Mark Wallace's highest score of the season put the brakes on before play was ended early because of bad light.

The Glamorgan wicketkeeper-batsman made a gutsy 72 to help his side to 286 for nine after they had earlier slipped to three for two and 55 for four.

Johan van der Wath helped himself to four wickets for the hosts but Wallace ensured the spoils were shared when play was brought to a premature end.

Glamorgan skipper David Hemp won the toss and chose to bat but watched on in horror as his side made a dreadful start.

Richard Grant was run out for two by Jason Brown after a mix-up with partner Gareth Rees when attempting a third run.

And Hemp was soon back in the pavilion himself when he was bowled by van der Wath for a fourth-ball duck.

The ship was steadied by Michael Powell and Rees who added 50 for the third wicket before Powell fell to Andrew Hall for 32.

Hall soon had a second wicket when he took Jamie Dalrymple's edge and Niall O'Brien collected behind the stumps.

But Rees and Wallace dug in and took the visitors to 99 for four at lunch. Rees brought up his half-century soon after lunch from 93 balls with a boundary through point off Lance Klusener.

They had added 71 for the fifth wicket when van der Wath broke Rees' resistance by clean bowling him for 53.

Alex Wharf joined Wallace at the crease and they picked up the scoring rate with a series of lusty blows.

Wallace brought up a 78-ball half-century, his third of the season, with three successive fours off David Lucas.

England spinner Monty Panesar brought an end to their enterprising
76-run stand when he bowled Wharf for 36.

But it took a moment of magic from Hall to send Wallace on his way as the former South African international hung on to a stunning catch at first slip off Panesar.

The runs dried up after tea as veteran all-rounder Robert Croft and Jason Gillespie struggled to cope with Panesar's threat.

David Sales dropped Gillespie on 12 off van der Wath and the Australian rubbed salt in the wounds by hitting the next two balls for four.

The partnership had progressed to 60 before van der Wath grabbed two wickets in the 82nd over.

Sales held on to a sharp chance in the slips to end Croft's innings on 42 and Dean Cosker also found the slips with Hall taking another good catch at first slip.

Adam Shantry joined Gillespie for six balls but when bad light was offered the visitors gratefully accepted the early finish.

LV County Championship
Division Two
Northamptonshire v Glamorgan
(Glamorgan won the toss and chose to bat first)
Rees b van der Wath 53
Grant run out 2
Hemp b van der Wath 0
Powell b Hall 32
Dalrymple c O'Brien b Hall 2
Wallace c Hall b Panesar 72
Wharf b Panesar 36
Croft c Sales b van der Wath 43
Gillespie not out 24
Cosker c Hall b van der Wath 2
Shantry not out 1
Extras (b 1, lb 7, w 1, nb 10) 19
Total (for nine, 84 overs) 286
Fall: 3, 3, 53, 55, 126, 202, 223, 283, 285
Bowling: van der Wath 15-4-55-4, Lucas 15-5-63-0, Hall 11-3-51-2, Klusener 11-4-32-0, Panesar 21-3-62-2, Brown 11-4-15-