as though they might snatch an last-gasp win, despite the weather, as Glamorgan slipped to 126 for 9 with Will Gidman (6 for 50) cutting a swathe through the order. At that point Glamorgan led by just 40 with just enough time left in the game for Gloucestershire to push on for the win.

But a defiant 20-run last-wicket stand between Michael Hogan and Dean Cosker held the away charge back for long enough to see out the day and ensure Glamorgan escaped with a draw.

The weather allowed just 30 overs of play on the final day, with an hour possible before lunch following a noon start. That was enough time for Glamorgan, who started the day precariously placed at 80 for 3, to lose three more wickets and fall into deeper trouble.

The impressive Gidman struck an early blow, bowling Murray Goodwin for 32, and the score was still on 90 when Jim Allenby followed for a duck. Allenby edged Gidman to his brother Alex at first slip before slow left-armer Tom Smith captured the key wicket of Will Bragg.

Bragg had moved to 43 as the lynchpin of Glamorgan's innings, but when he was caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Cameron Herring, it left skipper Mark Wallace and Graham Wagg to avoid further damage.

After lunch the rain reprieved them until 4.45pm - with the score on 118 for 6 - before umpires Martin Bodenham and Nigel Llong eventually decided that play could resume.

On the resumption, Glamorgan were soon sweating as Will Gidman struck twice in the same over. Wagg made just 1 before he was caught by Michael Klinger, then the right-armer struck again with his next delivery as Ruaidhri Smith edged to Herring.

Although he was denied a hat-trick, Will Gidman then saw Wallace caught by Herring for 15, leaving Glamorgan reeling on 126 for 9. But Hogan and Cosker successfully shut up shop during almost eight overs of frustration for Gloucestershire's bowlers.

Gloucestershire, who were beaten by Hampshire in their opening championship match, took nine points from the game, with Glamorgan collecting eight.

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Adams grinds Hants to safety

Hampshire 328 and 236 for 3 (Adams 84, Vince 50) drew with Derbyshire 399 (Moore 128, Chanderpaul 82, Groenewald 56*, Abbott 4-84)
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Derbyshire and Hampshire drew their rain-affected Championship Division Two match after the weather and bad light played a part on the final day at the County Ground. Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams scored 84 as the visitors progressed from their overnight second innings score of 20 without loss to move to 236 for 3 - a lead of 165 - but bad light forced the teams from the pitch, with a draw the eventual outcome.

It means Derbyshire and Hampshire both scored 11 points, with the latter top of the second division standings following the result.

With Hampshire resuming the final day 51 runs behind their hosts, Adams and opening partner Michael Carberry saw off the opening overs by Tim Groenewald, who would have reached the 250 first-class wicket milestone with a decision on Wednesday.

Instead, the Derbyshire seamer plugged away to return figures of 0 for 28 from 11 overs, with Hampshire moving to 93 for 0 at lunch, with England's Carberry having accrued 41 and Adams 44. The hosts had the chance to dismiss Adams on 51 shortly after the resumption when he edged Chesney Hughes, but neither wicketkeeper Richard Johnson nor Wayne Madsen could hold on to the chance.

The breakthrough eventually came off the bowling of Wes Durston in the 49th over, though, when Carberry was caught at cover by Hughes. Liam Dawson fell 10 overs later after Stephen Moore held on to a fantastic catch at cover off the bowling of Mark Footitt (2 for 27) to leave Hampshire on 151 for 2 with a lead of 80.

Adams was the next man out, trapped lbw by Footitt after 196 balls and 223 minutes at the crease, and after a short time of bedding in for new batsman Will Smith, who joined James Vince in the middle, the rain came and the teams went off for an early tea.

After an extended break, Hampshire returned and Vince moved to within two runs of a half-century while Smith added two more to his score, before bad light brought another halt to proceedings. Play resumed for one more over before bad light forced the sides off again, with Vince and Smith returning to the pavilion, with play then called off for the day.

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Rampant Brooks fears for old county

Northamptonshire 94 (Brooks 5-36, Sidebottom 4-16) trail Yorkshire 459 for 9 dec (Ballance 174, Lees 90, Hall 4-103) by 365 runs
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As Jack Brooks agreed, having run rampant against his former colleagues, Northamptonshire will have to learn their lessons quickly if they are not to go the way of Derbyshire last year in finding the step up from Division Two to Division One in the Championship a source of frustration and ultimate failure.

