Ian Saxelby hit a maiden half-century to steer Gloucestershire out of trouble on the first day of their LV County Championship Division Two clash against Northamptonshire.

The England Under-19 seamer came to the crease with the visitors reeling at 213-7 after losing two wickets in the 73rd over but calmly hit an unbeaten 54 runs off only 77 deliveries to leave the game evenly balanced at the close, when Gloucestershire CCC were on 287-8.

Until then, Northamptonshire's bowlers had the upper hand with Steven Wigley taking 4-68, although England spinner Monty Panesar endured a fruitless 13 overs, getting hit for 49 runs.

After winning the toss, Gloucestershire suffered an early setback when Kadeer Ali lost his off stump to David Lucas for nine, with the score at 17.

Irish international Will Porterfield accumulated 25 in an hour's careful batting before being caught by international colleague Niall O'Brien on the leg side off Wigley in the 14th over.

New Zealand batsman Hamish Marshall (12) had already survived one appeal before he edged an attempted drive off Andrew Hall to Riki Wessels in the gully.

Alex Gidman and Chris Taylor survived to lunch at 78-3 and Taylor started fluently after the break, hitting four boundaries off Lucas and Stephen Crook, including a superbly-timed clip through midwicket.

The pair were looking well set until Northamptonshire captain Nicky Boje turned to Wigley, who dismissed both batsmen courtesy of two excellent catches in consecutive overs.

First a diving Alex Wakely claimed Taylor (32) at backward point, ending the fourth-wicket partnership at 78.

Gidman was undone on 39 by a bouncer, with Hall scooping the catch off his bootlaces at first slip to leave the visitors precariously placed at 136-5.

But James Franklin and Steve Snell added some quickfire runs to take Gloucestershire to a more promising 198-5 at tea off 64 overs.

The 77-run partnership was ended by Boje in the 73rd over with two quickfire wickets.

Franklin was trapped leg before wicket for a fluent 38 and four balls later former skipper Jon Lewis was unlucky to get the same decision from umpire Rob Bailey.

But Saxelby and wicketkeeper Snell were able to steady the ship by adding 49 runs for the eighth wicket.

Wigley, though, claimed his fourth wicket of the day when Snell's enterprising knock of 47 was ended by another excellent catch, this time from Wessels at square leg.

Saxelby and Vikram Banerjee (5) were fully tested by some short-pitched bowling from the Northants seamers but stood firm until the close.