Gloucestershire 368 (O Price 85, Lamb 70, Dale 52, Wright 3-40) and 9 for 0 lead Leicestershire 350 (Hill 103, Patel 59, Akhter 4-33) by 27 runs

The visiting skipper's 103 occupied practically 5 and a half hours and led his facet to a complete of 350 in reply to 368. Rishi Patel cracked 59 off 70 balls, whereas Louis Kimber contributed 34 earlier than being given out for obstructing the sphere.

A sweltering day started with Leicestershire 23 with out loss. Openers Patel and Sol Budinger set concerning the job of lowering the deficit of 345 in constructive method.

Patel seemed in prime kind, timing the ball sweetly and pulling a six off Tom Price because the pair introduced up fifty within the seventh over of the morning.

They seemed set to construct a considerably bigger stand when, with the full 66, Budinger, on 21, aimed an unpleasant cross-batted swing at a large supply from Akhter and edged to wicketkeeper James Bracey.

Patel struck fours off successive deliveries from Danny Lamb to succeed in a formidable 56-ball half-century and adopted up with a straight six off Zafar Gohar's first over, the nineteenth of the innings.

It was a shock when Patel fell within the following over, edging a defensive shot off Akhter to second slip with the rating on 85. A watchful Hill took 24 balls to get off the mark, earlier than sweeping two fours off Gohar.

Akhter's preliminary five-over spell from the Ashley Down Road End completed with figures of two for 5, reward for the 24-year-old producing sustained tempo and bounce.

At lunch, the scoreboard learn 132 for 2 off 37 overs, with Hill unbeaten on 34. The afternoon session was interrupted at simply after 2.15pm by a hearth alarm, triggered by the results of the excessive temperatures, which resulted within the pavilion being evacuated.

Among these required to go away the constructing had been the scorers, so play was held up. But after a ten-minute delay, regular service was resumed.Colin Ackermann contributed 21 to a stand of 66 with Hill earlier than reducing at a large supply from Akhter and edging to Ben Charlesworth at first slip.

Two runs off Tom Price took Hill to a half-century off 108 balls, with six fours, out of a complete of 182 for 3. Slowly however certainly, Leicestershire moved to inside hanging distance of their opponents' first-innings whole.

They misplaced former Gloucestershire participant Peter Handscomb for 25 with the rating on 193 when off-spinner Ollie Price squeezed a supply by his back-foot defence to clip off stump.

But by tea Kimber had helped the indefatigable Hill add 40 for the fifth wicket and their staff seemed comfortably positioned at 233 for 4.

The pair took the rating to 258 earlier than Kimber, on 34, departed in uncommon style, given out after taking part in a supply from off-spinner Ollie Price defensively into the bottom, up onto his shoulder after which flicking the ball away with a hand.

Price instantly appealed for obstruction and umpires Graham Lloyd and Paul Baldwin consulted earlier than rapidly sending Kimber on his method.

Hill had an anxious second on 83 when he performed a supply from Tom Price with the second new ball to gully and was known as for a suicidal single by Rehan Ahmed, Miles Hammond's throw to the bowler's finish missing the required accuracy to run him out.

It was all the help Hill required to maneuver to a few figures off 205 balls, with 12 fours. But Akhter wasn't completed and produced a brute of a brief ball, which Ahmed, having breezed to twenty-eight off 32 balls, might solely fend to second slip.

Hill's lengthy vigil ended when he gave a return catch to Ollie Price and Gohar rapidly despatched again Chris Wright and Callum Parkinson. But Tom Scriven's 30 earlier than falling lbw to Ollie Price (three for 40) ensured a 3rd batting level for Leicestershire.