County Championship: Essex must score 400 at Northants to stay in title hunt

Tom Westley batted for 113 balls in tough conditions for his 37 not out

Veteran Northamptonshire bowler Ben Sanderson dented Essex's lingering hopes of clinching the County Championship title with a masterclass of seam bowling at Wantage Road.

Essex started their first innings needing at least 400 if rivals Surrey were bowled out for less than 250 in their game at Southampton.

But Sanderson (3-15) made short work of their top order, removing Alastair Cook, Nick Browne and Dan Lawrence in a nine-over spell while conceding just 14 runs.

They rallied to 125-4 by close of play, still trailing by 244 runs to just about keep their challenge alive following Surrey's collapse at the Ageas Bowl, but the London club require only a draw to clinch another County Championship crown.

Essex are pinning their hopes on Hampshire beating Surrey and then finding a way to somehow earn four batting points on Thursday before going on to win the contest.

Northamptonshire centurion Rob Keogh moved from his overnight 154 past his previous highest score of 161 at Wantage Road, before he was adjudged lbw to Umesh Yadav for 172 off 167 balls.

Justin Broad, who played the supporting role throughout a 98-run partnership with Keogh in 20 overs, went on to post his maiden first-class half-century when he smashed Jamie Porter down the ground for four.

Wickets continued to fall at the other end. Tom Taylor, playing his final match for Northamptonshire before moving to newly-promoted Worcestershire, smashed Matt Critchley down the ground for six but when he attempted to repeat the shot, he could only pick out Porter at mid-on.

The new ball did the trick for Porter who got one to seam back and knock Sanderson's middle stump out of the ground before enticing the edge from White and Cook took a tumbling catch at slip.

In reply, Browne started briskly but drove loosely to a fuller ball from Sanderson and was caught behind for 13 by wicketkeeper Lewis McManus.

Cook played a beautiful extra-cover drive off Sanderson but was undone having scored six when the Northamptonshire stalwart got one to nip back and send his off-stump cartwheeling.

Lawrence, playing his final match for Essex before he joins Surrey, fell soon after lunch when he played away from his body to another ball from Sanderson which seamed away, McManus again taking the catch.

Critchley saw off Sanderson, but when Northamptonshire skipper Luke Procter pitched one up, the Essex batter played across the line trying to work the ball to leg but had his off-stump knocked back.

Jack White was finding plenty of movement off the seam too and drew Paul Walter into edging behind with just one to his name, only for Karun Nair to drop the ball at first slip. Walter went on to reach stumps unbeaten on 36.

Tom Westley (37 not out), who had put on 33 with Critchley, scored just one out of an unbeaten partnership of 27 with Walter before bad light and rain stopped play with Essex on 95-4.

After the resumption, Walter started to stroke the ball sweetly down the ground, but Essex's scoring remained below three an over, putting them a long way behind the rate needed to secure the three batting bonus points they need.

Report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network.