Emilio Gay and Karun Nair shared a third wicket stand of 147 but Warwickshire staged a late fightback to limit Northamptonshire to 200/5 on a weather-affected opening day of their LV=Insurance County Championship match at Edgbaston.
After winning the toss and electing to bowl, Warwickshire made the anticipated early breakthroughs as both openers fell in the first 61 balls. With Ricardo Vasconcelos ruled out injured, Hassan Azad opened with Gay but perished in careless fashion in the second over when he lifted Chris Rushworth to cover.
In the 11th over, Luke Procter edged one through to Sam Hain at slip. However it appeared to fall short of the Warwickshire fielder and even to the surprise of some of the Warwickshire players, Procter was given out and had to depart for five.
Northamptonshire were 24 for two and Warwickshire found themselves in desperate need of a lift after a wretched few weeks, hoped that a clatter would follow but Nair and Gay rebuilt patiently.
The visitors, put in, advanced smoothly to 171 for two as Emilio Gay (77) and debutant Karun Nair (78) added 147 in 46 overs.
But Hannon-Dalby powered his side back into the game after tea with bowling of sustained accuracy and menace. His 19-7-29-3 on a placid pitch was worth many a five-for harvested in more helpful conditions.
Karun Nair, recruited for the last three games to replace the departed Sam Whiteman, gradually got himself used to Englsih conditions by taking 23 balls to get off the mark. With Gay batting in composed fashion, the third-wicket pair added exactly 100 before the gathering munge – drizzle, low cloud and bad light – forced the players off for two hours.
Led by the indefatigable Hannon-Dalby, Warwickshire fought back in the last session as the visitors’ batting fragility showed itself. The Yorkshireman shaped a perfect away-cutter which took Gay’s edge through to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess and had Richard Keogh dropped on nought in the slips then bowled him through a big drive.
Ed Barnard added the big wicket of Nair, who had become becalmed for 13 balls on 78, when his concentration at last wavered and he feathered an attempted loft to third man. Saif Zaib and Lewis McManus avoided further damage but the pressure is on Northamptonshire’s lower order to add to their three batting points this season.