County Championship: Northants fight back against Essex on day three

Ben Sanderson removed Alastair Cook and Tom Westley early on

Ben Sanderson and Jack White removed Essex's top order to bowl Northamptonshire back into contention at the end of the third day of their County Championship match at Wantage Road.

Sanderson struck twice early in Essex's second innings to account for Alastair Cook and Tom Westley in consecutive maiden overs. White also picked up a wicket in successive overs to reduce the visitors to 52-5 and snatch back the momentum after the hosts had conceded a first innings deficit of exactly 100.

Earlier, Essex seamer Ben Allison returned career-best bowling figures of 5-32 as Northamptonshire were bundled out for 163.

Allison's maiden five-wicket haul followed his heroics with the bat yesterday when he registered his highest score of 69 not out. With Shane Snater also taking two scalps, Northamptonshire lost their last five wickets for 16 runs.

When bad light prompted an early finish Essex were 63-5, a lead of 163, which sets up an intriguing final day tomorrow.

In the morning session, Will Young and Luke Procter made a solid start, extending their overnight partnership to 39, before Allison found some extra bounce to take Young's glove with keeper Michael Pepper taking the catch.

Rob Keogh started brightly, playing a conventional sweep and reverse sweep off Simon Harmer for consecutive boundaries before the South African spinner spun one back to hit the stumps.

Procter cut Allison crisply for a boundary and had advanced to 28 when he played down the on-side to the same bowler and was well caught low down at leg slip by Matt Critchley.

Saif Zaib (18) played some attacking shots either side of lunch including a backfoot punch off Allison for four and a blow over extra cover off Harmer. But after driving Snater through cover to the ropes, he edged Snater's next delivery to Harmer at second slip.

It precipitated a lower order collapse as Northamptonshire fell from 147-5 to 163 all out. Two balls after Zaib's wicket, Tom Taylor edged a well-directed short ball from Snater through to Pepper.

Allison was back in the action with some sharp work in the field to run out Gareth Berg before angling one back in to castle Sanderson.

James Sales struck four boundaries in his 28 to ensure Northamptonshire passed 150. He had an early reprieve when Harmer put him down at second slip, taking a blow to his spinning fingers in the process and requiring attention from the Essex physio.

However, the young all-rounder eventually became Allison's fifth victim when he edged to Cook at slip.

With the bat, Cook offered two chances to the slips on nought and two but both were missed by Emilio Gay and Young. He was out shortly afterwards for 10 when he drilled Sanderson straight to Taylor at cover. It meant the former England captain missed out by 34 runs on 1,000 for the season.

In his next over, Sanderson trapped Westley lbw to leave Essex 23-2

Nick Browne looked solid throughout a lengthy stay at the crease, but after facing 63 balls for his 18 Taylor got one to jag back and knock over his middle stump.

Dan Lawrence walked to the crease on a king pair and played and missed to his first ball from Sanderson. He looked skittish early on but started to settle, taking consecutive boundaries off Berg. His downfall came thanks to an ugly cut shot off White which flew to Gay who took a stunning diving catch at second slip.

White struck again in his next over when he got one to jag back and knock over Feroze Khushi's stumps but Matt Critchley, who played some pleasant shots including a drive straight down the ground off Taylor, was unbeaten on 14 at stumps.

Report supplied by the ECB Reporters' Network.