Peters grateful for batting depth

David Willey (81), Andrew Hall (91no) and Trent Copeland (34) were all in the runs as the home side built up a potentially match-winning lead of 212.

Having been reduced from 215-2 to 236-6, there was a danger that the lead would be relatively small but Peters was thankful that the County’s strength in depth came to their rescue again.

He said: “It was another good day for us. We had a bit of a blip in the middle but Hally (Andrew Hall) and Dave Willey had a good partnership to get us back on track and 212 in front, I’d have bitten your hand off for that the other day.

“It makes a huge difference. Hally’s experienced and he lets the others bat around him and doesn’t do anything silly.

“It gives those lower down a bit of a licence to play some shots and while it doesn’t always come off, it has this season and it can be pretty demoralising for the opposition to have that sort of thing happening.”

As for Willey, who can seemingly do no wrong at the minute, Peters commented: “He’s in a real purple patch at the minute and long may that continue.

“They’re proper shots hit very hard. As long as he gives himself a chance when he first goes in and looks at a few balls then he can be really dangerous.”

There could have been a school of thought that the County might fancy a few overs at the opposition in the closing stages but Peters stated that wasn’t seriously considered.

“We wanted to get 200 in front and I think the light had deteriorated to the point where we might have been told that we could only bowl spin and that’s alright if it’s spinning but if not then it can be a waste of a few overs so I was quite happy for us to bat out the day,” he said.