Real Betis are open to trying various methods to ensure Antony stays at the Spanish club beyond the end of his loan deal with Manchester United.
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Burnley are now thought to be in January transfer talks to sign an £8m Europa League player for Scott Parker.
Burnley re-sign Ashley Barnes before Blackburn win
The Clarets recorded yet another derby win over rivals Blackburn. Rovers last time out, with Zian Flemming scoring the winner in the second half at Ewood Park.
The Championship win saw Burnley close the gap on league leaders Leeds United, with a four-horse race for automatic promotion also including Sheffield United and Sunderland.
The January transfer window could therefore be crucial in regards to Parker successfully taking Burnley back to the Premier League at the first time of asking, and the club have already made their first signing of 2025.
Iconic Clarets forward Ashley Barnes returned to Turf Moor just before the win at Blackburn and was an unused substitute at Ewood Park. Talking about Barnes’ surprise move back to the club from Norwich City, Parker said:
“To be honest with you, I’m sure you were sitting there thinking I must have known but things did move very quickly. Look, I wouldn’t have said it anyway, but they did move very, very quickly and we’re pleased to have Ashley in now. No doubt he can help us.
“An experienced head is exactly what we need, because it’s a young group. He has experienced things some of these players have not experienced. Sometimes that experience, it can’t just be my voice, it also helps to have those people in the changing room. We already have some of them, of course we do, but I think Ashley will come in and bring that calmness and level-head that we might need.”
Now, talks appear to be underway for another winter window signing, this time in defence.
Burnley in Victor Nelsson transfer talks
According to reports in Turkey, relayed by Sport Witness, Burnley are in transfer talks with Victor Nelsson of Galatasaray.
The centre-back is expected to leave the Turkish giants this month and is valued at €10m (£8.3m), with the Clarets in discussions with the player’s agent.
The Denmark international has made 15 appearances in all competitions this season for Galatasaray, three of which have come in the Europa League. In total, Nelsson has turned out on 141 occasions for Galatasaray since 2021, but his days could be numbered and a move to Turf Moor may well be on the cards.
Nelsson, who was linked to Arsenal in 2023, was called a “lion” by board member Resit Omer Kukner in March 2022, saying:
“Dear Victor Nelsson, You are Galatasaray’s first Danish player. Beside being a great athlete devoted to his Club, your attitude on and off the pitch is winning hearts of millions. Your jersey gesture after the match is beyond description. You are our Danish lion!”
The defender has had regular Premier League interest in recent years, with West Ham also recently linked, so if Burnley could land Nelsson, it may prove to be a major coup in the second tier.
Everton once again frustrated a team near the top of the Premier League this weekend as Chelsea became the latest title chaser to fail to find the back of the net against a dogged Toffees outfit.
This isn’t even Everton’s first victim when it comes to high-flying teams from London either, as Sean Dyche’s men travelled to Arsenal last time out and shut up shop at the Emirates Stadium in a very similar fashion, before then getting under Chelsea’s skin back on their own turf.
Dyche would have loved the resilience on display from his side, with Enzo Maresca left to curse how well-drilled the hosts were defensively at the full-time whistle.
Everton's defensive heroics vs Chelsea
Whilst the likes of Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers have shipped goals for fun near the foot of the league, leaking 37 and 40 strikes respectively, the constantly switched-on Toffees have only given up 21.
Jordan Pickford is already up to seven clean sheets for the season as his reputation for being a dependable option between the sticks only increases in strength, with his showing against the unusually goal-shy Blues seeing him make four saves, which included an expert denial of Nicolas Jackson from point-blank range during the first 45 minutes.
Moreover, the likes of Jarrad Branthwaite and Vitaliy Mykolenko stood out across the back four, with the Ukranian full-back lively throughout by winning seven duels, whilst his partner in crime in Branthwaite won 100% of his own duels alongside registering four tackles.
Dyche’s side would have definitely trudged off at the end happier with the final scoreline, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin would have been left frustrated by his individual showing once more regardless of the points being shared, as another league game without a goal rudely greeted him.
