Match Reports

Gloucestershire v Northants

Day Four

Gloucestershire had to be content with three bonus points as they suffered a first LV=County Championship defeat of the season by seven wickets against Second Division leaders Northants.

The hosts began the final day on 280-9 in their second innings, leading by only 68, and added 19 runs in 25 minutes before being bowled out for 299, Jack Taylor being the last man out for 48.

That left Northants needing just 88 to win and, despite some spirited Gloucestershire bowling, which saw the back of Kyle Coetzer, Stephen Peters and Alex Wakely, they reached 90-3 off 22.3 overs just before lunch.

The visitors took a maximum 24 points from the game. To compound Gloucestershire’s disappointment, neither Benny Howell nor Liam Norwell fielded in the Northants second innings because of injuries.

Taylor produced some defiant blows, including a six over wide long-on off Trent Copeland, in adding 12 to his overnight score at the start of the day.

His resistance ended when he got a bottom edge onto his stumps to give Steven Crook his fourth wicket of the innings, seventh of the match and 18^th of the season.

Crook finished with four for 48 off 26.1 overs, while fellow seamer Andrew Hall returned three for 69 from 21 overs.

A bitterly cold day stayed dry for Northants, who contrived to lose openers Coetzer and Peters with only 18 on the board.

Coetzer was first to go, well taken low down by Taylor at mid-wicket off David Payne, for five. Then Peters miscued a leg-side shot to substitute fielder Graeme McCarter off Will Gidman and departed for seven.

Wakely counter-attacked with a brisk 20, hitting Taylor’s off-spin for a straight six and a four through wide long-on.

But in the same over he mishit another attacking shot to Chris Dent at mid-wicket to leave the visitors 51 for three.

The reassuring presence of David Sales was at the wicket by then. He and Rob Newton saw Northants safely to their modest target, Sales ending on 29 not out when the match was concluded at 12.59pm

Day Three

Gloucestershire's batsmen showed good application against early Division Two pacesetters Northants at the County Ground today, but still look to be heading towards a first defeat of the new season.

Faced with a daunting first-innings deficit of 212, Gloucestershire began the third day's play on 34-1 and finished it on 280-9.

Alex Gidman top-scored with 87 and there were also well-crafted half-centuries from Chris Dent (50) and Benny Howell (53).

Teenage wicketkeeper Cameron Herring, who made a fine 43 in the first innings, has again performed well in only his second first-class match. The Welshman helped Howell add 54 for the seventh wicket  and was eventually dismissed for 32.

Gloucestershire's bid to save the game got off to a poor start when Dan Housego was caught behind down the legside from the fifth ball of the day, bowled by Trent Copeland.

Dent and Alex Gidman put on 56 for the third wicket in largely untroubled fashion, until Dent attempted to withdraw his bat to a delivery from David willey and only succeeded in dragging it onto his stumps.

Hamish Marshall was dismissed soon after, caught low at first slip by Copeland off Andrew Hall, and Gloucestershire took lunch on 111-4.

Alex Gidman and Howell played with increasing fluency during a fifth-wicket partnership of 69 and Gidman, in particular, started to find the boundary boards.

He took three fours in quick succession off Hall and struck off-spinner James Middlebrook for a straight six. It was something of a surprise, therefore, that he should fall short of a century when he pushed forward to Hall and edged low to Copeland at slip.

Younger brother Will Gidman departed six overs later, caught behind off Steven Crook for six, and Northant swere sensing a three-day victory again with Gloucestershire on 186-6.

However, Howell and Herring produced 21 overs of defiant batting for the seventh wicket and the former progressed to a 142-ball half-century, which contained five fours.

He was eventually undone by Hall, who induced an edge to David Sales at second slip. but Herring then found a good partner in Jack Taylor, who hit five boundaries on his way to 30 by stumps.

Unfortunately for Gloucestershire, Herring and David Payne were both dismissed in the closing overs of the day.

Herring chipped Crook to Alex Wakeley at midwicket and the seamer then bowled David Payne for a duck.

Day Two

Will Gidman finished with 4-109 as Northamptonshire established a first innings lead of 212 on the second day at Bristol.

Half-centuries from Alex Wakely, James Middlebrook and Steven Crook earned the visitors maximum batting points as they ran up 404 all out in reply to Gloucestershire’s 192.

By the close the home side had responded with 34-1, skipper Michael Klinger caught behind off Trent Copeland for a single with the total on two. Chris Dent ended the day 27 not out.

Northants began the day on 107-3. Rob Newton soon set about adding to his score of 14, pulling a ball from Alex Gidman over fine leg for six.

Newton had moved to 39 by the tenth over of the day when caught at backward-point by Jack Taylor off Benny Howell to make the score 149-4.

