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Day one match report from LV=CC against Leicestershire at Grace Road

1 September 2015

Leicestershire opener Angus Robson scored his seventh half-century of the season on a rain-shortened first day of the championship match against Gloucestershire at Grace Road.

Heavy overnight rain left the outfield unfit for play until 12.40pm, after an early lunch had been taken.

Will Tavare, captaining Gloucestershire in the absence of Michael Klinger, who has returned to Australia – though Klinger has confirmed he will return for his county’s Royal London One-Day Cup semi-final against Yorkshire at Headingley this Sunday – decided to field first after the winning the toss, but opening bowlers James Fuller and David Payne found less response from a greenish pitch than they must have hoped for.

Robson and Ned Eckersley were able to score at a steady four an over until after 11 overs rain forced another break.

The loss of the morning session had seen 16 overs taken from the day’s allocation of 96, and another heavy shower caused another 32 to be lost before it was possible to resume. Gloucestershire’s seamers bowled with more accuracy on the resumption, but Liam Norwell, coming down the hill from the Bennett End, was fortunate to pick up the wicket of Eckersley, who turned a leg-side long hop straight into the hands of Kieran Noema-Barnett at square leg.

Robson, batting with patience and discipline, went to his 50 off 119 balls, but the persevering Norwell found the edge of his bat with an out-swinger on 61, and Gareth Roderick held a straightforward catch behind the stumps.

Tavare said choosing to field first had not been straightforward.

“In many ways it would have been a good toss to lose, as it certainly wasn’t an easy decision to put them in. Angus Robson batted well for them in a difficult period but I’m not too disappointed and we’ll be looking for early wickets tomorrow,” he said.

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