Calvert-Lewin's performance in numbers
Not finding the back of the net in the Premier League since the middle of September, it’s fair to say Calvert-Lewin isn’t loving his football at the moment.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
In truth, this hasn’t just been a sharp decline in form that’s come out of nowhere this campaign, with his numbers gradually dwindling over the years amidst recurring injury problems.
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The Sheffield-born striker will desperately want to reach his 2020-21 peak again, but even as he is now relatively injury-free, the 27-year-old looks completely short of confidence.
That was definitely the case against Maresca’s visitors, as the anonymous Everton number nine failed to register a single shot all game before being hooked off the pitch on the 73rd-minute mark.
Other worrying numbers from the goalless affair saw Calvert-Lewin complete just seven accurate passes from his minimal 24 touches of the ball (fewer than Pickford’s 45), alongside only winning two of his 11 duels on the day, meaning he lost 81% of his duels whilst Chelsea number four Tosin Adarabioyo showed off his prowess in the air.
Dyche could be prepared to roll the dice and drop his misfiring striker for the trip to Manchester City on Boxing Day, therefore, with Beto perhaps preferred as the lone attacker at the Etihad.
That might well be a personnel switch that catches a lacklustre Man City off-guard, with Liverpool Echo journalist Paul Wheelock handing out a mediocre 6/10 rating to Calvert-Lewin after the dust had settled on the uneventful contest, stating that he had ‘no chance’ of breaking his goal drought.
An absolute stalwart of Everton XIs over recent years when fit, Dyche will just want his team to be more of a threat going forward in games to come, which could result in Calvert-Lewin having to become more familiar with a spot on the substitutes bench.
Everton now want new Calvert-Lewin replacement who is wowing their scouts
It comes with the Englishman set to leave at the end of the season.
ByBen Browning Dec 18, 2024
Reliable news outlet The Athletic is reporting that a 21-year-old is now actively looking to leave Chelsea when the January transfer window opens.
Players who could be sold or loaned out by Chelsea in January
Enzo Maresca has a few players who have been deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, and there is a very high possibility that they will part company once we reach the turn of the year.
"Sensational" £70m player "extremely" keen to join Chelsea as they plot bid
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Maresca candidly admitted in a press conference earlier this season that left-back Ben Chilwell – who’s played just 45 minutes in all competitions this season – was meant to depart in the summer window.
“Hopefully we can give him some minutes tomorrow,” said Maresca on Chilwell before Chelsea’s 5-1 win over Barrow in the Carabao Cup.
Aston Villa (home)
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“The idea for him was to leave. In the moment that he’s here, he’s one of the squad, he’s training. He will be in the squad tomorrow, and hopefully we can give him some minutes.”
According to respected Blues reporter Simon Phillips, Chelsea have spoken to numerous clubs over Chilwell’s transfer in the last few weeks, with sides in England, Italy and Spain all taking a keen interest in the £200,000-per-week defender.
Chelsea are also prepared to sell Carney Chukwuemeka in January, amid rumoured interest from the likes of Barcelona and Milan, but Maresca has confirmed that forward Christopher Nkunku won’t be going anywhere, following reports linking the France international with a mid-season exit.
Chelsea have an abundance of star wingers and attacking midfielders in their squad, leading to uncertainty surrounding the future of Mykhailo Mudryk, despite the Ukraine international’s excellent Conference League performances lately.
“I hear they’re keen to move him on in January,” said well-connected former Premier League scout Mick Brown to Football Insider this week.
“I think they’ve got the makings of a very good team at Chelsea, but he isn’t likely to be a part of that. There isn’t space for him in the team at the moment and I don’t think Maresca has been particularly impressed by him so far.
“But I don’t think they’re likely to make a profit on him or even get their money back, let’s put it that way.”
Harvey Vale looking to leave Chelsea in January
Now, The Athletic has provided another bit of exit news out of the club, as the outlet writes that 21-year-old attacking-midfielder Harvey Vale is looking to leave Chelsea in January.
The Cobham academy graduate, who spent last season on loan at Bristol Rovers, has captained Chelsea’s Under-21s this season and put in an array of top performances at that level – but this is the extent of his action at the club recently.
Making five total senior appearances, Vale’s contract expires next summer, and it is believed the Englishman is seeking new pastures as Vale looks to kickstart his professional career.
