Head coach Lehmann challenges lowly Northants to finish with a winning streak

But the reality is even a hat-trick of victories is unlikely to be enough after the County were left frustrated by the weather in Friday's drawn clash with Derbyshire.

Northants were in a great position going into the final day at Wantage Road, with Derbyshire set to resume on 52 for four and 121 runs shy of making the County bat again.

But rain wiped out the first two sessions, and with Derbyshire knowing they only had to survive for a couple of hours instead of all day, they were able to ease to 185 for five and close out the draw.

The result leaves Northants sitting second bottom in the division two table, and a hefty 42 points adrift of second-placed Glamorgan, who are one of the three opponents for the County when the red-ball season resumes in September.

The one thing on Northants’ favour is that the Welsh county are at Wantage Road next up on September 8, with Lehmann's side then going to Gloucestershire (Sep 15) before hosting leaders and champions-elect Leicestershire on September 24.

Asked what the team has to do, Lehmann admitted: “Yeah, we have to win all three now.

"I mean, every side is like that, with Glamorgan beating Lancashire, so it makes for entertaining cricket."

Not for the first time this season, the weather was unkind to Northants, but Lehmann said: "You can't look back on too many things.

"We haven’t got the rub of the green with the weather this year – if a couple of results would have gone our way. So that is what it is. It's the game of cricket.

"You’ve got to play better and play quicker sometimes. We've played well in patches but been up and down and Leicester and Glamorgan have played really good cricket. Finish your games early, I suppose."

Looking back on the Derbyshire draw, Lehmann said: "I was quite confident on the final morning, but then the rain came and took away about four and a bit hours.

"And then when the ball gets wet, it gets soft quite quickly. That's the hardest thing.

“So, we really needed a nice day. If we had a nice day, we would have been really confident, but it wasn't to be. So, you just try and make things happen where you possibly can.

"We got an early wicket, which was good, and then they played quite well at the back end.

"There wasn't too much pressure on them, because they only had to bat for sort of 20 overs and you’d pretty much saved the game.

"So, we needed a full day. We didn't get it, but I’m really pleased how the lads played over the four days."

The big pluses of the match for Northants were the centuries for Justin Broad, who hit a career-best 175 as the County piled on 550 for nine declared in their first innings, and Rob Keogh, who made an unbeaten 125.

“We fought back really well and got a big total, which is pleasing, especially with Justin Broad and Rob Keogh doing all the work and getting us in a position where we got 170 in front,” said Lehmann.

"So, I’m really pleased for those two. Keysey has been struggling for runs and to get a really good 100 at a time when the club needed it was pleasing for him. And Justin Broad keeps getting better and better.”