IT was another long day for the Derbyshire bowlers who spent far too much of the Twenty20 campaign watching their best efforts fly towards the boundary.

Leicestershire finished the first day of their LV County Championship match at the County Ground on 341-5 yesterday and the home side needed no reminding that it could – and should – have been an altogether brighter picture for them.

After the rare luxury of a won toss, there was so much swing at the start of play that thoughts of Derbyshire batting before tea came to mind.

Both Leicestershire openers were back in the pavilion by the 10th over and both could count themselves fortunate to have held on that long. Josh Cobb saw three edges fall short of the slips before his torment was finally ended by an lbw decision and Matt Boyce soon followed, having had his middle stump knocked clean out by Ian Hunter.

That was 25-2 and you might have got pretty long odds at that time on Derbyshire not taking another wicket before lunch but that was what happened.

The ball almost did too much at times in the saggingly humid atmosphere and when the bowlers did get their lines wrong – as happened too often – the exaggerated flight made the error appear even worse.

Just ask Jamie Pipe. The wicketkeeper spent so much of his day diving to retrieve the ball on either side of the wicket that there was a danger he was going to suffer the bends.

Yet Graham Wagg's first spell was very good. He and Hunter beat the edge countless times in the opening session but took only one wicket each.

Nantie Hayward, bowling with a red ball for the first time in a year, had his moments but also allowed too many fours.

Leicestershire scored an exceptionally high proportion of their runs in boundaries, partly as a result of attacking fields and partly because there was one temptingly close rope.

HD Ackerman's first eight scoring shots were fours and he finished with 10 in an innings of 49 which was ended in the third over after lunch by an absolute peach of a delivery from Hunter that gave Pipe a rare easy take.

He and Boeta Dippenaar put on 90 for the third wicket but both were out within four overs and one run – Hunter taking his third wicket by bowling Dippenaar for 38.

At 116-4, Derbyshire could feel they were back on track but James Allenby soon put those feelings to the sword.

He and the small but stylish James Taylor put Leicestershire in control with a fifth-wicket stand of 177 in 46 overs.

Allenby was punishing towards Wagg, in particular, and was not shy of attacking off-spinner Jake Needham on his return to the side.

A first Championship century for almost three years was beckoning but, on 96, Allenby was involved in a yes-no-sorry moment with Taylor and was run out by a direct hit from Garry Park at point.

Derbyshire needed that break, especially as Allenby had been dropped at slip by Steve Stubbings on 52, and if they could have nipped out another with the second new ball it might not have been such a bad day after all.

But Tom New was also given a life when substitute fielder Tom Lungley dropped him at second slip on 10 and, with Taylor 86 not out, Derbyshire were left far from happy.