Essex set 213 as wickets tumble after Roderick's hundred
15 July 2016
Seasoned watchers at Cheltenham Festivals down the years know the cricket is rarely dull. Something is always happening, and Friday's play against Division 2 leaders Essex at the College Ground was the epitome of a Cheltenham day.
At first Gloucestershire appeared to heading for a position of power, as Gareth Roderick shared a century opening stand with Chris Dent and went on to complete his first hundred of the season, but his dismissal shortly before tea for 102 started a sequence where Essex took the last eight Gloucestershire wickets for 62 runs.
Despite Dent's 72 and an unbeaten 53 from Michael Klinger, Gloucestershire's second innings ended with their total at 290, leaving Essex to score 213 to win. At stumps, having faced seven overs, they had reached 16-1.
Listen to Gareth Roderick's close of play thoughts here :
Under overcast skies and and with a cool breeze evident Roderick and Dent's batting was almost a mirror image of Wednesday's morning session with the Gloucestershire openers playing firmly on the front foot (sic).
Their running between the wickets made up for the small number of boundaries as they sought to wipe out Essex's first innings lead, Roderick in particular being quickly into his stride, while Dent was more patient and had made only 11 despite taking the majority of the strike when drizzle temporarily forced the players off. His boundary off Quinn's first ball following the resumption not only brought up the fifty partnership but indicated he can become happier with his timing than earlier in the day.
Quinn looked much less dangerous than during his devastating spell in the first innings, and Roderick's sixth boundary both completed a 43 ball half century and put Gloucestershire ahead overall.
When a second bout of drizzle forced an early lunch Roderick and Dent had put on 88 without a great deal of concern in fewer than 20 overs play, and the first part of the afternoon continued in the same vein although now it was Dent who dominated the scoring.
The left hander brought up the 100 partnership in an over from Porter where he collected two stylish boundaries, and his fifty was duly completed from 91 deliveries. Two more well timed drives off Quinn suggested a big score until, having made 72 and with the opening stand at 148, he dragged a ball from Bopara into his stumps.
A brief cameo from Graeme van Buuren (25) maintained the momentum until the South African edged Quinn to Foster and didn't wait for the umpire's decision, whereupon it was no surprise that the scoring slowed briefly as Klinger bedded in and Roderick neared his first Championship hundred since 2014.
Finally it was a single off Porter which brought a congratulatory hug from Klinger for his captain, who had hit 11 boundaries and faced 134 balls, and an excellent afternoon session was only spoiled when Roderick was lbw to Bopara just before tea for 102. The lead still looked healthy at 153 with seven wickets in hand, only for the plot to take a different twist as Cheltenham's reputation for eventful cricket again came to the fore.
Quinn, as he had in the first innings, bowled a long spell from the Chapel End and soon had Marshall lbw without scoring. Four balls later Jack Taylor cut Napier to Lawrence at point, and Noema-Barnett had made only 10 when he edged Quinn to Browne at first slip.
It was Quinn's his 10th wicket in the match, but he hadn't finished as after being pulled into the Members stand at mid wicket for six by Miles, another short ball was guided straight to Ryan ten Doeschate at leg gully..
It left the lower order to support Michael Klinger, and while Payne, Norwell and Shaw stayed long enough for Klinger to complete a patient half century, all three were caught behind off Graham Napier as Essex found themselves batting earlier than they could have anticipated barely two hours before, having dismissed Gloucestershire in their second innings for 290.
Seven overs remained and Gloucestershire will have gained some encouragement from David Payne's dismissal of Jaik Mickelburgh for a single via a inside edge.
At 16-1, Essex need 197 to win on the final day. Gloucestershire need nine wickets. They would have liked another 100 runs to play with, but they aren't available. It's a question of making the those they have sufficient, and if Roderick's body language at the close said anything, they won't lack the desire to make it happen.
