Gait was undone at the end of the 83rd over for a brilliant 175, but his exit signalled a change in fortune for the home bowlers and by the close Derbyshire had slumped from 330 for three to 388 all out.Graeme Swann was destroyer-in-chief, returning figures of six for 126 from 27.1 overs.

Gait displayed his extensive range of strokes, pulling, driving and square-cutting boundaries - 26 in total - off every bowler during his 247-ball innings. He cracked Northamptonshire paceman Darren Cousins to the extra-cover boundary in the first over of the day and, in tandem with Michael Di Venuto, put on 47 for the first wicket. Di Venuto made 30 of those, striking six fours and facing 35 balls before he was caught by Gerard Brophy at square-leg off Cousins.

In the sixth over the Australian carved out three fours off Carl Greenidge with an off-drive, a square-cut and a clip off his legs. When he went Chris Bassano maintained the tempo, while Gait hit two successive fours off Greenidge in the 17th over and two more in as many balls off Tony Penberthy in the 22nd.

By the time Cousins caught Bassano at long-leg off Greenidge, the South African had made 57 which included eight fours and two sixes - both mighty drives through the on-side off Jason Brown. The second-wicket pair had put on 156 in just over two hours and 20 minutes to take the visitors to 203 for two.

Mathew Dowman then helped steer his side towards the 300-mark, sharing in a stand of 91 in just under 23 overs with Gait. Dowman hit five fours before being snaffled by Brophy at backward point off Jeff Cook to leave Derbyshire on 294 for three.

With Gait approaching the magical double-ton he played a tired-looking pull shot off Swann and South African Brophy took his third catch of the day, this time at fine leg, to deny the opener at the end of the 86th over. And from there it all went wrong for the visitors and although Mohammad Ali clubbed 26 from 15 balls, cracking Swann for two successive sixes in the 97th over, the Northamptonshire all-rounder had the last laugh. He trapped Tom Lungley lbw for eight, had skipper Dominic Cork caught by Mike Hussey at second slip for a duck and Karl Krikken snapped up by David Sales at silly point without scoring.

Brown snared Steve Selwood (32) - caught by Brophy off bat and pad at silly point - before Swann exacted revenge on Ali, Greenidge taking the catch at deep midwicket. Kevin Dean lasted 19 balls but made only six before Hussey took the catch in the slips off Swann.

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