Wakely, unbeaten on 23 overnight, looked in good touch as he was joined by Andrew Hall, who was given a life on 18 when dropped by Dent at second slip off David Payne.

The pair had added 77 by lunch, which was taken with Northants 226-4. Wakely had moved to 80, having reached his half-century off 113 balls, with 8 fours.

Hall was 27 not out at the interval, but could add only a single in the afternoon session before falling leg-before to Will Gidman. He had struck six boundaries and the score was 227-5.

That became 242-6 when Wakely departed, also lbw to Gidman, having faced 166 balls and extended his boundary count to 11.

It was 268-6 when the second new ball became due and, not surprisingly, Klinger opted to take it immediately.

Payne was the bowler to capitalise as David Murphy was caught by diving wicketkeeper Cameron Herring for 16 and three balls later David Willey had his middle stump uprooted to fall for a duck..

The Northants lead was 91, but their tail wagged as Crook joined Middlebrook to produce the most attacking batting of the day.

Middlebrook hit 8 fours in reaching a 72-ball half-century, while Crook also punished anything loose.

By tea they had taken the score to 353-8, earning Northants a third and fourth batting point in the process with a series of well-timed attacking strokes. Middlebrook was unbeaten on 62, while Crook had hit 6 fours in his 35 not out.

The final session saw Middlebrook caught behind off Jack Taylor’s off-spin without adding to his score. But last man Copeland then contributed 27 not out to a last-wicket stand of 46 with Crook.

Will Gidman claimed his fourth wicket when Crook chipped a catch to Chris Dent at mid-wicket, having made a valuable 53 off 78 balls, with 8 fours.

Gloucestershire were left facing an awkward last hour of batting. So it proved as Klinger got an outside edge pushing forward to Copeland.

But Chris Dent was unbeaten on 27 as he and Dan Housego saw their team to the close.

Day One

Cameron Herring top-scored with 43 in his first LV=County Championship innings as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 192 on the opening day against Northants at Bristol.

The 18-year-old wicketkeeper batted for an hour and 42 minutes to bolster his side’s total as David Willey (4-71), Steven Crook (3-47) and James Middlebrook (2-4) earned the visitors maximum bowling points.

By the close Northants had replied with 107-3 to trail by 85 runs after a fascinating day’ds cricket.

Gloucestershire skipper Michael Klinger elected to bat on an overcast morning when winning the toss and saw conditions favour the Northants seamers, who moved the ball in the air and off the pitch.

It was 7-1 in the fifth over when Chris Dent was caught at second slip by David Sales off a back-foot defensive shot to give Willey his first wicket.

That became 9-2 as Dan Housego was bowled off stump by left-armer Willey for two as he pushed forward.

Klinger himself battled away for 62 balls, striking 3 fours, before he was caught behind playing forward to Steven Crook for 23 to make it 50-3.

Seven runs had been added when Alex Gidman was pouched at first slip by Andrew Hall off Crook, having made 20.

Lunch was taken with Gloucestershire 70-5 after Hamish Marshall was caught behind off Willey for eight in the final over before the interval.

Will Gidman was first to go in the afternoon session, offering a second catch to Sales in the slips to give Willey his fourth wicket with the total on 90.

Benny Howell looked in good form as he brought the hundred up with a flashing shot through the covers off Willey and followed up with another boundary to the same region off the next ball.

Howell also hit a top-edged six off Crook before being bowled by the same bowler pushing forward for 31 to make the score 111-7.

Jack Taylor was dropped on 17 by Trent Copeland at third slip off Crook and brought up the 150 with a square driven four off Hall.

Herring had survived a chancey first scoring shot off Willey, which brought him three runs, but visibly grew in confidence as he adjusted to conditions.

The diminutive youngster pulled Crook for a meaty boundary as well as producing some well-timed drives, He and Taylor had added 43 when off-spinner James Middlebrook was introduced into the Northants attack.

He accounted for Taylor with the score on 158 as the batsman skied a catch to mid-off, having faced 42 balls and hit 4 fours in his bright 31. Then David Payne was well stumped by David Murphy off the medium pace of Hall without scoring..

From 159-9, last man Liam Norwell helped Herring add 33 valuable runs, his contribution being 8 not out.

Herring was last man out, stumped advancing down the track to Middlebrook, having his 8 fours in his 81-ball innings.

The teenager’s good day continued when he broke an opening stand of 42 for Northants, diving to his right to catch Kyle Coetzer off Will Gidman for 24.

David Sales then pulled a short ball from Liam Norwell straight to Dan Housego at mid-wicket to depart for five and when Stephen Peters, on 34, miscued a similar shot off the same bowler Will Gidman took a fine diving catch at mid-on.