REPORT : Festival Sunday swings on Taylor's hundred
9 July 2017
An unbeaten century by Jack Taylor on the ground where made his career best score two years ago was the spine of Gloucestershire's innings after they were put into bat by Worcestershire in their Championship match at the Cheltenham Festival.
Chris Dent's departure for 65 saw Taylor join Phil Mustard at 129-5 and after adding 96 with his skipper, who made 50, Taylor went on to complete his first hundred of the season with 14 fours and a six.
Craig Miles (39) then played with increasing confidence to support Taylor in an eighth wicket stand of 89, and by stumps Gloucestershire has reached 343-8, Taylor taking the warm applause of a healthy crowd as he walked off 118 not out.
Listen to Jack Taylor's reaction to the day here :
Head coach Richard Dawson opted to name the same side which had beaten Glamorgan in two days, and on this occasion Worcestershire captain Joe Leach didn't hesitate to take up the option of bowling first.
Leach already has more than 40 Championship wickets coming into the match and in two short bursts with the new ball he added two further names to his tally. Cameron Bancroft's only delivery was the first one of the match - the Australian was given out lbw playing back - and Will Tavare had made 21 when Cox took a fine one handed catch behind the stumps.
Tavare had earlier been dropped in the slips by Mitchell in Josh Tongue's first over, and the young bowler was out of luck later too as Joe Clarke juggled and spilled an edge from Jack Taylor at third slip. It was an expensive miss.
A fast outfield contributed to a brisk scoring rate in the first hour, with 53 runs already on the board when Tavare departed. Both Tavare and Chris Dent had collected boundaries through the covers with little more than a firm defensive push off Hastings, and Dent also profited in one of his favourite areas, steering the ball to the boundary behind point.
Barnard looked lively from the College Lawn end and made amends for fumbling a run out opportunity when Dent called for a sharp single by taking one of two wickets in the last 40 minutes before lunch, Roderick (11) miscuing a pull and giving an easy catch to Hastings in the gully. When van Buuren edged off spinner Rhodes' third ball to keeper Cox, Dent and skipper Mustard knew application was essential as they took lunch at 85-4.
The tactics of the two left handers saw a steady accumulation of runs in the early afternoon sunshine, Dent steering Barnard to third man to bring up his fifty from 103 balls with six fours. Worcestershire would still have been content with their decision to bowl at that point and the skiddy Barnard had two lbw appeals turned down by umpire Evans before he answered the third by giving Dent out deep in his crease. In truth, he almost walked without waiting for the decision.
Taylor's innings had begun with an edge past third slip and on another day Clarke's catch, when he had made 16, would have been taken. Buoyed by his good fortune, Taylor struck a straight six and two boundaries in an over from Rhodes and never looked back, playing the role of the aggressor in a stand of contrasts with Mustard. His half century came at almost a run a ball and with both men content to let the ball come to them and play off the back foot, the balance of the day had been readdressed by tea with Gloucestershire 221-5.
Mustard's share of the 92 runs the pair had added to that point was only 30, but he did complete a patient half century before being bowled through the gate by Barnard in the same over. Any thoughts Worcestershire might have had about batting before the day was out were then dispelled by Taylor and Craig Miles who, after Noema-Barnett went for a duck, took Gloucestershire well beyond a third batting point.
Initially against the old ball, Miles had to fend off some short deliveries from Tongue, even managing to register an all run four off a rare half volley while Taylor was by now driving freely, picking off boundaries against Barnard - who bowled well - and Hastings, who has had happier days. When Leach was despatched first behind square and then straight, Taylor had swiftly negotiated the nineties and reached three figures from 122 balls with 14 fours and one six.
Nine overs remained on the day when Miles brought up the 300 on the board, and he hit Hastings into the Members stand before Barnard's persistence brought him a fourth wicket, courtesy of Cox's fourth catch. Miles had made 39, and added 89 with Taylor in 21 overs. David Payne kept the hero of the hour company until the close at 343-8, Gloucestershire having tipped the scales their way on a typically fluctuating Cheltenham day.
