Loye puts Northants on track

Mal Loye was undefeated on 105 and David Sales 61 not out as Northants closed the day on 248 for two after the pair had come together on 62. Loye struck 19 fours and a six in a 145 balls, while Sales 123-ball knock included eight boundaries.

As ever, Northants skipper Mike Hussey wasted no time in pursuit of Notts' score and had made 39 from 45 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes, when he fell to Richard Logan in the 16th over. Hussey attempted a pull shot but only steered the ball to Paul Johnson at mid-wicket to leave the home side on 61 for one. Adrian Rollins followed him almost immediately, playing across the line at one from slow left-armer Nicky Boje to be trapped lbw.

Earlier, Notts' seventh-wicket pair moved their partnership on to 134 before overnight centurion Chris Read departed for 127. Graeme Swann trapped the former England wicketkeeper lbw to halt a 230-ball innings that had helped lift the visitors from 125 for five on the first day to 365 for seven. Read hit 17 fours and a six. But if Northants expected to knock their opponents' last three wickets over without further ado they were in for a big surprise.

Number eight Paul Franks, who resumed on 40 not out, was joined in the middle by Logan and the new batsman hit six fours in a 48-ball 32 that further frustrated their hosts, taking the score to 419 before he was caught by Rollins off Jason Brown at silly mid-on.

Franks departed next over, caught at backward square by Tony Penberthy off Carl Greenidge having hit eight fours and two sixes in his 67 to leave Notts 421 for nine. But still the visitors were not finished and number 10 Andy Harris cracked a cameo 41no before last man Paul McMahon edged Brown behind to Tobin Bailey for 15.