Defiant Bracey secures draw for Gloucestershire
14 May 2018
James Bracey's second century of the season saw Gloucestershire comfortably salvage a draw in their County Championship clash with Middlesex at Lord’s.
The Bristol-born left-hander mixed obdurate defence and steely concentration with a sprinkling of boundaries to lead the visitors to safety on the final day after they had been forced to follow on.
Bracey raised his ton with his 12th four, clenching his fist in celebration of 272 minutes of sterling effort, before finishing undefeated on 125.
CENTURY🏏
— Gloucestershire CCC (@Gloscricket) May 14, 2018
What a remarkable innings this has been by the young @bobbybracey114
Not a bad place to complete your century.
He brings his 100 up with a crushing boundary! Take a bow👏👏#GoGlos #Century pic.twitter.com/2Ggos3WwZ9
Wicketkeeper Gareth Roderick (48) and Jack Taylor (41) lent staunch support on a day when the home side’s bowling attack toiled hard, but never looked likely to claim the eight wickets needed to force a win.
Middlesex, badly needing a win after a spluttering start to the red-ball campaign, were always going to need early wickets on day four, but in Bracey and Roderick met two batsmen determined to entrench.
Bracey survived two LBW shouts on 19, the latter from spinner Ollie Rayner the closer of the two, but those scares apart was relatively untroubled. One straight drive for four off Steven Finn underlined his burgeoning talent.
Roderick too offered no cause for optimism to the Lord’s tenants as they went wicketless to the lunch interval.
The breakthrough came soon after the resumption when Roderick pushed at one slanting across him from James Harris and edged to Rayner who took a smart low catch at second slip.
One wicket though failed to bring two as Jack Taylor took up the baton for the visitors.
Bracey soon had 50 and as the afternoon wore on the Middlesex bowlers tired, offering him the chance to expand his repertoire of strokes.
Taylor too played nicely, hitting delightful shots and showing confidence. The 26-year-old was out edging a ball from Harris (3-60) onto his stumps shortly before tea, but by then a draw was within Gloucestershire’s grasp.
The interval served only to delay what had long seemed an inevitable hundred for Bracey, a hugely creditable effort despite the increasingly benign pitch conditions.
Graeme van Buuren (46 not out) joined in the fun after tea until the inevitable handshakes came.
Congratulations to @MCCUnis student, @bobbybracey114 , who has scored the first Lord's century of the 2018 season.
— Lord's Cricket Ground (@HomeOfCricket) May 14, 2018
A terrific knock 👏#LoveLords https://t.co/DbW34xXL5D
