Luke Proctor inspires Northants to third day win over Derbyshire

Four wickets for the seamer see Derbyshire bowled out for 246 on the third morning to give the visitors a must-needed victory

Northamptonshire boosted their chances of promotion by wrapping up a 72-run victory over Derbyshire at Chesterfield before lunch on day three.

Derbyshire’s prospects of reaching a target of 319 on a pitch that was marked as below average always looked slim when they went out on the third morning needing another 164 with five wickets left.

Tom Lace top scored with 41 and Fynn Hudson-Prentice followed his first innings unbeaten half-century with 26 not out but Luke Proctor finished with 4-26 as the home side came up short on 246.

Although in the words of ECB Cricket Liaison Officer Dean Cosker “variable bounce and deviation” on day two resulted in the verdict on the Queen’s Park surface, none of the wickets that fell on what became the last day could be blamed on the pitch.

VISIT THE COUNTY HUB: Your one-stop shop for English domestic cricket

Lace clipped Brett Hutton firmly to midwicket where Temba Bavuma held a good low catch before Harvey Hosein played across the line at Proctor.

Matt Critchley struck Matt Coles for two fours in an over but the on-loan Essex paceman had the final word by bowling him via an inside edge with Derbyshire still needing another 113.

Tony Palladino fenced at Proctor and was caught behind but Hudson-Prentice again played well and Ravi Rampaul delivered late defiance by driving Coles into the sightscreen and pulling him for another four.

The end came when he pulled Ben Sanderson to deep square leg where Bavuma, in his final match for the county, made no mistake which was fitting given his first-innings century was by some distance the highest score in the contest.

Courtesy of the ECB reporters network

To celebrate England winning the World Cup you can subscribe to The Cricketer for just £20.19. Click here to learn more

Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on England's Test tour with George Dobell in Pakistan, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.