They held on for a merit-worthy draw against the champions, Durham, last week, but found out here that, as was Derbyshire's lament all too often last year, one bad session can cost a match. Their second session on day two was particularly bad, bowled out for 94 in the space of 30 overs. With a deficit of 365 when they begin their follow-on, they had only the temporary release of the rain which set in after tea and prevented more play.

"It is going to be a tough year for them," Brooks said. "They have a good work ethic and play well as a unit but they are going to have to graft and this will be a bit of a wake-up call to some of them who have not played in the higher division. One session can cost you a game and we are the kind of team that are not going to let a team off the hook."

Brooks finished with 5 for 35, his best figures for Yorkshire in first-class matches, with four of his wickets coming in a seven-over spell at the Rugby Stand End, to the accompaniment of sound effects generated by the Leeds Rhinos supporters in full voice on the other side, which leant a surreal atmosphere to the occasion.

He revealed afterwards that he prefers bowling at the Kirkstall Lane End, where he opened (5-1-17-1) and would have remained had Andrew Gale not decided, after giving him a brief breather, that he could relieve Ryan Sidebottom at the other end.

Brooks felt he bowled a little too full at times, but it was nowhere near often enough to allow much respite for the batsman. Having bowled James Middlebrook in his first spell when the opener played down the wrong line, he produced a peach of a ball for Rob Newton, one of his best friends at Wantage Road, that would have tested better-known batsmen, taking the edge despite his best efforts to miss it.

Andrew Hall edged low to third slip, then David Willey and Steven Crook, possibly not showing the discipline they might have applied in the circumstances, were caught at gully and backward point respectively, slashing at wide ones.

Not that it was all about Brooks, whose headband gives him the air of a warrior that goes down well with the locals. Sidebottom, who has managed all these years to tame his mane without the need for accessories, finished with 4 for 16, completing the demolition with wickets from successive deliveries. Even at 36, his powers show little sign of waning.

It was a good day for Brooks with the bat, too. His 37 off 39 balls, included a straight drive for four off Maurice Chambers that was as good a shot as was played all day, followed immediately by a six audaciously helped over the long-leg boundary. Had Yorkshire not declared on 459 for 9, as Brooks noted later, the day might have been notable too for his second first-class fifty.

In all, Yorkshire added 107 runs in the morning session, Gary Ballance building on his 117 overnight to reach 174, which is by 26 runs his highest score in England, before he was leg before playing back defensively to Hall, who plugged away tirelessly for his four wickets but of course could not compensate his side for the absence of both last season's leading wicket-takers, Trent Copeland, who is no longer with the club, and Willey, who cannot yet bowl as he recovers from back problems.

Sidebottom's batting deserves a mention, too, given that he stuck around for 95 minutes with Ballance in making his 15, continuing for an hour and a quarter after being hit on the head by a ball from Mohammad Azharullah that left him needing treatment for a cut on the head.

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Bell stars after Chapple's landmark

Warwickshire 316 for 9 (Porterfield 77, Bell 75, Chopra 52, Smith 4-67) lead Lancashire 247 by 69 runs
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Forget, for a moment, that Ian Bell plays for England. County cricket is relevant in its own right, not merely as some sort of massive academy for the national side. It is perfectly possible to consider Bell's fine 75 on the second day of the game against Lancashire simply in the context of this match and not as some sort of preparation for future examinations.

Coming to the wicket with his team well-placed on 144 for 2, Bell made a substantial contribution to his side taking a 69-run lead with one wicket left to fall in this well-contested match. In doing so, he produced a gem of an innings, a 162-ball master-class generously sprinkled with fine shots in both defence and attack.

Michael Henderson once wrote about the aesthetic satisfaction to be derived from watching Mark Ramprakash play a forward defensive shot, and it is possible to be similarly enriched by some of Bell's strokeplay. There were fine drives aplenty and a trademark six over long-on off Simon Kerrigan, but there were also carefully calibrated pushes and deflections, each of them enjoyable in its own right as a tiny piece of craftsmanship.

