County Championship: Warwickshire stifle Northants with career-best Oliver Hannon-Dalby figures

Oliver Hannon-Dalby's previous best was 6-33 in the Bob Willis Trophy at Bristol in 2020

Oliver Hannon-Dalby claimed his career-best bowling figures as he took 7-46 to bowl out Northamptonshire for 250.

But, on another weather-hit day in Birmingham, and with worse weather reportedly on the way, Northants' hopes of staying up are starting to cloud over.

Having begun this week's round of fixtures 26 points adrift, and with their final two games to come against top two Surrey and Essex, this is a game they seriously have to win.

And, with the Bears on 142-4 in their first innings, Northants have to hope for a serious Warwickshire collapse on day three.

Resuming on 200-5, Northants overnight pair Saif Zaib and Lewis McManus added a further 17 before being parted.

Zaib edged Hannon-Dalby to Michael Burgess, before the Warwickshire wicketkeeper then claimed a second catch to remove McManus too, off Chris Rushworth.

In the next over, Hannon-Dalby struck again to complete his 12th five-wicket haul, but only his fourth at Edgbaston, when he had Tom Taylor well caught by a diving Hain at second slip.

And, after a further 17 runs were added to carry Northants to 250 - and only a fourth batting bonus point of the season - it all ended very suddenly.

In successive balls, Hannon-Dalby had Kerrigan trapped leg before to earn only his third six-wicket haul before making it seven for the first time when he bowled White.

It surpassed both Hannon-Dalby's previous best, 6-33 in the Bob Willis Trophy against Gloucestershire at Bristol in 2020, and his Championship best, 6-40 against Kent at Edgbaston last season. And it was another seriously good effort from the late-developing Yorkshireman, who has become such a prolific wicket taker it is a wonder why England have never thought about him.

After having to face one over before lunch, seen out by Rob Yates, it was well after lunch before Kraigg Brathwaite finally took his first guard at Edgbaston as a Bear.

He found it hard work on his home debut, taking almost an hour - and 46 balls - to grind out nine before White had the West Indies skipper caught behind off a lifter. But it was a real battle for everyone.

Yates took nearly two hours before slicing Luke Procter to second slip on 23. And, having taken a long time to play himself in, skipper Will Rhodes suddenly sped up before skying White to third man on 44.

Then Sam Hain, playing in his last Bears game of the season following his England call-up for the ODI series with Ireland, was the next to go for a 30 that looked hard work before being trapped in front by White.

Fifth-wicket pair Dan Mousley (20) and Ed Barnard (4) then saw it through before they went off for bad light, fully half an hour before umpires Rob Bailey and Neil Pratt called it off.

But, with ill weather predicted, Northamptonshire's hopes of edging the win they need to keep their survival hopes realistically alive do not look good.