Derbyshire wrestle initiative on day one
26 April 2015
A day of what might have been at the Bristol County Ground, as Gloucestershire threatened - but never quite managed - to stamp some real authority on a Derbyshire attack who wrestled the initiative their way in the final session.
Aided by the second new ball, Derbyshire claimed the last six Gloucestershire wickets for only 48 runs to dismiss their hosts for 275, a much smaller total than looked likely in mid afternoon.
At stumps, Derbyshire were 24 without loss.
Gloucestershire head coach Richard Dawson retained the same team that drew at Northampton in the opening round of games, and scoring was brisk from the off as Chris Dent capitalised on Mark Footitt's struggles with line and length to crack four fours to the cover boundary during the left arm seamer's opening spell.
Tony Palladino was offering more control from the Ashley Down Road end, and it was he who made the first breakthrough, inducing an edge from Dent which was snapped up by wicketkeeper Harvey Hosein.
Gloucestershire skipper Geraint Jones admitted he also would have bowled first if he had won the toss, but as the grey skies brightened, so did Will Tavare's comfort against the visiting attack, indeed the easy paced pitch allowed most of the top order to play anything short with some ease.
Tavare did survive one sharp chance to Martin Gupthill at third slip off Footitt when on 33, but he was within sight of a second Championhip fifty of the season when he played a loose shot off Thakor ten minutes before lunch, and was caught by Derbyshire skipper Madsen at first slip.
Tavare and Gareth Roderick had added 68 for the second wicket before being parted, and it was a pattern that was to be mirrored throughout the day, as Derbyshire checked a series of stands just as each of them looked dangerous.
Peter Handscomb had kept Roderick company until lunch, but he had hardly settled afterwards when he was squared up by a ball from Taylor and lost his off stump.
It marked a phase where Derbyshire were able to gain an element of control, having bowled only two maidens in the morning session. Roderick, however, continued to impress. He passed 50 in both innings at Northampton, and drove stylishly here, picking off boundaries either side of lunch before completing another half century by punching Hughes to the mid off boundary. At that stage he had faced 110 balls.
Hamish Marshall, in a more reserved way than normal, offered Roderick valuable support until, with a first batting point secured, Roderick pulled a ball from the recalled Footitt straight to Hughes at square leg. The Gloucestershire wicketkeeper had batted for more than three hours, and it was another case of the momentum baton having to be passed on.
Derbyshire skipper Madsen rotated his five seamers until just before tea, when Wes Durston bowled a solitary over, but there was success immediately after it when Geraint Jones shouldered arms to Tom Taylor's second ball and was clean bowled.
It signalled the loosening of Gloucestershire's grip. The glue of the innings for the previous two and a half hours, Hamish Marshall was trapped in front by Palladino having made 41, and with the door open to the tail and the second new ball available, Derbyshire profited.
Fuller was LBW to Hughes for six, and Footitt, expensive earlier in the day, removed Noema-Barnett (21) and Norwell in successive balls. When Miles edged Palladino to Madsen at first slip, Gloucestershire had gone from 249-5 to 275 all out.
It left Derbyshire six overs to negotiate, which Godleman and Slater did without undue trouble.