At such moments it was not only possible to forget that Bell plays Test cricket; one could also forget the little matter of his allegiance, and simply savour the artistry.

It is important to remember Bell's innings because, by the end of the day, his effort had been a trifle overshadowed by an excellent response from Lancashire's seamers, who took five wickets for 47 runs in ten overs in the final session and keep Warwickshire's lead within the realm of the manageable.

That fightback was led by Tom Smith, who had both Tim Ambrose and Chris Woakes caught behind by Buttler in successive overs and finished the day with 4 for 67. Wayne White's contribution in bringing one back off the seam to uproot Bell's leg stump and then having Jeetan Patel caught at the wicket was also invaluable. By the end of the day Lancashire's players could anticipate a parity which had seemed rather unlikely in the first two sessions of play.

For himself, Bell, who is currently Warwickshire's stand-in captain, would certainly place his own innings in the context of the game and pay tribute to the work of openers Varun Chopra and William Porterfield, whose 127-run partnership for the first wicket laid secure groundwork for the construction of their sizeable total.

The openers had more than doubled their side's overnight score when Porterfield rather gave his innings away by driving Kerrigan loosely to Wayne White at mid-off. This was a shame, not least because he had played well, especially when dismissively pulling James Anderson into a building site for six.

Following Porterfield's departure for 77, his first Championship fifty since May 2012, Chopra made his way carefully towards lunch and had very nearly achieved his immediate objective when trapped on the crease by Chapple for 52.

That, as both players and the public address announcer Matt Procter recognised, was Chapple's 900th first-class wicket for Lancashire. He became the 15th Lancastrian to achieve the feat, the first of any type to do so since Jack Simmons and the first seamer since Ken Higgs.

By the end of the day Chapple's tally was 901, meaning that he had equalled the total achieved by left-arm spinner Cecil Parkin, a clown-prince of a bowler who used to croon the 1920s favourites Tea for Two or Lily of Laguna as he made his way back to his mark. One rather doubts that Chapple sings at all as he trudges through his fine spells; were he to do so, though one certainly can't believe that they would be much like the genial ditties beloved of dear old Cec.

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Dunn gets people talking

Essex 225 for 6 (Bopara 49, Dunn 3-53) v Surrey
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On an even day that saw further time lost to rain and bad light, a fine display from Matt Dunn added a new angle on this encounter. The draw remains the odds on result but, with a host of England talent on show, it was Dunn who dominated most of the talk on what can be marked down as a professional display from both sides.

During Surrey's first match of the season against Glamorgan, Dunn drew a crowd on the outfield of the Oval during the first lunch interval as he went through his repertoire on a cut strip, meters away from the main pitch. As his run-up increased from one step to its full length, so did the number of onlookers, many using their phones to film his show of speed, as he continually rasped the baseball mitt of his coach.

It is a wonder how many times Dunn has gone through the motions alongside rather than in a Championship match. Since June 2011, when he became the first Surrey bowler for 56 years to take five wickets in an innings on debut against Derbyshire, he had only played three further times before now.

The talent has always been there; rarely will you have entered a discussion on Surrey's prospective arsenal of first-class bowlers in the last three years without his name featuring somewhere near the top. From the mechanics of his action to the breadth of his shoulders, generating pace was never going to be an issue.

It is his consistency that has had Surrey thinking twice about exposing him to more four-day cricket. At stumps, bowling coach Stuart Barnes was keen to praise Dunn's work behind the scenes as well as a worthwhile winter in Australia which gives Surrey's attack a newer dimension.

With England selector Angus Fraser a clear presence in the media centre and the members pavilion, Dunn's efforts will not have gone unnoticed.

Pace was always going to be the theme of the day, as Dunn and the returning Jade Dernbach were welcomed into the XI and, with a green track on offer, Graeme Smith won the toss and put Essex in to bat.

Even Chris Tremlett, who had lacked incisiveness and wickets in the defeat to Glamorgan seemed up for the fight when he was introduced to the attack after eight overs. He ran through the crease with greater purpose and got some encouraging bounce off the pitch.

