County Championship: Ryan ten Doeschate makes 145 before Northants collapse
- From the section Counties
| Specsavers County Championship Division Two, County Ground, Northampton |
| Northamptonshire v Essex, day three |
| Northamptonshire 444 & 56-4: Quinn 2-25 |
| Essex 640: Ten Doeschate 145, Foster 113, Mickleburgh 103; Gleeson 4-105 |
| Essex lead by 140 runs |
| Northamptonshire 6 pts, Essex 7 pts |
| Match scorecard |
Ryan ten Doeschate and James Foster hit centuries for Essex before Northants collapsed on day three.
Essex lost four quick wickets but Ten Doeschate and Foster went on to share a 215-run seventh-wicket stand.
The away side were eventually all out for 640 as Ten Doeschate was run out by Steven Crook for 145 and Foster fell next ball for 113 to Richard Gleeson.
Northants ended 56-4 and trail by 140 runs, with Rob Newton and Josh Cobb falling to Matthew Quinn for ducks.
Ten Doeschate's ton came off only 106 balls but Foster outscored his team-mate, taking just 85 balls to reach three figures with eight fours and three sixes.
Following the pair's explosive partnership, Northants' top-order crumbled, with Quinn trapping Newton plumb in front and bowling Cobb, while Rob Keogh fell lbw to Ravi Bopara.
Ben Duckett made a quick-fire 33 off 32 balls but Ashar Zaidi had him caught in the slips from his first delivery in the innings as Essex ended the day with victory in their sights.