Ricardo Vasconcelos scored a brilliant 115 to help Northamptonshire establish a 60-run lead over Worcestershire in their County Championship Division Two match at Wantage Road. Key contributions from Zaib and Sales further strengthened Northants' position.
Ricardo Vasconcelos hit a 13th first-class century of his career to help Northants forge a first-innings lead Worcestershire 306:Vasconcelos 115, Zaib 75, Sales 44*; Taylor 2-60 Ricardo Vasconcelos struck a superb second century of the season as Northamptonshire took a 60-run lead over Worcestershire after day two of the County Championship Division Two match at Wantage Road.
It was a contrasting innings of watchful defence and crisp strokeplay, as Vasconcelos struck 18 boundaries in his 115, to follow his 127 against Kent last month. He was joined by Saif Zaib in a proactive fourth-wicket stand of 101 in 20 overs. County cricket's leading run-scorer last season, Zaib has had limited opportunities so far but seized his chance with a near run-a-ball 75.
When the pair were parted, James Sales and George Bartlett combined in a telling unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 79 against the new ball to push Northamptonshire in front. Tom Taylor and Oliver Hannon-Dalby threatened all day for the Pears, finding late swing with the second new ball, while Beyers Swanepoel also took two wickets.
Earlier, Northamptonshire resumed on 40-0 and soon lost skipper Luke Procter when Taylor got one to lift sharply and hit the splice of the bat, the ball flying to second slip. Calvin Harrison edged his first ball past the slips to bring up Northamptonshire's 50 before driving sweetly in Taylor's next over, and he and Vasconcelos were progressing nicely, adding 43 off 55 balls, when Harrison inside-edged a Beyers Swanepoel delivery onto his stumps.
Vasconcelos motored to fifty with three consecutive boundaries, crunching Swanepoel through the covers and pulling him behind square. He tucked into Adam Finch's bowling too, going down on one knee to stroke him through cover and playing an audacious uppercut over the slips. He put on 77 for the third wicket with Nathan McSweeney who initially found life difficult during a probing spell from Waite. The Australian found release, though, as he settled against Finch, punching through extra cover.
Hannon-Dalby and Taylor bowled well with the old ball after lunch, troubling both batters. Runs dried up, but Vasconcelos clipped through midwicket to bring up Northamptonshire's 150 in the 50th over. McSweeney departed trying to push the score on after getting tied down. He had a big swing to the long boundary against Swanepoel, Hannon-Dalby comfortably taking a high catch at fine leg.
Zaib almost fell cheaply when he edged behind on nine, but keeper Gareth Roderick dived across first slip and wasn't able to hold on. Zaib quickly gained fluency, driving and punching through the covers, while Vasconcelos reached his century in style, smashing a wide Waite half-volley in the same direction. Always strong against spin, Zaib swept and reverse-swept Brett D'Oliveira to race to his half-century off 41 balls before smashing seamer Ethan Brookes over midwicket.
Worcestershire took the new ball after the break and soon removed Zaib, caught behind off Taylor, playing a non-committal push. Sales almost played on a couple of times but collected three highly convincing boundaries off one Hannon-Dalby over, including an exquisite straight drive, as Northamptonshire moved past 300. Bartlett then put away a loose legside delivery from Taylor to take the hosts into the lead before driving Hannon-Dalby down the ground.
Bartlett had a late scare when he chased a wide one from Taylor, Brookes unable to hold a sharp high chance at second slip, but he responded by punching assuredly through cover. Sales was also dropped just before stumps, offering a hard chance to D'Oliveira at short extra off Taylor.
County Championship Northamptonshire Worcestershire Ricardo Vasconcelos Cricket
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