A couple stung the knuckles of Jaik Mickleburgh, as the right hander's trigger to push forward caused him some discomfort. Just five balls into Tremlett's spell, Mickleburgh was surprised by a delivery which zipped up and, luckily, pierced the despairing grab of Jason Roy at third slip.

At the other end, Alastair Cook was off to a brisk start, using the pace of Stuart Meaker and Dernbach to work runs towards the short boundary towards the Archbishop Tenison's School.

It was this boundary that took the first casualty of the day as Zafar Ansari, attempting to rectify is own fielding error, slid into the side fence and badly injured himself. After a few minutes, he was helped to his feet and taken to hospital with concussion. He returned later in the day to be assessed by Surrey's medical team and remains a doubt for the rest of this match.

More than three overs after that break in play, Cook became the first wicket for Surrey and Dunn, when he misjudged a short ball, which caught the splice of his bat and eventually dropped into the hands of Steven Davies.

Upon Cook's demise, Mickleburgh began to rebuild as the more active part of a second wicket partnership with Tom Westley. But when Mickleburgh fell to a fine outswinger from Dernbach that moved late, and Dunn found the edge of Westley then Greg Smith's bat in the space of three balls, the match awoke to the prospect of bedlam.

Alas, it was not to be, as Ravi Bopara remained diligent yet typically laid back in defence. While runs did not flow freely, he used his finesse to dab the ball behind point on multiple occasions to keep the scoreboard ticking past 200 and a first batting point. Upon entering the forties, he took a brace of boundaries off Dernbach to move only to be strangled down the leg side by Jason Roy.

It was a deserved wicket for Roy, who was brought into the attack to fill-in the overs that Ansari would have bowled. Described by Barnes as "an enthusiastic bowler", his extra bow is another positive to be taken from the day for Surrey.

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Super Kings hit on pitch-perfect strategy

Resisting the popular idea of bringing in Samuel Badree, Chennai Super Kings opted for Ben Hilfenhaus and Ishwar Pandey and the move paid rich dividends on a responsive pitch

It was one of those periods of play during which even IPL crowds are left to their own devices. The DJ's console and the emcee's microphone were enjoying a rare spell of rest, with no boundaries or wickets in the last 15 balls. Up in the South Panoramic stand, you could watch the cricket, from a spectacular, straight-on, bird's eye vantage, as well as hear the faint chirp of crickets in the distance. It was just about audible, a susurrating accompaniment to the beat of a lone drum from somewhere in the crowd.

Out in the middle, something slightly unusual was happening. Ishwar Pandey, who had taken the new ball for Chennai, was in the final over of his four-over quota. He had bowled unchanged from one end. From the other, Chennai had used Ben Hilfenhaus for one over before turning to Mohit Sharma. MS Dhoni had seen no need to turn to spin.

The pitch had a green tinge to it, as had been the case right from the opening match of the tournament, and all three Chennai fast bowlers had been getting the new ball to nip around off the seam. This has also been a feature of matches at this venue, apart from the one afternoon game between Chennai and Punjab.

Hitting the back-of-a-length ball through or across the line wasn't easy, as Mayank Agarwal, M Vijay and Manoj Tiwary had found out, the hard way. Chennai's fielders, meanwhile, were putting on an exhibition of high-quality catching, the first time any side had done so in the tournament.

Off the last ball of the seventh over, the last ball of Pandey's spell, Dinesh Karthik broke the gloom that had settled over the game, clattering a short-ish ball through point for four. Music, if you could call the Delhi team anthem that, filled the air once more. "Munday Dilli ke, haan khele front foot pe." Roughly translated: Delhi's boys play on the front foot.

It would have helped JP Duminy had he kept that in mind when he faced the next ball from that end, where Dwayne Smith had replaced Pandey. It was full and straight, and it jagged back into the left-handed batsman, who was caught on the crease and trapped plumb in front. Delhi, chasing 178, were now 42 for 4 in 8.1 overs.

At the same stage of their innings, Chennai had been 47 for 1. They had lost their one wicket, of Brendon McCullum, in much the same way Delhi were to lose their first three. McCullum had charged Jaydev Unadkat, gotten nowhere near a back-of-a-length ball angled across him, and toe-ended a catch to short third man. Apart from that, though, Chennai hadn't played any really indiscreet shots.

