Sadler pleased with progress as Northants prepare to host rock-bottom Gloucestershire

John Sadler's side have opened up the season with four straight draws to sit fifth in the Vitality County Championship table, although they have played a game less than all of those above them apart from leaders Sussex.

A mixture of a trial with the unresponsive Kookaburra ball and a particuarly wet and gloomy April led to chances of claiming any sort of victory being slim early on, but with the weather seemingly set fair this weekend Northants will get their chance to make things happen.

The visitors arrive at Wantage Road having drawn three and lost one of their opening four matches, but at this early stage of the season they are in touch with everybody above them.

They also finished bottom of division two last season without winning a game, but they are certainly not a team that Sadler or Northants will be taking lightly.

The head coach says he and his players will simply be concentrating on their own performance rather than that of their opponents.

"Our focus is on playing good cricket," said Sadler.

"We have a look at the opposition and see what they are doing, but we focus our attention on what we are doing, and doing what we do well.

"Gloucester are a good side, they have got some good players, and this league is going to be a slog right until the end of September.

"So we will turn up, do our stuff and go about our business same as we would if we play anybody, and hopefully over the course of the four days we will be in the position to put them under some pressure."

Looking back on the start of the season, Sadler is pleased with the brand of cricket Northants have been playing, and is particularly happy that the batting unit has clicked early.

Already, six players have hit Championship centuries - two more than managed it in the whole of last season - and the team has claimed 14 batting bonus points compared to the miserly 10 obtained throughout the 14-match campaign in 2023.

"There have been a lot of draws around, with using the Kookaburra ball and the weather, but I think now as the weather warms up and the Dukes ball is being used, then squads might be challenged a little if the odd injury comes up," said Sadler.

"So I think we will probably see a truer reflection of how the league is going to map out over the next three games."

And he added: "It is more about the style we have played, and I am really pleased with how we have played our cricket.

"The batters have been in incredible form and we have had six centurions already, and the only two who haven't got a century are Luke Procter, who has been our most consistent batter hitting four 50s, and Rob Keogh who got a 50 down at Sussex and has missed a couple of games.

"So as a batting unit I think we are in a great place.

"We spoke in the winter about playing a positive brand of cricket, putting the opposition under pressure, and we have showed signs of that.

"Greg Smith (new batting coach) coming in has had a great impact with the batters, he has built up some great relationships and hopefully that continues."