Tom Scriven turns the screw as Gloucestershire battle to cement fightback
Gloucestershire 159 and 179 for 8 (Scriven 3-43) lead Leicestershire 204 (Patel 73, Akhter 4-46) by 134 runs
Leicestershire held, misplaced after which regained the higher hand over Gloucestershire on an eventful second day of their fast-moving LV=Insurance County Championship match, which ended with the house facet eyeing up a win inside three days as they search to strengthen their promotion problem.
On a pitch that continued to make batting exhausting work, Gloucestershire closed on 179 for eight, with a lead of 134 after Tom Scriven (three for 43) elevated his match return to seven wickets, though Leicestershire’s factors haul from this match could also be below menace on account of their gradual over-rate, the scoreboard exhibiting minus 5 as they left the sphere.
Earlier, Leicestershire had surrendered what may have been a good stronger place by shedding their final eight first-innings wickets for simply 54 runs as Zaman Akhter (4 for 46) and Luke Charlesworth, who took three for 54 on his first-class debut, led a spirited fightback from an inexperienced Gloucestershire assault.
But solely when Miles Hammond (46) and Ben Charlesworth (33) had been including 70 for the third wicket did Gloucestershire threaten to show that to their benefit, though Akhter’s late unbeaten 22 from 30 balls may but be necessary in a low-scoring contest.
Leicestershire’s collapse, from 56 behind in a single day with eight wickets in hand, was all of the extra stunning after they’d achieved the day’s first goal by negotiating the primary hour with out too many alarms.
It all modified following a surprising catch by second slip Ollie Price. His one-handed seize as a unfastened Colin Ackermann drive flew exhausting off the skin edge precipitated the lack of three Leicestershire wickets for no runs in 11 balls.
Rishi Patel, prime scorer with 73, turned Luke Charlesworth’s maiden first-class sufferer, hanging his bat out at one which swung away, the 20-year-old right-armer’s older brother, Ben, taking the catch at first slip. Umar Amin’s debut lasted 4 balls, ending with an expansive drive edged to second slip.
Louis Kimber was the fourth casualty of the morning, crushed previous the skin of the bat by Dom Goodman two overs earlier than lunch, earlier than one other cluster of wickets quickly after the interval – 4 in 14 balls – accomplished Leicestershire’s spiral from 150 for 2 to 204 all out.
Charlesworth capped a memorable debut by dismissing Leicestershire debutant Ben Cox leg earlier than after which had Matt Salisbury caught behind, both facet of two wickets in two balls from Zaman – one other of the rookies on this Gloucestershire facet – who will likely be on a hat-trick when he bowls within the second innings, after Wiaan Mulder was caught on the hook and Chris Wright bowled first ball.
Although to a level Leicestershire had been the architects of their very own demise, what had been ready consequently pitch continued to help these deliveries that landed in the best place, as Gloucestershire found as they set about overhauling the house facet’s modest 45-run benefit, rapidly shedding their first two second innings wickets.
Wright, whose six-over burst with the brand new ball conceded only one run, struck first as Chris Dent received an inside edge on to his stumps. Mulder appealed for caught behind off a skinny edge towards Ollie Price earlier than realising he’d truly dislodged the off bail.
A interval of relative prosperity for the guests adopted, Ben Charlesworth and Hammond dominant for some time in including 70 in 13 overs for the third wicket, with change bowlers Scriven and Salisbury considerably simpler to get away than they’d been on day one.
It was the introduction of Ackermann to bowl the primary spin of the match that checked their progress as Charlesworth, making an attempt to repeat a earlier boundary hit excessive, skewed the ball to backward level.
At 95 for 3 at tea, 50 in entrance, there was nonetheless potential for Gloucestershire to determine a lead which may set a check for Leicestershire within the fourth innings however the return of Wright and Mulder after tea made that much less seemingly.
Mulder squeezed one between a defensive bat and pad to entice Hammond in entrance earlier than Wright did for Tector with one which stored a shade low, after which Salisbury and Scriven delivered simultaneous spells of excellent accuracy that noticed simply 9 runs added in 10 overs, the rewards for stress going to Scriven, who had James Bracey and Shaw caught behind and Zafar Gohar taken at slip.