Delhi's fast bowlers had also derived movement with the new ball. Mohammed Shami had had a close lbw shout turned down against Dwayne Smith, off a ball that had jagged away from the right-hander, and had beaten Suresh Raina a couple of times with balls that had left the left-hander. The ball before he dismissed McCullum, Unadkat had found his leading edge with one that cut away off the pitch, only for Duminy to drop a dolly at short cover.

Delhi, though, had used spinners for four of the first ten overs, and taken Shami off after he had bowled two, and just when he was looking dangerous. They couldn't be faulted too much for this, though; they had lost their quickest bowler three balls into the match, when Nathan Coulter-Nile injured himself while trying to stop a ball at square leg.

Without Coulter-Nile, Delhi's seam attack looked decidedly short on quality, apart from Shami, who started promisingly but ended up as their most expensive bowler after two shoddy overs at the death. By that time, though, their lack of options had hurt them badly. They probably wouldn't have used Duminy for his full quota had Coulter-Nile not gone off the field, and they certainly wouldn't have used Murali Vijay; that one over of Vijay's less-than-occasional offbreaks disappeared for 13 runs, with Suresh Raina spanking him for three fours in four balls.

Just as that one unfortunate incident upset Delhi's balance completely, everything fell into place for Chennai. It started with their selection. They resisted the popular idea of bringing in the legspinner Samuel Badree and opted instead for Hilfenhaus, and they gave Pandey a go in place of Ashish Nehra. They won the toss and batted, and when their turn came to bowl the pitch was doing even more than it had done in the first innings. Whether by design or not, they had gotten their strategy pitch-perfect.

First ball of Delhi's tenth over, Hilfenhaus let slip, quite literally, a full-toss onto Ross Taylor's pads. Taylor tucked it away to the fine leg boundary. Hilfenhaus ran to the umpire and reached for the towel stuck in his waistband. Had Delhi not lost so many wickets so early, they might have been in a position to think of exploiting the dew.

Instead, Hilfenhaus bowled an absolute peach next ball, an away-curler that Taylor followed and edged to the keeper. Delhi were 50 for 5. Up in the South Panoramic Stand, the first wave of spectators began making their way to the exit doors.

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Ballance restates England credentials

Yorkshire 328 for 7 (Ballance 117*, Lees 90) v Northamptonshire
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Peter Moores may not personally have seen the best of Gary Ballance - the Yorkshire left-hander's highest score in 12 innings against Lancashire, in all cricket, during the Moores' tenure is 57 - but it is fair to assume he will not be going on that evidence alone when he gets to grips, alongside his fellow selectors, with deciding who merits a place in the first England sides of the new era.

Ballance, the Zimbabwe-born left-hander, made his Test debut in Australia, in the final rubber in Sydney, in circumstances that cannot have been easy, given the debacle that had been unfolding while he waited for his chance. He left for his first major tour in the form of his life, having made more than 1300 runs and six centuries in first-class cricket in 2013, and the start of the new season suggests he is none the worse for the experience, however uncomfortable it may have felt.

Ballance looked in supremely good touch, untroubled by the seamers or in the face of a lengthy attempt to tie him down and test his patience by the offspinner, James Middlebrook. He finished on an unbeaten 117, having hit 18 fours in addition to a six pulled into the Western Stand, somewhat disdainfully, off Azharullah, who formed half of a new-ball attack with Maurice Chambers that will not be the worst he comes up against.

He now has 20 first-class centuries from just 71 matches, which is an impressive statistic. Four of these have come in his last five matches on English soil. He finished 2013 with a hundred in each innings against Surrey at The Oval and began this season with another, against Leeds-Bradford MCCU. Jason Gillespie, the Yorkshire coach, says he has "a presence at the crease" and believes one of his strongest qualities is to "play the situation" in all forms of the game.

"He has a real awareness of his game and the game," Gillespie said. "He has an understanding of the game and adaptability to different situations and he finds a way to score runs in any situation, in all forms of the game, which is what a good batsman does."

