Northamptonshire ended a run of 20 LV= County Championship matches without a win, defeating Leicestershire by 92 runs at Grace Road as the hosts continue to search for their first success since 2012.
Resuming on 44 for one in pursuit of 376 for victory, Leicestershire lost three wickets in the first hour of play and, on a pitch that continued to offer occasional assistance to the seamers, never genuinely threatened to get close to their target.
Angus Robson, 25 overnight, had added only seven to his score when his off stump was knocked out of the ground by a Muhammad Azhar Ullah delivery that straightened off the seam.
Captain Mark Cosgrove was then given out lbw to Olly Stone , a decision that surprised the left-handed batsman, who may have thought the ball was going over the stumps.
Overview of Northants 92 run victory over Leicestershire. pic.twitter.com/RLyIP0tQa6
— Northants Cricket (@NorthantsCCC) April 29, 2015
There were no such doubts about the decision to send Neil Pinner on his way, however, Azhar Ullah switching ends to trap the batsman plumb in front, leaving Leicestershire on 93 for four.
Ned Eckersley and Niall O'Brien put together a partnership of 59 for the fifth wicket, but Northants struck again before lunch, Rory Kleinveldt ending Eckersley's 111-ball innings of 37 with an in-swinger that won another leg-before decision.
Tom Wells became the fourth lbw victim of the day when he was beaten by Kleinveldt’s in-swinger, but O’Brien played with characteristic fluency in going to his half-century, hitting eight fours before inside-edging a Kleinveldt delivery into his stumps.
Ben Raine went quickly, caught behind driving at Azhar Ullah, but Leicestershire’s newly-arrived overseas player Clint McKay hit out to good effect, as he had in the first innings, before top-edging a hook into the hands of deep backward square-leg.
Ollie Freckingham and Charlie Shreck ensured Leicestershire’s defeat would be by less than 100 before Shreck went caught behind off Kleinveldt, whose side were docked two points for a slow over-rate.
Kleinveldt takes the last wicket of the innings. Shreck caught by Rossington for 13. pic.twitter.com/LZYh0YE15e
— Northants Cricket (@NorthantsCCC) April 29, 2015
Leicestershire head coach Andrew McDonald said: "There were a lot of positives, but there were some crucial periods when we didn't quite execute well.
"You look at a hundred-run deficit and you can probably find more than that where we could have been better.
"Each day you learn about the players, and if we improve from here we'll hold ourselves in good stead.
"We took 20 wickets and created more than 20 opportunities, and that's a real positive when last year we averaged 13 wickets a game."