Northamptonshire completed a second consecutive win in the Second XI Championship, a dominant 267 run victory over Leicestershire 2XI at Kibworth.

Declaring on their overnight score of 287-9 and a lead of 400, Northamptonshire struck twice in the sixth over, Brandon Glover trapping Nightingale and then Tom Scriven LBW, leaving Leicestershire 14 for 2.

Glover struck again shortly after, removing Sam Bates with a good catch by Gus Miller at second slip. Scott Steel and Sam Wood then moved the score along as James Sales, George Gowler and Gus Miller were introduced into the attack.

Another double strike followed, Gowler this time trapping Scott Steel LBW for 26 and Wood caught behind to leave the score 67 for 5. Continuing the theme after lunch, Jack White found two wickets in an over as Northamptonshire resumed after lunch. Walker and Griffiths the two men to go, both LBW and Leicestershire now struggling on 94 for 7.

Alex Russell, who recently signed a short term rookie deal with Northamptonshire, then claimed three quick wickets to clean up the tail and finish with 3 for 15 from 5.4 overs.

This saw Northamptonshire see out victory that looked nailed on since Second XI Captain Charlie Thurston batted superbly in the first innings to finish 145*.

“I found it pretty challenging once I got to the crease”, said Northamptonshire Captain Charlie Thurston after his Day 1 century.

“The ball was moving around a bit and so I just had to weather the storm and absorb as much pressure as possible. As the day progressed, runs were easier to come by and we were able to put a few partnerships together to get us up to an above par first innings total”.

“It’s always nice to get 100 on the board, hopefully I can continue that form throughout the season, not only in the second team, but also help the first team to win matches”.

The win against Leicestershire is the second in a row after Northamptonshire bounced back from a defeat to Yorkshire to beat Kent by 276 runs in Canterbury.

“The mood is good in the dressing room, and the lads are high in confidence”.

“We had a bit of a slow start against Yorkshire, where we weren’t at our best and didn’t perform at the level that we know we can. But we bounced back really well against Kent, where we played four brilliant days of cricket, and dominated to get the win”.