It was the partnership of 156 between Ballance and Alex Lees that ultimately bent the day heavily in Yorkshire's direction. Having chosen to bat first when Andrew Gale won the toss, reasoning that any difficulties they might face on a damp, cloudy morning would be outweighed by the quality of the batting surface, it was this partnership that justified the decision.

Earlier, they had been 21 for 2, after Adam Lyth and then Kane Williamson failed to make progress. Lyth nicked one that moved away late, Williamson, who had looked tentative, went leg before when only half forward to a ball from Andrew Hall, on as first change, that came back a little.

Gale, whose form this time last year gave cause for concern, looked scratchy again and fell for 13 after lunch, which brought Ballance to the crease at 57 for 3, at which point the bat-first decision began to look increasingly the right one as a Northants attack lacking David Willey, whose back problems mean he cannot bowl, began to toil.

Ballance moved to his half-century in only 63 balls with 44 of those runs in boundaries, three in the space of four balls in one over from Hall. By tea, his partnership with Lees had added 114.

Lees, last year's revelation at the top of the order, made 90 before he became the third of six batsmen dismissed lbw, although it had not been his most fluent innings. Northants missed two chances to get rid of him in quick succession when he was dropped at first slip off Chambers on 50 and was then allowed another escape on 51, against Middlebrook, when he should have been stumped.

Ballance completed his hundred with a flick off his legs for a single off Steven Crook, at which point he had faced 143 deliveries.

Meanwhile, there is positive news of Joe Root, who appears to be moving swiftly towards a comeback following the broken thumb he suffered in March, forcing him to miss the World T20. Restricted until last week to catching practice with a tennis ball, the England batsman had graduated to a cricket ball when he took to the outfield with Yorkshire director of cricket Martyn Moxon during the lunch interval.

A return to action against Middlesex at Lord's next Sunday is on the cards, provided he emerges unscathed from a Second XI friendly scheduled for this week.

His impending return means there is a debate looming for Messrs Gillespie and Moxon over who to leave out to make way for him Root. It would be harsh to omit Lyth, who made 85 and 54 at Taunton last week, albeit on a flat wicket, or Lees. The batsman most at risk, logically, is probably the captain, who therefore needs a score in the second innings.

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Payne leaves Glamorgan in tatters

Glamorgan 47 for 6 (Payne 3-14) v Gloucestershire
Scorecard

David Payne was left frustrated as Glamorgan slumped to 47 for six on the first day of their LV= County Championship Division Two clash with Gloucestershire in Cardiff before rain washed out more than two sessions.

Payne, the left-armer, was left waiting to bowl his hat-trick ball after he claimed the scalps of Murray Goodwin and Mark Wallace with the final two deliveries before the weather brought a halt to proceedings in the 20th over.

He left the pitch with figures of 3 for 14 from 4.4 overs having also claimed the wicket of Jacques Rudolph as the home side collapsed after being put in.

Glamorgan's innings got off to the worst possible start when Gareth Rees was caught behind by Cameron Herring off the bowling of Will Gidman with the first ball of the day and it could have been worse when Stewart Walters was dropped off the second ball of the game.

However, Gidman then trapped Walters lbw for 4 as the home side fell to 18 for 2 in the fifth over. Things then went from bad to worse as a diving catch by Gloucestershire captain Michael Klinger off the bowling of Matt Taylor removed opener William Bragg for 25 to leave Glamorgan reeling on 33 for 3.

Rudolph was next to fall with only three more runs added when Payne bowled him out for a painstaking 4 from 37 balls to leave the hosts four down after 16 overs. That left Goodwin and Jim Allenby at the crease, but not for long, as the former was caught at slip by Alex Gidman off the bowling of Payne.

Payne struck again with his next ball to send Glamorgan captain Wallace packing - for his second golden duck of the Championship season - but before he could bowl his hat-trick ball the players were taken off for rain.

The break could not have come sooner for the Welsh side, who were glad to get back to the safety of the pavilion. A pitch inspection was set for 2pm but the rain continued to fall, with an early tea then taken with a further inspection scheduled for 3.15.

Play was then set to resume at 4.10 with 43 overs scheduled to be played, but bad light and rain just before the resumption caused a further delay and the umpires eventually decided no more play would be possible shortly after 5.45 leaving Payne to wait overnight for his hat-trick chance.

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