Derbyshire v Gloucestershire | Day Two | Taylor shines with ball as day two ends early
12 May 2023
Gloucestershire seamer Matt Taylor impressed on his first appearance of the season against Derbyshire in the LV=Insurance County Championship match at Derby.
The 28-year-old exploited helpful conditions to take 2 for 18 from 10 overs as Derbyshire struggled on another day badly hit by the weather.
No play was possible until 14.00 because of a wet outfield and after Gloucestershire won the toss, Derbyshire reached 130 for 5 before bad light ended play early at 17.20.
Opener Harry Came held the innings together with an unbeaten 59 from 111 balls and Ajeet Singh Dale supported Taylor with 2 for 29 from 11 overs.
Gloucestershire’s decision to bowl first came as no surprise given the conditions which were overcast and Marchant De Lange almost struck with the second ball.
Came edged to third slip where Miles Hammond could not cling onto a very hard chance and the ball ran away to the third man boundary.
Came initially scored freely but with the floodlights on and the bowlers getting movement on a grassy pitch, batting was not easy and Gloucestershire did not have to wait long for the breakthrough.
Haider Ali played across a full length ball from Tom Price and Came survived another chance when he drove Taylor to gully but Marcus Harris was unable to take what would have been a good catch above his head.
Taylor and Singh Dale bowled accurately and the latter was rewarded when he moved one in late to knock out Brooke Guest’s off and middle stumps in the 16th over
Both were making the batters play in challenging conditions and Singh Dale picked up the big wicket of Wayne Madsen in his next over with enough late movement to take the edge and Ben Charlesworth took a good low catch at first slip.
Came walked off at tea one short of his fourth first-class fifty which he completed in the second over of the evening session but by then he had lost his skipper to the second ball after the resumption.
Taylor had been relentless in his line of just outside off stump and du Plooy was drawn into pushing at the left-armer and was caught behind to break a stand of 55 from 89 balls.
That brought in Mitch Wagstaff on his first-class debut and the 19-year-old struggled before he became another victim of Taylor’s accuracy.
He played and missed several times before the 27th ball he faced moved away to take the edge through to James Bracey.
By now the light had got worse and three overs later the umpires took the players off with just under 25 overs still to bowl.
