JAMIE Pipe's crucial intervention with the bat turned the match for Derbyshire the last time they were at Chesterfield but he left Queen's Park yesterday with a more painful memory.

The key moment of the opening day to Derbyshire's LV County Championship match against Northamptonshire came in the hour after lunch with the away side on 155-3.

Northants had lost their third wicket two overs earlier and Derbyshire were plugging away in an attempt to contain their opponents on a beautiful batting wicket with a lightning-fast outfield.

Lance Klusener was the new man in the middle and, on four, he edged Charl Langeveldt to the left of the wicketkeeper. Pipe dived and got a hand to it but the chance went down.

Worse still, Pipe stayed down.

In obvious pain, he needed lengthy treatment before he was able to go on but finally left the field an hour before the end of play when his temporary replacement, Tom Poynton, arrived at the ground.

Klusener was still batting at that stage. He went on to score 135 before he aimed a tired drive at a Graham Wagg delivery and played on to his stumps.

By the close, Derbyshire were grateful to have Klusener and Nicky Boje back in the pavilion, though Northants were still in a very strong position at 382-6.

It was an excellent toss for them to win and they made the most of it, though Derbyshire's cause, on a day when they had to grasp every opportunity that came their way, was not helped by their catching.

An over after Pipe's miss off Klusener, the veteran South African gave a sharp chance to Dan Birch at short leg – the type that either stick or they don't.

Riki Wessels was also given a life on 57 when Nayan Doshi got himself in a terrible mess at long leg and allowed a top-edged pull to go through his hands for six.

That was to prove less costly as the young wicketkeeper chipped a simple catch to substitute fielder Jake Needham at midwicket in the over after tea for 79.

The warning signs were clear for Derbyshire very early in the day that their discipline was going to have to be rock solid if they were to keep Northants within reasonable bounds.

Even the merest nudge, it seemed, would speed away for four if it beat the inner ring of fielders. A total of 252 of the day's runs were to come in boundaries.

Rob White and Stephen Peters got their side off to a quick start by putting on 70 in 18 overs before White was caught at slip for 49.

Wayne White, making his first Championship appearance of the season, had Peters caught behind for 26 with the third ball of his spell, and David Sales was undone by a Langeveldt ball that kept low after he had made a swift 34.

Had they dismissed Klusener cheaply when they had the chance, who knows how it may have changed the game but the 36-year-old made them pay in a 179-ball innings which included 21 fours and a six.

Wessels was more reserved but the partnership for the fourth wicket was worth 136 in 29 overs.

Derbyshire were made to toil but did not flag in the heat and the two wickets for Wagg with the second new ball was some reward but the pressure of a big score is already on.