GLEN CHAPPLE is on course for his best-ever season - yet the Lancashire paceman isn't completely happy with his form.

Chapple grabbed another five wickets yesterday to give the Red Rose batsmen the chance to claim an unlikely win in their Championship match against Northants.

It took his match figures to nine for 137, and his tally for the season to 22 wickets in only six innings.

But as in most of his performances this year, the 27-year-old had to bounce back from a disappointing start with the new ball and did the damage much later on.

In the first innings in Northampton, he had gone for 48 in his first eight overs before polishing off the last four wickets at a personal cost of only seven runs.

And it was the same story yesterday as Chapple took five of the last seven Northants wickets as they collapsed from 145 for four to 194 all out, leaving Lancashire needing 302 for victory.

It was Peter Martin, fresh from smashing 38 of the last 40 runs in Lancashire's total of 291, who reduced Northants to 27 for two.

Chapple was then gifted his first wicket when Alec Swann flicked a half volley to square leg where Mark Chilton made amends after dropping an identical chance four overs earlier.

But he returned to break a stubborn fifth wicket stand of 66 between Aussie opener Mike Hussey and Northants vice captain Tony Penberthy, who rewarded a clever piece of field placing by edging a catch to Neil Fairbrother at wide third slip.

Chapple trapped Graeme Swann lbw after tea then Muttiah Muralitharan, who ended with three for 49 from another marathon 33-over effort, grabbed the crucial wicket of Hussey, caught behind off the bottom edge as he tried to sweep.

Chapple rounded off the innings in style by spreadeagling Jason Brown's stumps, and although Ryan Driver went cheaply again when they launched their victory bid, it was still a good fightback by John Crawley's team.

Today it was up to their batsmen.