The wealth of talent ahead of him in Maresca’s pecking order means that the best next move for him is to find a new club, and this could apparently be as soon as the next transfer window, despite the fact he’s able to leave for free later in 2025.
MatériaMais Notícias
Em situações similares no Paulistão, São Paulo e Palmeiras se enfrentam nesta quinta-feira (10), às 20h30 no Morumbi, em duelo atrasado da quarta rodada do Campeonato Paulista.
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A partida terá transmissão do Premiere, Paulistão Play e de forma gratuita no YouTube.
> Quem é melhor: São Paulo ou Palmeiras? Veja votação jogador por jogador feita pela redação do LANCE!
Os dois times são líderes de seus grupos. O São Paulo está na liderança do Grupo B, com 17 pontos, um a mais que o São Bernardo, segundo colocado. Já o Palmeiras encabeça o Grupo C, com 20 pontos, três a mais que o Mirassol. O Verdão, inclusive, tem a melhor campanha do estadual.
How the match played outMrittunjoy Chowdhury brought back Chattogram Challengers out of the dead with a superb final over that helped clinch a three-run win over Minister Group Dhaka. It was the first thriller of the BPL this season, particularly after several one-sided games in the competition in the past week.To defend eight runs in the last over, the left-arm quick Mrittunjoy first removed Qais Ahmed off the first ball. He then bowled two dot balls to Mohammad Naim, before the batter got off strike. Tamim Iqbal, who was the set batter at the other end, could only muster a bye next ball, finishing on an unbeaten 73 and leaving Naim to hit a six off the last ball.Mrittunjoy bowled a high full-toss this time, which Naim hit back to him. But it was a no-ball, which handed Dhaka another chance. But Naim, struggling throughout the tournament, couldn’t do much in the final ball. Mrittunjoy bowled another fast full delivery, which only returned a single down the ground.The win brought Chattogram back in contention for the playoffs spots as they replaced Dhaka in fourth place with eight points. Chattogram, who got into the game with their third captain in Afif Hossain, banked on the 57 runs they added in the last five overs to get them to 148 for 6 in 20 overs.Related
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Big hitShamim Hossain made his maiden BPL fifty, getting most of his runs on the on-side, including a six over midwicket off Ebadot Hossain. He also struck five fours in his 37-ball knock. He added 58 runs for the sixth wicket with Benny Howell, who struck two sixes in his unbeaten 19-ball 24.The Shamim-Howell combination also accounted for Mahmudullah’s catch in the 15th over of Dhaka’s chase. Mahmudullah slog-swept Mehidy Hasan Miraz, only for Shamim to intercept the ball in the deep-midwicket boundary. Realising that he would lose his balance and fall over the rope, he flicked the ball to Howell who completed the catch.The catch broke the 71-run fourth wicket stand between Tamim and Mahmudullah, after Dhaka had slipped to 21 for 3 in the fifth over. Mahmudullah played the support act as Tamim struck the ball cleanly over the covers, hitting Jacks for a six and Miraz for two fours through the region.Tamim kept the Dhaka chase on track even after Mahmudullah got out, adding 43 runs in 4.1 overs with Shuvagata Hom. Tamim struck his sixth four off the last ball of Shoriful Islam’s 19th over, which left Qais on strike, but with nine to win, Dhaka couldn’t finish the game they way they desired.Mrittunjoy, meanwhile, crossed another milestone in this ever-improving BPL campaign. He started the tournament with a hat-trick against Sylhet Sunrisers before taking a four-wicket haul against Fortune Barishal.Big missA big worry would be Naim’s form throughout this BPL season. This short innings of two runs off five balls may not reflect his overall form but he has truly struggled, resulting in him being sent to bat at No. 8 in this game. He has so far scored just 43 runs at an average of 8.60. It must be a cause of concern for the Bangladesh selectors going into the Afghanistan series later this month.
Celtic face a crucial Champions League clash with Atalanta this week and Brendan Rodgers has now received a major boost regarding the fitness of a key player.
Celtic set for vital Atalanta clash
The Hoops had a disappointing result last Saturday, only managing a 2-2 draw at home to Aberdeen in a top-of-the-table Scottish Premiership meeting between two sides with 100 per cent records. While a point was far from disastrous, the fact that Rodgers’ men let a two-goal lead slip was disappointing.
