The final three Northants wickets were quickly wrapped up by

Derbyshire on the final morning of their LV County Championship

match - but not quickly enough.

Northants held out just long enough to avoid the follow-on in

their first innings and so the match was almost certainly

condemned to finishing as a draw, with only batting practice

for Derbyshire to gain.

Chris Rogers took advantage of the chance to hit his second

century of the season before he was caught at slip off spinner

Jason Brown for 118.

Dan Birch added his highest score of the season before he too

fell to Brown for 77 and Wavell Hinds scored a powerful 64

before the match was abandoned as a draw with Derbyshire

278-5.

Earlier, Jon Clare added another dimension to his extraordinary

match when he took the first two Northants wickets of the

day.

They took him to final figures of 7-74 to add to his 129 not

out in the Derbyshire first innings. That is the best all-round

analysis in an innings in the county's history.

Clare knocked out Johann van der Wath's middle stump in the

fourth over of the day and, in his next over, had David Lucas

caught at point by Smith.

The score was 317-9 then, with 19 more still needed to avoid

the follow-on, but Brown hit three fours in an over off Clare

to take Northants to safety.

Brown was lbw to Jake Needham for 13 at 341 all out, a

Derbyshire lead of 144.