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Essex v Gloucestershire Day 2 Match Report

11 April 2016

Gloucestershire’s bowlers fought back after lunch on day two of their Championship opener against Essex as the hosts finished the day on 287-6, 25 runs ahead.

Jack Taylor (2-12) ended a second-wicket stand of 222 between Alistair Cook (105) and Tom Westley (121) when he trapped the England captain LBW to spark a collapse that yielded five wickets for 53 runs.

Taylor also dismissed Westley, caught behind by Gareth Roderick from a ball that climbed on him.

Essex recovered to 249-3 before the new ball brought three more quick wickets prior to a premature finish due to rain.

Earlier in the day Alastair Cook scored his first Championship century since 2014 as he and Westley put on 222, an Essex record for the second wicket against Glos, beating  the 192 involving Paul Prichard and Jon Lewis in 1994, also at Chelmsford.

While the sun shone, Cook and Westley warmed to their task with considerable ease and effect adding 125 before lunch after resuming on 39 for 1. Both pulled and drive with authority as they completed their individual centuries.

Westley was the first into three figures, it arriving from 198 balls and containing 18 fours, while Cook reached his ton from 182 deliveries, 16 of which he despatched to the boundary.

Both were eventually dismissed by Jack Taylor who got Cook with his first ball after lunch and Westley in his fifth over.

Under gathering clouds and with a new ball in his hand fast bowler Liam Norwell beat the defence of Ravi Bopara after he had made 14 with a ball that cut back. Yorkshire Josh Shaw produced  a similar delivery that accounted for Ryan ten Doeschate, the Essex captain offering no stroke and perishing leg before wicket.

Just before that, young paceman Shaw picked up his first wicket on Championship debut when Dan Lawrence  top-edged a pull to Hamish Marshall at mid-off.

Those three wickets fell in the space of 18 deliveries for just ten runs but rain was to arrive before the visitors had the chance to inflict further damage.

Norwell,  the pick of the visitors bowlers,  has so far picked up his two wickets  for 64 runs in 25 overs while Shaw and Taylor have also bagged a couple each, the latter claiming his two wickets at a cost of only 12 runs in 9 overs.

Reflecting on the day Alistair Cook said: “It was nice to  get a few  and it helped put us in a  good position although it was disappointing that we lost four wickets towards the end and let Gloucestershire back into the game,” he said.

“The conditions changed with the new ball  because it became overcast and  then started to rain. But that’s the beauty of four-day cricket, conditions can change.”

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