Attention now turns from league to Champions League commitments for Celtic, who make the trip to Bergamo on Wednesday evening, knowing how important the result is in the group stage. The Scottish giants have won and lost one game apiece in Europe’s top competition so far this season, thumping Slovan Bratislava 5-1 at Parkhead, only to be humiliated 7-1 away to Borussia Dortmund last time around.
This promises to be another massive test for the Hoops, as they come up against the reigning Europa League holders, following their own win over much-fancied Bundesliga champions Bayern Leverkusen in last season’s final.
Rodgers will know the importance of having as many key players available as possible on Wednesday, and a massive update has emerged in that respect.
Celtic handed massive injury boost with Carter-Vickers
According to The Daily Record, Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers trained in footage released on Tuesday, suggesting he could be available for selection against Atalanta. Described in the report as a “huge boost” for the Hoops, the 26-year-old was “back on the grass” before the Aberdeen game but wasn’t risked ahead of the trip to Italy, suggesting they’ve played it safe to avoid re-injury.
Having Carter-Vickers back for Atalanta would feel enormous for Celtic, although there would be the obvious risk of him being rusty for a big game, considering he hasn’t featured at all since the win over Bratislava in the middle of September.
The £24,000-a-week USA international has been arguably Celtic’s most influential defender ever since he sealed a move to Parkhead from Tottenham in 2022, with former Hoops teammate Moritz Jenz once saying of him: “CCV is a great guy. First of all, he’s not selfish. He’s a top, team player.
“You saw him come on against Lazio and you could see his presence. Everyone was like, ‘CCV is here!’. It was very stable. Okay, the goal they conceded was a bit unlucky where Cameron could have kicked it out, but this can happen. But he is so important. It’s like having a rock, or a fridge, next to you. You know he’s going to be there and will cover you when someone goes past you.”
Rodgers clearly has a huge decision to make when it comes to whether to start Carter-Vickers or not, with the risk of throwing him straight back in obvious.
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The centre-back is such an experienced figure who makes the Hoops more solid, though, so starting him feels worth the gamble, assuming he has done enough in training to prove his fitness.
Manchester United may move for a new name to replace Erik ten Hag should they decide to part ways with the Dutchman in the coming weeks, according to one fresh report.
After a dismal 3-0 defeat home Premier League to Tottenham, it was expected that another loss against either Aston Villa or Porto in the following week could have seen the Manchester United hierarchy part ways with Ten Hag, a little over two years and £650m after they appointed him.
However, United snatched a point against Porto late on, after throwing away a 2-0 lead. Then, with all of the Red Devils hierarchy in attendance at Villa Park, they were able to hold onto a 0-0 draw with Unai Emery’s high-flying side in a game that did little but underline the importance of veteran defender Jonny Evans to the Manchester United backline.
The result meant that Ten Hag broke records as Manchester United boss, beating the worst-ever start for the Red Devils in a Premier League season that he himself set just 12 months ago.
However, it persuaded the hierarchy to hold fire on his departure, with the Dutchman seemingly on borrowed time and perhaps a third international break looming enough to convince onlookers that he deserves another month to try to turn things around at Old Trafford just months after being handed a new contract in the wake of winning the FA Cup.
United have seven games before that international break, including two Europa League ties and an EFL cup clash, and a relatively favourable run of fixtures will need to produce results for Ten Hag to stay in a job, with United currently languishing in 14th place.
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Should he fail to produce results, it seems that the Red Devils have already identified a potential successor.
That is according to GiveMeSport, who report that the Red Devils are ready to consider Newcastle boss Eddie Howe as a potential replacement for Ten Hag.
Howe has done an impressive job at Newcastle in roughly the same timeframe as Ten Hag, backed by relatively meagre means by comparison to the Dutchman, and the United hierarchy are said to be “huge admirers” of the English manager.
His success has been noted by England as well as reportedly the Red Devils, but Newcastle Chief Executive Darren Eales has issued a hands-off warning to any potential suitors.
“Eddie’s been an amazing manager and we’re committed to him”, he explained in July.
