Northamptonshire 127 (Taylor 5-36) and 144 for 5 trail Gloucestershire 154 and 221 (Bancroft 82, Conway 3-42, Sanderson 3-50) by 104 runs

Gloucestershire’s captain overcame bowler-friendly conditions to stage an outstanding innings of 82, sharing in a transformational sixth wicket alliance of 100 in 29 overs with James Bracey, as his side recovered from the depths of 31-5 to post 221 in their second innings. Bracey contributed 48 and Tommy Boorman a useful 36 in the face of accurate seam bowling from Harry Conway and Ben Sanderson, who returned figures of 3 for 42 and 3 for 50 respectively to keep Northants in the hunt.

Set a victory target of 249, the visitors were reduced to 76 for 4, Matt Taylor and Gabe Bell taking two wickets apiece, before Australian Test batter Nathan McSweeney retrieved the situation with an unbeaten innings of 41, adding 67 for the fifth wicket with James Sales, who fell to Craig Miles shortly before the close. Northants reached stumps on 144 for 5 and require a further 105 runs to win, while Gloucestershire need five wickets.

But a forecast that contains plenty of rain means the weather might yet have the final say.

The day commenced with an enforced change to the visitors’ line-up, Louis Kimber being drafted in as a replacement for Saif Zaid, who was withdrawn under the concussion protocol after being struck on the head during the warm-up on day two and developing symptoms overnight. He will be sidelined for seven days and will miss Northamptonshire’s opening Vitality Blast fixture against Glamorgan at Wantage Road on Friday.

Resuming on 21 for 3 – a lead of 48 – Gloucestershire again found batting on a hybrid pitch still offering occasional sharp lift a challenging business. Sanderson took full advantage, claiming two wickets in five deliveries to afford Northants the perfect start. Price adopted a patient approach, facing 34 deliveries without scoring before edging a teasing delivery from Sanderson to second slip. Warming to his task, Sanderson struck again in his next over, squaring Hammond up and having him caught at fourth slip via a thickish edge as the home side subsided to 31 for 5, a tenuous lead of 58.

Requiring a partnership of substance, Gloucestershire were indebted to Bancroft and Bracey thereafter, the sixth wicket pair breaking the stranglehold exerted by Northamptonshire’s front-line seamers. Having seen off the dangerous Sanderson and Conway, these two found runs somewhat easier to come by, Bancroft clipping Luke Procter off his legs for the first boundary of the day.

Continuing to attack, change bowlers Sales and Liam Guthrie proved relatively expensive as Bancroft and Bracey made batting appear a degree easier, raising the first 50 partnership of the match from 104 balls to extend the lead to 128 by the time lunch was taken with the score 101 for 5.

In need of a breakthrough, Northants brought back Sanderson and Conway at the start of the afternoon session. But neither could prevent the admirable Bancroft from posting a 104-ball 50, the Australian attaining that landmark with his fourth boundary, a well-timed back-foot force behind point. The partnership realised three figures before Bracey fell two runs short of a half century, feeling for a ball outside off stump from Conway and nicking behind. His contribution of 48 from 107 balls with six fours had done much to improve Gloucestershire’s position.

Sensing an opportunity, Northants then captured the key wicket of Bancroft, pinned lbw by Sales as he moved across his stumps and departing for 82 with the score 170 for 7. Graeme van Buuren did not last long, rocking onto the back foot and chopping a short delivery from Sales onto his stumps, but Boorman smashed seven boundaries in a counter-attacking innings of 36 from 54 deliveries to carry the lead beyond 200 before edging a Procter in-swinger low to first slip. Leg spinner Calvin Harrison then removed Matt Taylor to wrap up the innings, but only after he had raised 18 from 13 balls in a useful stand of 23 for the last wicket with Bell.

Bell and Taylor then removed the openers inside 10 overs to reduce Northants to 34 for 2 and apply pressure. Bell pinned Ricardo Vasconcelos lbw for two with a ball which kept low, Taylor bowled Procter for 13 and McSweeney and Harrison had to apply themselves assiduously in an attempt to steady the ship.

Having appeared untroubled in advancing to 35, Harrison played at a lifting delivery from Taylor and nicked off to Price at first slip with the score 55-3. When Bell produced a brute of a ball to square up George Bartlett, and present Price with another scalp in the slips, Northants were 76 for 4 and up against it.

But McSweeney played with commendable restraint and no little skill in chiseling an unbeaten 41 from 100 deliveries, and was ably supported by Sales, who made 28 before offering a catch to leg gully off the bowling of Miles.