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Dogged Dent and van Buuren defy Notts

12 June 2017

Graeme van Buuren ended a run of low scores with a season's best 88 not out to frustrate Division 2 leaders Nottinghamshire and secure a draw for Gloucestershire in their last Championship game at the Brightside Ground until September.

The 26 year old also passed 4,000 first class runs during an innings that lasted over five hours, and with stoic support from Chris Dent (71) and Phil Mustard (39), two stands of 91 and 92 thwarted the visitors after two wickets fell early on.

When the teams shook hands Gloucestershire were 254-5 in their 2nd innings, 22 runs ahead with only 10 overs play remaining.

Listen to the thoughts of head coach Richard Dawson on the draw here:

Only 19 wickets had fallen in the game when Chris Dent and Will Tavare left the pavilion at the start of the final day, and with all the talk on Sunday evening being of Samit Patel's low risk approach to his unbeaten 257, Gloucestershire needed them to replicate his methodical approach to avoid defeat. The start was hardly ideal.

Harry Gurney was the bowler to cause the trouble, sending back both Tavare (7) and Roderick (2) with deliveries that swung from around the wicket to get lbw decisions. 30-1 had become 35-3, and Nottinghamshire's field placing showed creativity as they tried to split Dent and van Buuren's partnership for the fourth wicket.

For Dent in particular, such a rearguard position was not unusual. Three of his four previous centuries at the Brightside Ground had been in the second innings of drawn matches, and at times here Nottinghamshire had four men in catching positions in front of the wicket, such was the pace of the pitch. He did spoon one delivery from Hutton short of mid on, but otherwise mirrored the application of his efforts against Durham earlier in the season, and reached his half century on the stroke of lunch from 115 balls with six boundaries.

Dent's partnership with van Buuren had by that stage added 65 with the strike being almost equally split. Nottinghamshire captain Chris Read had tried six bowlers, and the sight of Riki Wessels in the attack shortly after the resumption showed the pair were beginning to win this war of attrition. It was checked half an hour later by another lbw, Dent playing around a ball from Brett Hutton having made 71, and added 91 with van Buuren in 36 overs.

4⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣! Congratulations @GraemeGVB who has now reached 4000 first class runs 👏

Glos 236/5 and lead by 4 runs pic.twitter.com/Lxf5R43jsn

— Gloucestershire CCC (@Gloscricket) June 12, 2017

At 126-4 Gloucestershire still trailed by 106 so Phil Mustard's defensive guard was up immediately. One straight drive by van Buuren off Hutton was the best of the day and he had faced 170 balls when a punch past point off Fletcher brought up his own half century. A long hop from the occasional spin of Pujara was despatched shortly before tea as the match equation tipped further in Gloucestershire's favour, and even 14 bowling changes couldn't dislodge a fifth wicket stand which took tea just 43 runs behind.

The last throw of the dice for Nottinghamshire came with the second new ball, taken with 26 overs left and with Gloucestershire still in arrears on the scoreboard. Mustard, having grafted for 39 and added 92 with van Buuren in 33 overs, cut Fletcher to Libby at point. The job was almost done, but not quite, and it was left to Jack Taylor to quell his natural exuberance and bat for an hour with van Buuren until Gloucestershire edged ahead and the draw was secured, Taylor passing 2,000 first class runs in the process.

This, however, was van Buuren's day. He didn't make a hundred, but his long stay at the crease (242 balls) provided the glue Gloucestershire's second innings needed against a side likely to return to Division 1 at the end of the season. Moreover it should have boosted his confidence for when the first team return to action in the Championship at Hove on June 26.

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