< p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10">After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, Ben Sanderson opened the onslaught on an overcast morning at New Road, catching Dan Lategan lbw within two deliveries.
< p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10">That set the score at 20‑2 as Procter smashed Rehaan Edavalath’s off‑stump outright on the very first ball.
< p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10">Libby and Hose steadied the run until lunchtime, reaching 56‑2, yet the Pears vice‑captain’s fourth County Championship Division Two century of 2026 was extinguished by Procter.
< p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10">Home skipper Brett D’Oliveira secured a brief respite when he was caught behind second slip, only to fall outside third slip to Procter during the following over.
< p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10">Undeterred by an injury to wicket‑keeper Lewis McManus, Vasconcelos returned to the crease and, moments later, spinner Calvin Harrison claimed Hose’s wicket deep in the slip cordon.
< p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10">An Australian seamer named Conway broke the mid‑session deadlock and launched a aggressive strike, whisking Matthew Waite out before Procter countered with a smooth spin‑take on Tom Taylor.
< p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10">Conway then cleared Ben Allison, finishing with a fifth‑wicket haul that included the dismissal of Usama Mir.
< p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10">Cullen and wicket‑keeper Adam Finch (5*) gathered momentum, delivering a strong partnership of fifties as Pears surged toward the final count.
< p class="ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10">Although Northants briefly staged a comeback after additional light faded, lively exchanges among captain D’Oliveira and umpires Neil Pratt and James Tredwell restored proper conditions for seven more overs, resulting in a costly reversal for Procter.
