After an uncertain start, Northamptonshire began to wrest the initiative in a match that they must win to enhance their promotion prospects. When bad light brought play to an early end, Niall O'Brien was one run short of a second hundred against Glamorgan this season, having made 108 at Swansea in May.

O'Brien's restrained but important partnership with Lance Klusener, so far worth an unbroken 110 in 43 overs, should have broken before it took root. When 14, the former South Africa all-rounder gave such a straightforward chance to David Hemp at first slip off Jason Gillespie that he was heading towards the pavilion before he realised he had been dropped.

Dismissal then would have left the home side 128 for five. Just before play was suspended, Klusener was again put down by Hemp at slip, this time off Alex Wharf.

That second reprieve came after a comical incident when Klusener and O'Brien were ordered to swap ends by the umpires. They had just returned to the middle after a previous stoppage for bad light when, after two balls, the officials realised that O'Brien should not have been facing as he had been on strike at the end of the previous over when the players had come off. The umpires ruled that the two balls the Irishman faced should still stand in the records.

Only two further balls were possible, both faced by Klusener, before proceedings were again halted by the umpires who, under this year's regulations in the LV County Championship, take the decision whether to continue.

Neither batsmen nor fielders are consulted - ironically in this case as both sides wanted to stay on.

O'Brien had begun with a flurry of attacking strokes, dealing exclusively in fours - six in the space of 16 balls from Adam Shantry, the former Northamptonshire left-armer. As soon as he got the chance to bowl at Stephen Peters, however, Shantry had him caught at first slip. In his next over, Shantry swung one back the other way to trap Rob White leg-before.

After Wharf produced a beauty that swung away late to account for David Sales, Shantry returned to have Riki Wessels well picked up low at second slip. O'Brien reached fifty off 72 balls, seven fewer than Klusener to the same landmark, but dug in thereafter, hitting only three more fours and occupying a further 146 balls.

Scoreboard

Glamorgan: First Innings (overnight 286-9)
J N Gillespie not out 24
A J Shantry b Van der Wath 1
Extras (b 2, lb 7, w 1, nb 10) 20
Total (84.3 overs) 287

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-3, 3-53, 4-55, 5-126, 6-202, 7-223, 8-283, 9-285.

Bowling: Van der Wath 15.3-4-55-5; Lucas 15-5-63-0; Hall 11-3-51-2; Klusener 11-4-32-0; Panesar 21-3-62-2; Brown 11-4-15-0.

Northamptonshire: First Innings
S D Peters c Hemp b Shantry 1
N J O'Brien not out 99
R A White lbw b Shantry 8
D J G Sales c Wallace b Wharf 23
M H Wessels c Powell b Shantry 10
*L Klusener not out 62
Extras (b 6, nb 4) 10
Total (4 wkts, 73.4 overs) 213

A J Hall, J J van der Wath, D S Lucas, M S Panesar and J F Brown to bat.

Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-41, 3-85, 4-103.

Bowling: Gillespie 10-3-28-0; Shantry 12-2-49-3; Wharf 11.4-1-41-1; Grant 3-0-9-0; Croft 23-11-38-0; Cosker 14-2-42-0.

Umpires: N L Bainton and N G Cowley.

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