Dawson pleased with team effort against competitive students
1 April 2016
Day 2 :
A finger injury to David Payne and the cruel run out (sic) of Durham MCCU batsman Charlie MacDonell were among the significant moments on the second day of three at the Bristol County Ground.
Payne left the field in only his third over of the day with a laceration to his finger after trying to stop a drive from MacDonell off his own bowling. It meant Gloucestershire were a bowler short for the remainder of play and MacDonell got to within nine runs of a maiden first class century before a horrible mix up with Will Jenkins saw him stranded mid pitch after batting for nearly four hours.
Durham MCCU were eventually dismissed for 288 , losing their last six wickets for 40 runs. Starting 60 runs ahead in their second innings, Gloucestershire openers Dent and Cockbain added another 94 runs in the final 19 overs of the day to extend the lead to 154 going into the final day.
Listen to head coach Richard Dawson's thoughts on the day here :
With conditions more overcast than on the first day, Gloucestershire would have hoped to take control of the game and establish a good first innings lead, but the application of the Durham MCCU team and an easy paced pitch stemmed any thoughts of that for quite some time after a double breakthrough from Craig Miles in his first spell of the day.
The overnight score was unchanged when Kurtz (15) steered a ball into the hands of Howell in the gully, and when Clark spooned up another Miles delivery, Howell dived low to his left to send back the Durham MCCU captain for 26.
At the other end Shaw bustled in for six lively overs, and could easily have had a wicket with edges either dropping short of the slip corden or running away past them to the third man boundary.
After Payne's departure Kieran Noema-Barnett and Liam Norwell were both introduced as Steel - a veteran of five previous first class games - and MacDonell set about stabilising the innings. On a slow surface they were frequently on the back foot, and had added 38 when Steel top edged a rare shorter delivery from Norwell and was caught on the long leg boundary by Miles.
It was no surprise that Gareth Roderick gave Chris Dent a brief stint with his left arm spin before lunch for some variation and to see if he could extract any turn, but there was to be no further breakthrough and the students reached the interval having added 102 runs in 34 overs, with MacDonell (32*) and Pollock (17*) providing determined resistance.
The pair dug in again at the resumption, slowly advancing the score for a further 11 overs before Noema-Barnett, who probably had a busier day that he envisaged, removed Pollock for 21 with Chris Dent taking a routine catch at slip.
For the third time however, MacDonell found a willing foil to support him in Gibson, who was equally prepared to work the ball around unfussily to keep the scoreboard slowly ticking over. MacDonell's half century had taken 106 balls and contained six boundaries, and he continued is measured fashion against all the Gloucestershire attack until shortly before the second new ball became due.
At this point Ian Cockbain was given a rare bowl, with Gibson soon striking a straight six towards the apartments before trying to repeat the shot and finding the safe hands of the retreating Shaw at long on. It was Cockbain's first first-class wicket.
Having at one stage claimed only one victim in 43 overs, the second new ball then saw Gloucestershire mop up the remainder of the Durham MCCU innings within an hour, including the almost apologetic dismissal of MacDonell. The 21 year old trudged off having made 91 with 12 boundaries from 184 balls after he was left stranded going for a second run to an off balance Craig Miles at mid off.
Among the flurry of late wickets, Josh Shaw picked up his first for Gloucestershire in first class cricket as he had Phillips lbw for 14, some reward for an enthusiatic day's work.
Gloucestershire set off in their second innings 60 runs ahead and with an hour and 20 minutes to bat before the close. Dent and Cockbain were untroubled throughout, Dent completing his half century in the penultimate over of the day from 52 balls with nine fours. Cockbain ended the day 38 not out as Gloucestershire reached 94 for no wicket, an overall lead of 154 with one day remaining.
