Glamorgan 152 for two (Lloyd 81) vs Gloucestershire

Only 40 overs had been doable on the opening day of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival the place Glamorgan closed on 152 for two of their LV= Insurance County Championship match with Gloucestershire.

Lloyd led the way in which with an exuberant 81 off 102 balls, with 13 fours, whereas ul Hassan contributed a stable if much less fluent 30 from 103 deliveries.

Off-spinner Zafar Gohar and seamer Tom Price had been the Gloucestershire wicket-takers after that they had misplaced the toss. The hosts gave a first-class debut to 19-year-old Joe Phillips and had seamer Paul Meekeren enjoying for them in a Championship sport for the primary time.

Lloyd seemed in glorious contact from the outset on what appeared a real batting pitch. The Glamorgan skipper had simply two worrying moments in making his approach to a gorgeous half-century off 57 balls, with 10 fours.

The first got here when he was struck a shocking blow on the helmet by a brief ball from van Meekeren together with his rating on 33 within the sixteenth over. The impression noticed items fly off the helmet and play was held up whereas Lloyd was checked over. He was quickly deemed match to hold on, however had an escape on 44 when dropped at level by Price, diving two-handed to his proper, off the bowling of seamer Dom Godman.

By lunch, which was taken at 100 for no wicket off 29 overs, Lloyd had progressed to 65 not out, whereas ul Hassan had struck 5 fours in his 30.

Price had seemed the choose of the Gloucestershire bowlers, conceding solely seven runs from his opening spell of six overs. But it was Gohar, launched simply earlier than lunch, who made a much-needed breakthrough shortly after the interval.

Without including to his rating, ul Hassan went throughout his stumps to look a ball from the spinner, didn't get a contact, and fell lbw. Nelson had struck because the scoreboard, which had stopped working for a lot of the morning session, registered 111.

The first rain break got here quickly after 2pm, with Lloyd having moved onto 80. Tea was taken at 3.15pm and 18 overs had been misplaced earlier than the resumption at 4pm.

Having added solely a single to his rating, Lloyd fell leg earlier than to Price, aiming to play into the leg facet off the again foot, his probabilities of a century having been hampered by the interruption to play.

It was 122 for two and Gloucestershire thought that they had taken a 3rd wicket seven runs later when Sam Northeast, on three, performed a ball from van Meekeren to gully the place Price claimed what would have been a sensational low one-handed catch, diving to his left.

The residence gamers grouped to have fun, however the skilled Northeast stood his floor and after session, umpires Neil Pratt and Chris Watts dominated him not out. Words had been exchanged between van Meekeren and Northeast earlier than the over was concluded and tempers cooled.

Colin Ingram introduced up the Glamorgan 150 with a pulled 4 off Price earlier than dangerous mild and drizzle despatched the gamers off at simply after 4.20pm. The rain then grew to become steadier and the umpires known as off play for the day at shortly earlier than 5.30pm.