Northamptonshire stands at 279 and 236 for 4 (Vasconcelos 99, Procter 55) against Glamorgan's 490 (Crane 56, Procter 3-51), holding a narrow lead of 25 runs in their Vitality County Championship match in Cardiff.
Glamorgan maintained their hopes of victory against Northamptonshire, with Mason Crane taking two crucial wickets in the final session.
Glamorgan extended their first-innings lead to 211, thanks to late contributions from Crane, James Harris, and Andy Gorvin, which boosted their overnight total.
A score of 99 from Ricardo Vasconcelos and an unbeaten 55 from Luke Procter helped Northamptonshire fight back into the match, but Crane's wickets put Glamorgan back in a commanding position.
Northamptonshire will start the final day at 236 for four, just 25 runs ahead with six second-innings wickets remaining. They will need another strong partnership to save the game, while Glamorgan will aim for early wickets to push for a win.
Glamorgan resumed with a lead of 111 and Crane, along with Harris, worked to extend it during the opening hour. Crane is having his best season as a first-class batter, making his second career half-century, the first of which came earlier this season against the same opponents.
Crane and Harris added 63 runs, increasing Glamorgan’s lead, although the ease with which the lower order scored runs was a concern. The seam movement that had been prominent over the first two days had diminished, and a final wicket stand between Crane and Gorvin added another 53 runs, taking Glamorgan to a total of 490.
Northamptonshire began their innings with a solid 59-run partnership between Emilio Gay and Vasconcelos. Gay was dismissed for 24 after edging a delivery from Gorvin to Chris Cooke. Prithvi Shaw, after scoring 23, edged a low catch to Cooke, leaving Northamptonshire at 95 for two.
Vasconcelos remained steady despite some uneven bounce from the Glamorgan seamers. However, it wasn’t until the final session, when Crane's leg spin created significant turn, that the real threat emerged.
The partnership between Procter and Vasconcelos brought Northamptonshire level with Glamorgan’s score when Crane trapped Vasconcelos LBW for 99. Crane then dismissed Rob Keogh with his next delivery, leaving Northamptonshire four wickets down and exactly level with Glamorgan’s first innings total.
Procter and Lewis McManus guided Northamptonshire to the close without further loss, but the visitors still have a long way to go to secure the game.