Swing was king on day one of Gloucestershire's LV County Championship match against Northamptonshire at Cheltenham yesterday.

Half-centurion Chris Taylor apart, the county had no answer to movement in the air as they were dismissed for 147 – their lowest score of the season.

A flurry of early Northamptonshire wickets ensured some payback, but skipper Nicky Boje will resume on 57 today and has the capacity to pile on more home pain.

Steve Kirby struck in his opening over, trapping Ben Howgego, while James Franklin went one better when Stephen Peters chipped his first delivery to James Campbell.

Northamptonshire were 8-3 when Rob White was adjudged leg before to Franklin, and when Jon Lewis accounted for Riki Wessels the scorecard read 39-4.

Nicky Boje was dropped on 24 by Will Porterfield at second slip, but a 52-run stand was broken when Lewis rapped Alex Wakely on the pads.

More luck came Boje's way eight short of a half-century when he was caught behind off a no-ball from Franklin.

At least Kirby was rewarded for a fantastically hostile spell at the death when Andrew Hall hooked to Lewis.

It was a horrible start to the day for Kadeer Ali, struck on the head by a short delivery from Johannes van der Wath and forced to leave the field.

A bouncer from van der Wath fractured Craig Spearman's eye socket and cheekbone during a Twenty20 match last year

Thankfully Ali was more fortunate, although his return after lunch was all too brief as he became the fifth scalp for left-arm seamer David Lucas.

Spearman shouldered arms to Lucas and was bowled for a duck and Lucas struck again in his next two overs, Alex Gidman and Hamish Marshall both trapped leg before.

Marshall's dismissal was especially cringeworthy – he ended up flat on his face – and it left the hosts in disarray.

Taylor restored some sanity in partnership with Franklin, whose fine Festival form looked to be continuing until he flicked Hall to a diving Lucas.

Steve Snell went two balls later, but he looked unhappy to be given out caught behind.

Batting looked a good deal easier at the start of the second session, Taylor progressing serenely to a half-century – so he was furious with himself for chasing a wide one from Lucas and giving Wessels another catch.

Likewise Richard Dawson, who departed via a tentative prod at van der Wath, while Ali's mistimed drive to Boje at mid-off was perhaps down to his grogginess.

There was little further resistance as both Kirby and Anthony Ireland succumbed to van der Wath.