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A flurry of Tom Price wickets late on Day Two gives Glos the edge

21 September 2022

Tom Price spearheaded a dramatic late Gloucestershire fightback on day two of this compelling LV=County Championship match against fellow First Division strugglers Warwickshire at Bristol's Seat Unique Stadium.

Dismissed for 274 earlier in the day, Warwickshire bowled out Gloucestershire for 255 to establish a slender first-innings lead of 19, thanks largely to a superb return of 5-90 from Indian off spinner Jayant Yadav.

But Price produced a blistering spell with the new ball to remove Dom Sibley, Sam Hain, Will Rhodes and Yadav, while David Payne accounted for Rob Yates as the Bears slumped to 58-5 at the close, a lead of just 77 with five second innings wickets in hand.

Although Gloucestershire face having to bat last on a turning pitch which is expected to deteriorate further, they will now consider themselves favourites to register a first win of the season in red-ball cricket and plunge Warwickshire still deeper into the relegation mire.

Needing to beat Gloucestershire to keep pace with fellow strugglers Kent, Warwickshire will take succour from the performance of Yadav, who accounted for key batsmen Chris Dent, James Bracey and Graeme van Buuren before returning to mop up the tail in the final session.

For their part, Gloucestershire were indebted to Jack Taylor, who top-scored with 71 from 106 balls and shared in a sixth wicket stand of 90 with Graeme van Buuren to rescue the home side from the wreckage of 95-5. But Tom Price then turned the contest on its head, pinning Sibley lbw without scoring, accounting for Sam Hain in identical fashion and then having Rhodes and Yadav caught at the wicket, while Payne bowled an out-of-sorts Yates. Alex Davies managed to stop the rot and reached the close unbeaten on 41, and he and Jacob Bethel (not out 3) will be required to summon further resistance in the morning.

Posting substantial first innings totals at Bristol has long been a challenge for Gloucestershire and, despite tinkering with personnel and the batting order, the outcome remained pretty much the same as the hosts were bowled out inside 75 overs.

Ben Charlesworth could not be held accountable when fending at a sharply rising delivery from Ryan Sidebottom and edging to Hain at second slip, but Ollie Price, batting at number three, will be disappointed to get out to a ball from Oliver Hannon-Dalby that kept low and pinned him inside the crease with the score on 30.

Deceived by late turn, Chris Dent was adjudged lbw for 23, pushing half forward to a length ball from Yadav, while James Bracey had his off stump knocked back in the act of driving at a ball that pitched on middle and off as Gloucestershire lurched to 74-4 at lunch.

After Miles Hammond directed a leading edge high to extra cover, Gloucestershire further subsided to 95-5 during the afternoon session. 

Gloucestershire urgently required a meaningful partnership if they were to muscle their way back into the game. Skipper van Buuren and Taylor obliged in a sixth wicket alliance that served to even things up beneath the Bristol sunshine.

As befitted the gravitas of his role, van Buuren batted responsibly, adopting a low-risk approach and looking to compile steadily as conditions eased. In contrast, Taylor refused to succumb to pressure and played his natural game, deploying attack as the best form of defence. A free spirit, he was prepared to be expansive, a stance which served to change the tempo and at least force Warwickshire's bowlers onto the back foot for a while. Taylor helped himself to four sixes and five fours in scoring a 47-ball 50, dominating a restorative stand of 90 in 22 overs with his captain.

Van Buuren's stubborn innings of 32 from 74 balls finally came to an end when he was bowled by Yadav, but Zafar joined Taylor and the seventh wicket pair successfully banked a batting bonus point ahead of the tea interval. Just as Gloucestershire supporters were beginning to countenance the possibility of a first innings lead for only the second occasion this season, expectation was dampened by Taylor's untimely demise. Briggs switched the angle of attack by reverting to bowling around the wicket at Taylor, who pushed at a ball outside off stump and popped a catch up to Rhodes at slip in the final over before tea.

Thereafter, Zafar managed to register a valuable 55 from 82 balls before Yadav polished off the tail to give the visitors a modest first-innings advantage.

Warwickshire had earlier resumed their first innings on 255-8, altogether dependent upon Sibley, whose unbeaten hundred rescued them from oblivion on day one. Sure enough, the 27-year-old former England batsman quickly ran out of partners, Hannon-Dalby and Sidebottom falling in quick succession to Zafar and Tom Price respectively.

After six and a half hours at the crease, Sibley was left high and dry on 120 not out. His was an innings of substance, occupying 280 balls, including 12 fours and serving as an object lesson to any batsman wishing to survive the rigours of a turning pitch.

Of the Gloucestershire bowlers, Zafar emerged with credit, the Pakistani slow left armer acting as a mainstay from the Bristol Pavilion end to return eye-catching figures of 5-64 from 35 overs.

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