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Final session swings first day onto even keel

21 June 2015

It's hard to know who's on top after a sunny Sunday at the Bristol County Ground. Essex might have hoped for better given where they were at lunch after winning the toss, while Gloucestershire will feel their bowlers have recovered a position that threatened to get away from them.

In mid afternoon Essex were 169-5, only for a century stand between Ryan Ten Doeschate (73) and captain James Foster (63) to steady the innings. However the Gloucestershire bowlers shared five wickets after tea to dismiss Essex for 319, Fuller splattering Porter's stumps with the last ball of the day.

Listen to Benny Howell's thoughts on the day here :

Gloucestershire were still unable to select Hamish Marshall because of a calf injury, but Gareth Roderick's thumb had recovered sufficiently for him to play as a batsman, with skipper Geraint Jones keeping wicket. James Fuller was brought back into the attack in place of Matt Taylor.

The most striking factor of Essex's batting, particularly in the morning session, was the high proportion of boundaries. Aided by a fast outfield and a short boundary towards the Kennington Avenue side of the ground, they reached the rope 24 times in 29 overs during the morning session.

Having lost the toss, Jones was to be involved immediately, spilling a chance in the second over off James Fuller when Nick Browne had made only a single. His reaction suggested a better decision would have been to have left it to Michael Klinger at first slip.

England captain Alistair Cook was playing in only his second Championship match of the summer, and initially he was content for Browne to dominate the strike. His timing, even to the shorter boundary, was not quite as he would have wanted, although it mattered little as Browne accelerated to 36 before clipping Norwell to Jack Taylor at mid wicket in the Cornishman's second over.

Miles opened up with a five over spell, but when he was brought back from the Ashley Down Road end Cook drove him for three boundaries in his only over as Essex started to look dominant.

It was something of a relief when Cook - who had seen a ball from Howell edged between Klinger and Dent and not go to hand - came half forward to Howell 15 minutes before lunch. He was rapped on the pad, and umpire Gale sent him on his way for 48.

Gloucestershire needed an early breakthrough in the afternoon session to pull the game round, and the willing Norwell got it with just the second delivery. Westley had struck eight fours in an unbeaten 33 by lunch, so Geraint Jones was grateful to accept an easy chance as Westley swished at one outside the off stump.

There might have been a double breakthrough if Tavare had clung onto a sharp low chance off Miles when Bopara had made only six, and the same bowler was frustrated to see a confident appeal against Ryder for a catch at the wicket turned down by umpire Lloyds. Neither decision in the end was to make a huge difference.

Ryder top edged Norwell to Jones for 17 - Norwell's post lunch spell was 2-13 from eight overs - and then Fuller removed Bopara lbw for 30. Essex had lost 4 wickets for 57, and the day was back in the balance.

It meant Essex captain James Foster and Netherlands all rounder Ryan Ten Doeschate had to steady the innings, which they did despite Fuller getting some bounce from the Pavilion End.

Both displayed common sense, and with Foster the greater aggressor they added 72 through until tea with minimal fuss, Foster eventually reaching his fifty after the resumption in a shade under two hours with seven fours and a six.

The stand had reached 115 in 38 overs when Howell, re-introduced to the attack, juggled and finally held onto a caught and bowled chance to send back Foster for 63 two overs before the second new ball was due. Howell, however, persevered with the old one against Napier, who never settled and it was no surprise when he was lbw for a single.

Appropriately, give his fifty contained 27 singles, Ten Doeschate reached his half century with one off Jack Taylor - he'd faced 113 balls.

Gloucestershire gave themselves eight overs with the second new ball before the close. It was long enough to remove the tail, with catches for Geraint Jones to dismiss Salisbury off Fuller for two, and Ten Doeschate, after nearly three and a half hours, off Miles for 73.

When Fuller bowled Porter without scoring, honours were just about even.

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