Northamptonshire’s bowlers locked down the afternoon after rain wiped out half of Day 2 against Warwickshire.
Northamptonshire took their first innings total beyond 450 once play was finally underway at 3:10pm, the bowlers enjoying a chance to free their arms as Kerrigan and Sanderson both posted brief cameos.
Warwickshire now face a tough task after a highly disciplined Northamptonshire bowling performance restricted scoring to just 1.8 an over with only two boundaries coming in the first 25 overs of the visitors’ reply.
Northamptonshire’s seamers Sanderson, White, Taylor and Luke Procter found plenty of movement on offer to beat the bat and keep openers Davies and Sibley contained. There were few signs of aggression and any attempts to find the boundary were hampered by some ill timed shots.
After 23 overs Warwickshire had just 26 on the board, Northamptonshire by comparison saw the total reach three figures by that stage of their innings. Just two balls crossed the ropes in the first 25 overs with Northamptonshire turning the screw further with four consecutive maidens.
Sanderson’s confident appeal to have trapped Sibley LBW shortly after the tea interval was denied as Warwickshire continued to be tied down. Jack White finally reaping the reward when he trapped Davies leg before for 31. Chris Benjamin nicked his first ball from White but the ball bounced just in front of first slip. He remained 8 not out with Sibley as the day ended in bright sunshine.