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Strong 40-45 mph winds at Wantage Road may prove to be the abiding memory as Northamptonshire's LV= County Championship match with Lancashire drifted into stalemate.
The home side lost just three wickets on the final day to finish on 391 for five in their second innings, thanks to hundreds for Rob Keogh and Steven Crook and 81 from Stephen Peters.
Resuming on 42 for two, Northamptonshire hoped to end a streak of four straight defeats to their Red Rose opponents with whom they were relegated from Division One last season.
Peters and Keogh, who had been joined together at 13 for two, showed the necessary caution and solid defence required, with Lancashire's attack keen on a third win of three.
Now 36 years of age, Peters may be heading towards the end of his career, but his service for Essex and Worcestershire and now Northamptonshire will be fondly recalled by their members.
Having been told by the Tudor Rose county that his captaincy was surplus to requirements in the winter, he has showed keen resolve in the season's early weeks and brought up his 14,000th career first-class run on the way to a third successive fifty in Championship cricket.
Particularly strong on the leg side, Peters made a well-constructed 81 before hooking Jordan Clark to Simon Kerrigan half an hour before lunch.
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Keogh, with the support of Adam Rossington, had a longer stay in mind.
Reaching three figures in testing, blustery conditions will give him heart for the campaign ahead and Keogh celebrated with a swish of the bat, following his cover drive off Kerrigan that took him to 100 off 146 balls. He fell without addition, hooking Clark to Tom Bailey for long-leg.
Crook followed up this and his 91 in the first innings with a typically breezy knock, with support from Josh Cobb’s steady and unbeaten 46.
Hooking anything short, Crook was determined to reach a maiden first-class hundred on the ground where he has played the bulk of his first-class career.
The all-rounder knocked a bristling fifty off 48 balls and by the time Alviro Petersen's medium pace was called upon, he got to three figures with a push into the covers, taking 90 balls to do so.
South African Richard Levi was not called on to bat after dislocating his finger but such was the lack of intensity in the game, left-arm spinner Kerrigan could be seen bowling chinaman leg-spin in the final session.
This high-scoring draw will suit both sides, with both in the promotion places and given the importance of a strong start. However, neither will want to see a return of the strong gales for which this match will be chiefly remembered.
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Lancashire remain top of Division Two and captain Steven Croft was satisfied to get through the match.
“It was always going to be hard to force a result, especially losing time out of the game,” he said.
“It was a good wicket. They posted a decent score (385 in the first innings), and we did really well to get past them from the situation we were in.
“Especially early season when you think we’d lose a few sessions to rain, we’re happy. I think we’re in a great spot. Hopefully we can stay up there.”
Northamptonshire captain Alex Wakely felt his side had turned the corner after a hugely deflating 2014.
“There was a lot of pleasing aspects taken from that game,” he said. “We've played so many games against the bigger counties over the last few years and they expect to roll us over. We were always going to put up a big fight. We wanted to prove a point.
“In the first innings, we blunted Lancashire. We gave them nothing and most of the chances in the first innings they had to get us out.
“I'm not quite sure what's happening with Richard (Levi's) finger. There's quite a good chance he will have a rest against Derbyshire and make sure he's ready for the T20.
“We've got quite a few people in good nick right now but it's too early to say now. We'll have to have a conversation soon.”