Jack Brooks held up Derbyshire's promotion advance by marking his LV County Championship debut with a four-wicket haul on an eventful opening day against Northamptonshire at Chesterfield.

The 25-year-old seamer took four wickets for 76 runs as Derbyshire were bowled out for 255, before the visitors replied with 137 for three - Rob White hitting 62 off 56 balls.

Garry Park and Jamie Pipe hit half-centuries for the home side, whose innings contained 45 boundaries - but five of the top six batsmen fell to poor shots.

They were well placed at 103 for two after winning the toss - only for the last eight wickets to tumble for 147 at the picturesque Queen's Park ground.

The visitors bowled too short and wide at the start but Derbyshire failed to take advantage of a good start by skipper Chris Rogers and Wayne Madsen.

The hosts put on 47 in 11 overs but Madsen went for 19 driving at a wide ball from Johan Van der Wath and Rogers became Brooks' first Championship victim when he played acres the line and was lbw for 27.

Greg Smith and Park put the innings back on track but Smith went to the penultimate ball of the morning session when he hit an Andrew Hall delivery to point.

When Wavell Hinds lost his off-stump to a ball which kept low and Dan Redfern pushed at a ball which moved away in consecutive overs from Van der Wath, Derbyshire were 133 for five.

However, Pipe launched a thrilling counter-attack. He rode his luck but also played some handsome drives as he raced to his half-century off only 31 balls with successive fours off Brooks.

By then, Park had mistimed a pull after reaching his seventh Championship half-century of the season and Tim Groenewald had been caught behind off an inside edge - but Pipe and Steffan Jones carried Derbyshire to a batting point.

David Lucas celebrated his 31st birthday by yorking Pipe but the home side banked a second point before the innings ended in only the 59th over

Derbyshire needed quick wickets but Stephen Peters and Niall O'Brien added 41 in 16 overs before Groenewald got some extra bounce to have the Irishman caught behind for 15.

That was the cue for White to unleash an assault which took him to his half-century off 41 balls.

White pulled Nantie Hayward for six and carved Jones for another over third man to bring up the 100 in the 24th over.

Derbyshire turned to the medium pace of Hinds to stem the flow and the Jamaican delivered when he had White lbw to break a second wicket stand of 89 in 15 overs with Stephen Peters.

Peters himself was then lbw to Groenewald, as Derbyshire found a way back into the contest.