Northamptonshire’s Emilio Gay shines on day one against Leicestershire

Emilio Gay fell just 12 runs short of a century for Northamptonshire on the opening day of their County Championship match against Leicestershire at the Uptonsteel County Ground in Leicester.

Northamptonshire finished the day on a strong note at 337-6, thanks to half-centuries from Gay, George Bartlett, and captain Luke Procter. Gay’s 88 off 110 balls was the standout performance of the day, but Bartlett’s unbeaten 71 and Procter’s 64 were equally commendable.

Despite the solid batting display from Northamptonshire, Leicestershire’s Scott Currie and Tom Scriven managed to pick up two wickets each. On-loan seamer Ben Green was unlucky not to have any success, while England leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed proved to be difficult to score off.

Gay looked set for his sixth career hundred as he reached 52 from 61 balls, but fell on 88 after lunch when Currie bowled him off an inside edge. The visitors also lost Karun Nair for 18, with Matt Salisbury finding a thin outside edge to have him caught at first slip.

Northamptonshire skipper Procter and Bartlett then added 66 runs before tea, with Ahmed and Currie putting pressure on the fourth-wicket pair after the break. Procter was eventually bowled by Ahmed, while Bartlett completed his first half-century for his new county.

Despite losing a few wickets towards the end of the day, Northamptonshire will be pleased with their overall performance on day one of the match. The pressure will now be on Leicestershire to come back strong on day two.