Eskinazi leads Leics to big score against Northants

Stephen Eskinazi is on loan at Leicestershire, prior to joining them permanently over the winter

Rothesay County Championship Division Two, County Ground, Northampton (day one)

Leicestershire 392-7: Eskinazi 150*, Tattersall 47; Keogh 2-44

Northamptonshire: Yet to bat

Leicestershire 3 pts, Northamptonshire 2 pts

Match scorecard

Stephen Eskinazi hit an excellent unbeaten 150 for Leicestershire as the Division Two champions pressed home their advantage on day one of their County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.

Former Middlesex batter Eskinazi, who joined Leicestershire on loan after The Hundred prior to a full-time switch next season, led a fightback after George Scrimshaw's double strike helped reduce the visitors to 122-4 at lunch.

Eskinazi shared a fifth wicket stand worth 98 with Jonny Tattersall (47) before adding 76 with Liam Trevaskis (37), and 64 with Logan van Beek (26).

He made his highest Championship score since 2017 as Leicestershire closed on 392-7.

Northamptonshire spinner Rob Keogh, who bowled with a lot of drift either side of tea, accounted for both Tattersall and Cox and finished with figures of 2-44.

The home side almost broke through with the day's first delivery when Rishi Patel edged Justin Broad to first slip, Saif Zaib shelling a regulation chance, and Sol Budinger then inside-edged Ben Whitehouse just past leg stump.

But Leicestershire soon found runs easy to come by, Budinger pulling Whitehouse for six and crashing his next ball through extra cover, while Patel pulled and cut Scrimshaw for back-to-back boundaries.

Budinger brought up Leicestershire's 50 in style, pulling Scrimshaw over fine leg for six but was undone by a fine delivery from Broad which nipped back to trap him lbw for 44 as he moved across his stumps.

Skipper Ian Holland (4) played the anchor role as Patel accelerated, coming down the ground to attack teenage spinner Nirvan Ramesh.

But Scrimshaw's dual strike removed Holland when he edged behind, cutting too close to his body, and Patel who miscued a pull, Whitehouse taking the catch as he ran across to mid-off.

Ramesh then got among the wickets when Lewis Hill bottom edged a sweep, keeper Lewis McManus taking a sharp catch.

After lunch though Leicestershire grew increasingly comfortable, Tattersall taking back-to-back boundaries off a wayward Ramesh, while Eskinazi meted out similar treatment to Broad.

Ezkinazi brought up Leicestershire's 200 in the 48th over before punching Whitehouse through the covers to reach his half-century.

Tattersall though fell just short of his fifty when he edged behind off Keogh, the ball ballooning up off the keeper's gloves, and Broad taking a juggling catch at first slip.

Ezkinazi continued to accumulate, smashing Whitehouse through extra cover, while reverse sweeping Keogh for four more.

Ben Cox (20) deposited a Whitehouse full toss over deep square leg for four but Keogh struck on the brink of tea, spinning one back in to bowl Cox and leave Leicestershire on 252-6.

After tea, Ezkinazi hit Keogh over long-on for six to move into the nineties before running a single to move to his 10th first-class ton off 168 balls.

When Justin Broad took the second new ball, Eskinazi responded by stroking three silky cover boundaries in an over.

Trevaskis departed though when he flashed outside off-stump against Whitehouse, nicking a catch through to second slip.

New batter van Beek made the most of a reprieve when he was dropped in the slips off Broad, crunching the bowler for consecutive boundaries down the ground.

With his 150 in sight, Eskinazi was given a life when Scrimshaw bowled him, only to be called no ball for overstepping, and duly brought up the milestone soon afterwards.

Match report supplied by ECB Reporters' Network, supported by Rothesay

Northamptonshire captain Lewis McManus:

"I think the effort was there to execute a plan. I think, if we're honest, we didn't execute as well as we would like to, or what we know we can do.

"To concede nearly 400 runs in the day is not where we want to be as a club and as a unit. So yeah, it's another disappointing day for us, but another learning experience for us and plenty of work for us to do this off season.

"It feels like a good batting pitch, to be honest. It looks green, and I wondered if they would have a bowl on it, seeing the green grass. But it's actually a really nice covering of thin grass.

"So, it's about us again, doing the basics well for long enough, batting long periods of time, and trying to get as close to them as possible, if not pass them and try and dominate this game and win it towards the back end of day four."

Leicestershire centurion Stephen Eskinazi:

"We weren't entirely sure how that surface was going to play. Obviously it looks a little bit different to what we're used to here, and probably anywhere. But the start that Rish and Sol got us off to was fantastic.

"You're in four-day cricket, you're always looking to throw the first punch. And the way those guys have played, certainly since I've been here, but by all accounts, the whole season has been amazing, really.

"My recent history in four-day cricket, there's been some frustration about not getting maybe the opportunity I would have liked. And I think the only way that you can put a few of those to bed is by getting yourself in and going big.

"And I've had some time to reflect and time to do some work with some people. Titch [James Taylor] being a big part of my life for a long period of time, and to get back to basics and work hard with those guys, hopefully it will set me up to put me in more positions like this in the future."