“I’m not going to talk about the specifics of Eddie’s contract but he’s on a multi-year deal which was extended last summer.
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“He’s our employee and we’re not looking to release Eddie. He’s a top coach, he’s the right coach for Newcastle United at the right moment. This is the coach we want to lead the club for the [foreseeable] future.”
Of course, Howe already knows new Red Devils chief Dan Ashworth well from their time working together with the Magpies, though whether or not that would be enough to convince him to swap Tyneside for Trafford is another matter, with Newcastle unlikely to let their most successful boss of the last two decades leave without a fight.
Indeed, the report claims that a “substantial compensation package” would be required to lure him away from St James’ Park, something that Manchester United may ultimately baulk at when the likes of Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino could all be landed without a fee.
There was no racial discrimination in the investigation and sanctioning of seven South African players for conspiring to fix matches in the 2015-16 Ram Slam, according to Louis Cole, the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) officer who headed the inquiry.Cole was testifying at CSA’s Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) hearing in response to claims made by Alviro Petersen, Ethy Mbhalati, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Thami Tsolekile, who agreed to bans of 2-12 years for their role in the fixing scandal.They told the SJN that they were targeted because of their race. Cole disputed that with details of their attempts to fix matches and their negotiations involving sums of money ranging from R30,000 (US$2,000) to R1,000,000 (US$68,000), after being recruited by Gulam Bodi.Related
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Petersen charged with fixing by CSA
Last year, Tsolekile and Petersen made similar claims on a national radio show, leading to CSA issuing a notice of its willingness to reinvestigate if players were racially discriminated against during in the investigation.Cole, whose testimony lasted for four hours, said there was no discrimination and that the inquiry was conducted in line with both the ICC’s Anti-Corruption guidelines and South Africa’s criminal investigatory proceedings.Bodi, Pumi Matshikweand Jean Symes, the three other players involved, have not appeared at the SJN. In 2019, Bodi was sentenced to five years in prison under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act while Symes has appeared before South Africa’s specialist crimes unit, the Hawks, and Matshikwe has been approached by them.”The allegations that the players made before the SJN, based on the evidence that we uncovered and that I presented today, in my opinion, is a misrepresentation of the facts,” Cole said. “It is very unfortunate that they would have used this platform of the SJN, which I feel is very important for cricket in South Africa, and also for players.”As the ombudsman has alluded to, the terms of reference was to investigate discrimination against players within the game. For these players to use this platform, which could have been used to investigate and deal with players who had genuinely been discriminated against, is very unfortunate. We investigated this over a period of 20 months, where it really took its toll. I think that is very unfair.“Cole presented the SJN with video evidence from interviews conducted with the players during the investigation as well as one of a cellphone camera which documented Tsolekile’s meeting with a match fixer. Tsolekile could be heard telling the fixer about team selection and the players he could recruit.”At the moment, I am talking about the definites. It’s me and Lopsy,” Tsolekile is heard saying in the video. “And Pumi. Symes is in, but I don’t think he is going to play. If Pumi is fit he will play.”Thami Tsolekile claims he received a harsher punishment because of racial discrimination•PA Photos
The video also contained an interview which the ICC’s interim general manager of the Anti-Corruption Unit, Martin Vertigen, conducted with Manish Jain, one of the fixers Bodi was working with. Jain picked Tsolekile, Tsotsobe, Matshikwe and Petersen out of a photo board of players he had recruited to fix matches.Jain confirmed to Vertigen that he offered Tsolekile, Tsotsobe and Petersen R220,000 (US$15,000) for a fix that involved Tsotsobe conceding more than 10 runs in an over (the over number was going to be finalised before the match), while Tsolekile and Petersen were due to score slowly. The money would be paid to the players after the game between Lions and Dolphins on November 4, 2015, provided the fix took place. But, it didn’t.In a later part of the video, Bodi detailed how he collaborated with a different fixer, who made offers of R600,000 (US$40,800) to Tsolekile and R10,00,000 (US$68,000) to Tsolekile and Tsotsobe jointly for fixing. However, the only money that changed hands was an amount to secure the players’ availability for the fix.Cole confirmed that Bodi said Tsolekile received R75,000 (US$5100), Tsotsobe received R60,000 (US4000) and Matshikwe, Mbhalati and Symes got R30,000 each (US$3000), while there was no evidence that Petersen received any money. This despite him agreeing to R100,000 (US$6800) to confirm his involvement, only for him not arrive to collect it.The video evidence also corroborates CSA’s statement, made last year, that Vaughn van Jaarsveld and Craig Alexander rejected Bodi’s offer to fix and blew the whistle on his plans.Bodi confirmed to investigators that he had “a no” from both van Jaarsveld and Alexander, who were mentioned by Tsotsobe, in particular, as having not been investigated because of racial privilege. van Jaarsveld is white, while Alexander is coloured.Cole also explains why the seven players in the Ram Slam scandal received bans of several years when Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams, who were involved in the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal of 2000, were sanctioned for just six months each. “There was no anti-corruption training and there was no ICC code at that time,” he said, while explaining the penalty was a “practical one”.SJN ombudsman Dumisa Ntsebeza, whose terms of reference do not include match-fixing, said Cole’s testimony has added to the complexities of his task in order to determine the extent of racial discrimination in South African cricket.”In as much as there may be an emphasis as to who became the victims of what happened in the past, there is a sense in which the irony becomes one where even the perpetrators are the victims in a sense, if what the victims are alleging turns out to be manifestly inaccurate or untrue,” he said. “Then the alleged perpetrators become the victims themselves of what has been said about them.”Which is why even within the strictures of time that this project has unfortunately been compelled to act within, an opportunity had to be provided for everyone, especially those who had been mentioned to their detriment to rebut allegations, to explain where allegations need to be explained and also to give me the opportunity to reflect, at the end of it all, what I make of the evidence.”
Hammond, Lace and van Buuren fifties take hosts to six-wicket victory in Bristol
ECB Reporters' Network02-Sep-2021
Miles Hammond fell six runs shy of a century•Getty Images
Gloucestershire 191 (van Buuren 56, Procter 5-42) and 267 for 4 (Hammond 94, Lace 67*, van Buuren 53*) beat Northamptonshire 327 (Rossington 94) and 129 (Higgins 5-46) by six wicketsMiles Hammond, Tom Lace and Graeme van Buuren led Gloucestershire home in a chase of 266 to complete a remarkable turnaround as they beat Northamptonshire by six wickets at Bristol.Having polished Northants off for just 129 in their second innings, the hosts were left with two-and-a-half sessions to complete their comeback.Hammond gave them an excellent platform with 94 before Lace’s unbeaten 67 and van Buuren’s 53 not out – his second half-century of the match – saw the Glosters home.It was an extraordinary result with Gloucestershire having been 153 for 9 replying to 327 on day two. But they dominated the final two days of the game and, after bad light had significantly curtailed play on the previous three evenings, Nevil Road was bathed in sunshine for the denouement.Related
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Northants resumed 92 for 7, leading by 228. Tom Taylor was quickly trapped lbw by Ryan Higgins and when Ben Sanderson edged Tom Price behind for only 1, the end appeared swift.But Simon Kerrigan made 27, clearing his front leg to smear three boundaries over mid-on and pulling Price off a top edge for six. It was a sedate ending – pushing at Higgins and being bowled by one that seamed back as Higgins finished with 5 for 46.That boost to the target felt like it would give Northants enough to bowl at considering what had gone before in the game and the visitors plucked out two of the top three cheaply.Hammond flashed an edge through the high hands of Emilio Gay at third slip when only six and he went on to punch Luke Procter off the back foot and whip him over midwicket for four.Another boundary off Procter, slapping a short wide delivery through mid-off, raised a half-century in 137 balls and he and Chris Dent looked to be taking their side to tea in great shape. But Dent fell for 26, caught behind defending at Kerrigan’s left-arm spin, and 143 were left in 32 overs after tea.Hammond couldn’t reach his hundred, bowled by Taylor to one that nipped in from round the wicket but Lace and van Buuren took up the chase.Van Buuren slog swept Kerrigan for six and pulled a full toss for another maximum in his 43-ball fifty and it was left to Lace to sweep the winning boundary off Rob Keogh.