Northamptonshire 200 for 5 (Nair 78 Gay 77, Hannon-Dalby 3-29) vs Warwickshire

Olly Hannon-Dalby yet again carried Warwickshire's bowling attack as Northamptonshire gritted their way to 200 for 5 on a weather-affected opening day of their LV=Insurance County Championship match at Edgbaston.

The visitors, put in, advanced smoothly to 171 for 2 as Emilio Gay, with 77 from 146 balls, and debutant Karun Nair (78 off 177) added 147 in 46 overs.

But Hannon-Dalby powered his side back into the game after tea with bowling of sustained accuracy and menace. His 19-7-29-3 on a placid pitch was worth many a five-for harvested in more helpful conditions.

The seamer's excellence also nudged Northamptonshire towards Division Two in a match they desperately need to win to preserve their slender hopes of avoiding relegation.

After choosing to bowl, Warwickshire made the anticipated early breakthroughs as both openers fell in the first 61 balls. With Ricardo Vasconcelos ruled out injured, Hassan Azad opened with Gay but perished in careless fashion in the second over when he lifted Chris Rushworth to cover.

When Luke Procter edged Hannon-Dalby to second slip, Northamptonshire were 24 for 2. Warwickshire, themselves in desperate need of a lift after a wretched few weeks, hoped that a clatter would follow but Nair and Gay rebuilt patiently.

Nair, recruited for the last three games to replace the departed Sam Whiteman, underlined his commitment to the cause by taking 23 balls to get off the mark. With Gay batting in composed fashion, the third-wicket pair added 100 before gathering drizzle, low cloud and bad light forced the players off for two hours.

Led by the indefatigable Hannon-Dalby, Warwickshire fought back in the last session as the visitors' batting fragility showed itself. The Yorkshireman shaped a perfect away-cutter which took Gay's edge through to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess and had Richard Keogh dropped on nought in the slips then bowled him through a big drive.

Ed Barnard added the big wicket of Nair, who had become becalmed for 13 balls on 78, when his concentration at last wavered and he feathered an attempted loft to third man. Saif Zaib and Lewis McManus avoided further damage but Northamptonshire's lower order needs to shine with bat and ball tomorrow if their side's cadaverous survival bid is not to expire completely.