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Hammond's 100 gives Gloucestershire hope

21 July 2022

Gloucestershire's Miles Hammond staged a brilliant rearguard action to register his first hundred in four years and hold up Hampshire's victory charge on day three of this LV=County Championship match at Cheltenham.

With his side following on and under duress, the Cheltenham-born left hander produced a truly defiant innings of 109 not out to at least take the contest into a fourth day. This is Hammond's first hundred in 38 matches since he achieved that landmark against Middlesex on September 4, 2018, and it has almost certainly saved his team from the ignominy of an innings defeat.

Replying to Hampshire's mammoth 457, struggling Gloucestershire were forced to follow-on after being dismissed for 201 in their first innings, slow left armer Liam Dawson taking 4-44 and James Fuller and Felix Organ weighing in with two wickets apiece. Apart from a career-best knock of 59 from Ollie Price and an unbeaten 58 by skipper Graeme van Buuren, there was precious little to cheer for home supporters among a healthy Festival audience.

Gloucestershire fared little better second time around, Keith Barker claiming 3-34 to raise the prospect of an inside-the-distance win for the Division One title contenders. But Hammond dug in and, together with van Buuren (27 not out), ushered the underdogs through to the close on 191-4.

Still 65 runs behind with six second innings wickets remaining, Gloucestershire face a sizeable task if they are to save the game on a deteriorating pitch that is offering assistance to spin.

Their inability to post substantial first-innings totals on a regular basis has cost the First Division's basement club dear this season. That particular Achilles heel resurfaced with alarming consequences on day three of the Festival match, Gloucestershire being bowled out for a wholly inadequate 201 in 64.2 overs, with six batsmen contributing two runs or fewer.

Their demise was all the more frustrating given that Hammond and Ollie Price, having resumed on 43-2, successfully defied Hampshire's bowlers for an hour and a half in the morning session. No doubt encouraged by taking his maiden first-class wicket earlier in the week, Price followed up by posting a career-best score of 59, helping himself to eight boundaries and sharing in a restorative stand of 76 for the third wicket with Hammond, whose innings was characterised by some handsome off drives.

Still seeking a breakthrough after deploying all four front-line seamers, Hampshire captain James Vince introduced Dawson with devastating effect in the 36th over, the slow left armer striking with his fourth and sixth deliveries from the Chapel End. Tempted onto the front foot, Hammond overbalanced and was comprehensively stumped by Brown, while James Bracey miss-judged the flight and drove the ball straight back at the bowler, who demonstrated safe hands as 93-2 became 93-4 in a trice.

Gloucestershire's fortunes nosedived thereafter, Price nicking off spinner Organ to short leg, where Nick Gubbins took a startling catch at full length, and Ryan Higgins take an utterly unjustified swing at a widish delivery from Fuller and surrendering his off stump in the final over before lunch.

Only van Buuren offered any semblance of resistance, Gloucestershire's captain cutting and driving his way to a hard-earned 58 from 90 balls, his eleventh and final four at least salvaging a solitary batting bonus point for his beleaguered team. Unfortunately for the South African, the rot had set in at the other end, Zafar Gohar, Tom Price, Zak Chappell and Josh Shaw all coming and going with indecent haste, the four tailenders contributing a mere three runs between them as Kyle Abbott, Fuller and Organ combined with the ball to hasten the follow-on.

His bowlers still relatively fresh, Vince did not hesitate to put Gloucestershire in again, a decision that was rewarded when the openers departed in quick succession for a second successive day. Running in hard, Barker did the damage this time, persuading Marcus Harris to edge behind for nine and then bowling Chris Dent for 4 to severely weaken the case for Gloucestershire saving the game.

Ollie Price and Hammond again did their best to obstruct Hampshire progress, staging an obstinate stand of 63 in 21.2 overs either side of the tea interval to at least raise the spectre of a Gloucestershire recovery Clearly, the returning Barker had other ideas, the big man inducing Price to hit straight to Vince at mid-wicket and depart for 20 with the score on 77. 

Bracey arrived in the middle with a further 35 overs still to negotiate, his brief to stay with Hammond, whose continuing resistance took the form of a 78-ball 50, this raised via his tenth four. Yet the task proved beyond the Bristolian, Abbott locating his outside edge and Dawson pouching a catch at first slip.

But there was no stopping Hammond, the 26-year-old going to his third first-class hundred from 160 balls shortly before the close, in the process earning himself a prolonged standing ovation from grateful Gloucestershire members among an enthusiastic Festival audience. Hammond's hundred included 16 fours and a brace of sixes and he found a willing ally in van Buuren, the fifth wicket pair staging an unbroken stand of 80 to afford their team renewed hope.

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