Northamptonshire took a giant stride towards promotion to the LV County Championship Division One after forcing Leicestershire to follow on at Wantage Road.

South African all-rounder Andrew Hall finished four runs short of a career-high 163 in Northamptonshire's total of 600 for eight before continuing his heroics with the ball by taking four wickets as Leicestershire collapsed from 106 for one to 218 all out.

In their follow-on the visitors lost Matthew Boyce and AJ Harris to leave the hosts within sight of a victory which could clinch them a return to the top tier for the first time since 2004.

With maximum batting points already banked, Northamptonshire began day two seeking quick runs.

Captain Nicky Boje hammered 31 from the opening three overs, as the score raced past 500. His seventh half-century of the summer took only 35 balls as the first hour's play produced 97 runs.

But Hall gave a return catch to Wayne White on his highest Championship score of 159, although the 34-year-old took some consolation from sharing in two record partnerships against the Foxes during his innings.

Johan van der Wath's brisk 30 included consecutive straight sixes off his South African compatriot Claude Henderson while Boje was unbeaten on 90 when the declaration came at 600 for eight.

Boyce's first innings as captain ended when he was on 21 as Stephen Peters swooped at third slip to claim a rebound from Riki Wessels.

After former England wicketkeeper Paul Nixon had passed 50 for the third time this season, the home side seized the momentum with three wickets in a 10-ball burst.

Alex Wakely took brilliant reaction catches at short leg to dismiss Nixon (52) and Greg Smith (26), before James Taylor, recently elected Cricket Writers' Young Player of the Year, gloved a catch down the leg side to a diving Niall O'Brien for a duck.

Worse followed for the Foxes two overs later when Josh Cobb edged Hall to Peters at slip for another duck, meaning their reply had slumped to 144 for five at tea.

James Benning was bounced out by van der Wath soon after the resumption, exposing the visitors' tail.

White and Henderson soon edged to O'Brien, but Harris joined keeper Tom New in a fighting ninth-wicket stand of 40.

That partnership was only ended when the veteran seamer fell to a slick leg-side stumping by the Irish international, and when last man Harry Gurney was yorked by Hall, Boje asked Leicester to follow-on for the second time this season.

This meant the Foxes openers faced a brief, testing spell against the new ball for the second time in a matter of hours.

Boyce fell shortly before the close for 12, quickly followed by nightwatchman Harris (four) - both caught by O'Brien, leaving the visitors staring defeat and the wooden spoon squarely in the face.