Northamptonshire and Gloucestershire continued to pile on the runs in the basement battle at Northampton.

After their openers smashed the county's first-wicket record on day one, Northants inflicted more misery on the Gloucestershire attack.

Matthew Cassar struck an unbeaten century as the home side coasted to an imposing 592 for eight declared.

Gloucestershire were temporarily in trouble at 46 for two, but Craig Spearman and Matt Windows came together to add an unbeaten 103 and leave the visitors on 149 for two at the close.

Resuming on 417 for four, the Northants batsmen could have been excused for taking their foot off the gas.

Rare outing

But they did not, and Cassar took the chance of a rare championship outing to post his highest score as a Northants player and his first century in four years.

The former Derbyshire all-rounder was unbeaten on 101 when captain Tony Penberthy called him back into the pavilion.

Cassar's 180-ball century included 12 fours and one huge six smashed over long-off.

He drove successive Ian Fisher deliveries to the long-on rope with identical shots and brought up a deserved hundred with a simple push off the legs from the same bowler.

Gloucestershire's bowlers, who displayed all the signs of a long, arduous season, enjoyed some limited success.

Fisher stuck doggedly to his task, and removed Tobin Bailey and Carl Greenidge to finish with far from flattering figures of three for 172.

Mike Smith bowled Jeff Cook for eight to also finish with three wickets, while Sillence had Penberthy caught by Alex Gidman in the covers for 33.

Northamptonshire: M J Powell, R A White, D J G Sales, J W Cook, A L Penberthy (Capt), M E Cassar, T M B Bailey (Wkt), C G Greenidge, M S Panesar, M W H Inness, J F Brown.

Gloucestershire: C M Spearman, T H C Hancock, I D Fisher C G Taylor, M G N Windows, R C Russell (Wkt), M W Alleyne (Capt), J Lewis, R J Sillence, A M Smith, A P R Gidman.

Umpires: J H Evans and K E Palmer